More than frastrated, need help ASAP.

Published

I was supposed to graduate with an associate of science degree in nursing and be eligible to take the licensure exam last year may but something terrible happened during the last course. A few days before the final exam, we were asked to write personal career plans with a mission statement which the instructor accused me of plagiarism. She gave me a zero and becouse of this I never graduated. I waited one year to go back to the same school to retake the course but the school refused to readmit me. I am paying $400.00 a month for the $1900.00 student loan I had borrowed. This does not account for all the time I spent in school, all the stress and sleepless nights, and most of all, the depression knowing that the school gave other students in my class second chances so they can accomplish their goals. It makes me feel discriminated against because of my origin. I don't know what to do....

I have successfully taken the following courses earned 42 credits in order to achieve this goal.

1) LPN to RN Transitions - 30hrs 2 Credits

2) Pharmacology-30hrs -2 Credits

3) Mental Health Nursing 30hrs + 90 hrs Clinical - 4 Credits.

4) Nursing III - 60hrs + 90hrs Clinical - 6 Credits

5) Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family

Part A: Maternal/Neonate -45hrs + 45 hrs Clinical - 4 Credits.

6) Gerontological Nursing 30hrs + 45hrs Clinical - 3 Credits

7) Life Span Development 45hrs - 3 Credits

8) Nursing IV 45 hrs + 90 hrs - 5 Credits

9) Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family

Part B: Nursing Care of Children 45 hrs + 45 hrs Clinical 4 Credits

10) Management RN 45 hrs (unsuccessful) + 45 hrs Clinical. (was supposed to be 4 Credits)

Anybody knows any schools in MA or NH that will accept this credits. I can't imagine starting over again.

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Specializes in MedSurg, Clinic, ER.

Your first step is probably to analyze why your instructor felt you guilty of plagiarism. After that, I would seriously consider researching the appeals process at that school just to clear your name... Something like that will follow you even if you transfer your credits to another school so it is important to clear your name.

Did you work with another student and both wind up with identical papers or something?

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Specializes in IMCU.

From where/whom did she say you plagiarized?

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muhoroj, If I was accused of plagerism I would fight that in every way possible. How was your Instructor able to prove that?

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No, we had to write a mission statement and I used words from the internet which I thought fit my believes and practice.

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From the internet, she said that I used someones else mission statement. I revised one from somebody that I thought fits my beleives and practice, it wasnt word to word but same message. She Googled it. She was also mean through out the whole course for some reasons.

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Specializes in MedSurg, Clinic, ER.

I believe your best bet in this instance is to work on clearing the plagiarism issue and try to transfer to another school. It is important for you to clear this up, though, because it will follow you. It doesn't sound as though you are guilty so you probably have a very good chance.

You'll probably have to cite your source and explain your side of the story several times in the process.

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Specializes in IMCU.
From the internet, she said that I used someones else mission statement. I revised one from somebody that I thought fits my beleives and practice, it wasnt word to word but same message. She Googled it. She was also mean through out the whole course for some reasons.

Ooooooooh. That must be tough. I would try to appeal.

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I am very sorry you are going trough this messy situation. Get the school policies in writing, write a letter to the professor explaining your position and acknowledging your passion for nursing and how strong you felt to that mission statement you revised from the internet, in the same letter request a meeting with her and other top school officials (get their names) also cc this letter to everyone you can think of, get the media involved if you must and create some wave for the school and for this professor. Ultimately get some legal advice. In the other hand you could have said in the words of so and so I see my vision reflected blah, blah, .... You know you need to quote your sources. I will be mad if someone use my research papers and pass them as theirs. Good luck, keep us informed.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Excelsior College is a distance-based school that will accept students who have completed at least one-half of an RN program elsewhere. You could possibly earn your RN through Excelsior in only a few months. Give it a try because you never know where it may lead.

http://www.Excelsior.edu

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I am paying $400.00 a month for the $1900.00 student loan I had borrowed.

Are you missing a zero here? Or is the interest rate really high? If this is a federal student loan you can contact the loan servicer to have the payment adjusted or put on forbearance until you get back into school. I'm not in MA or NH so I can't tell you what is typical for transfer credits in your area, but best bet is to try the community colleges in both states. Because you have so much course work completed you won't have to compete with first years for admission so this increases your chances of getting in. Good luck.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
No, we had to write a mission statement and I used words from the internet which I thought fit my believes and practice.

From the internet, she said that I used someones else mission statement. I revised one from somebody that I thought fits my beleives and practice, it wasnt word to word but same message. She Googled it. She was also mean through out the whole course for some reasons.

I'm not saying this to be harsh or mean, but what you did fits the definition of plagiarism. Even if you did not intend to copy someone else, you used another person's words without citing a proper source. In most programs, regardless of the educational level, plagiarism is sufficient cause to fail a course or be dismissed from a program. If your school has a written policy about plagiarism you can look at it and judge whether you are being treated fairly or not. Most schools do not accept ignorance of the policy as a reason for plagiarism. I am sorry you had to learn this the hard way.

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