Most of the class cheating??

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Hey guys,

I’m a super frustrated nursing student. Most of my class blatantly cheats on tests and quizzes, and it drives me insane. The teachers are oblivious but I know someone in the class has said something. Apparently it’s not that big of a deal for them? They write their answers super super big on their paper and lift it up for everyone and it’s ridiculous.

The worst is when I or someone who doesn’t cheat gets the answer wrong and we inquire about the answer and they will respond with DUUUHHHH IT IS THIS DUHHHH! Girl, you wouldn’t have known that if you wouldn’t have seen it, so shush.

So my question is: have you seen any students cheating in your class and what did you do about it? Did they pass their NCLEX?

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18 hours ago, Katherin7 said:

They write their answers super super big on their paper and lift it up for everyone and it’s ridiculous.

18 hours ago, Katherin7 said:

The teachers are oblivious

No they aren't.

What year are you and what kind of program is this? It does sound completely ridiculous.

You have two basic options:

1) MYOB and study hard so that you actually learn the material, accept your grades and don't worry about what foolish people do.

2) Transfer.

Other options, such as trying to bring it to a head/make it stop is a headache you are likely to regret bringing upon yourself. These instructors let this go on for a reason and they very well may resent your involvement and disapproval.

#2 is tempting. I say that because if you do nothing there's some realistic chance that an instructor, program director, dean, etc., will get wind of this or get fed up and cause problems for the whole class, cheaters and non-cheaters alike. And, as already mentioned trying to fight against something so obvious and wrong runs the risk of not ending well either.

Sorry about this. In the meantime keep studying. You do need to know the material and these people are likely to regret their choices.

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18 hours ago, Katherin7 said:

The worst is when I or someone who doesn’t cheat gets the answer wrong and we inquire about the answer and they will respond with DUUUHHHH IT IS THIS DUHHHH!

This is a direct quote from your instructors? ?

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Leave them be. It will come back to bite them you know where. If they are just cheating and not learning, they won't pass NCLEX. If by some weird, slim chance they do pass, chances are they will bomb when hired for a job due to not having or retaining skills & information. Obviously new grads programs can only be patient when it comes to the learning curve for so long, before they say, "So Long!"

Heck, even new grads who have actually studied and retained material get let go from their new job because the hospital doesn't feel they're fast enough. There are plenty of posts on this site referencing this. Now imagine somebody who didn't pick up one thing at school and cheated the whole time...

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Specializes in Mental Health.

Ugh how much is a degree from this shady school costing you?

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Cheating does not serve anyone. As a nurse, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. To think that some of those cheaters will end up working in conditions where a patient can be endangered because of their lack of ethics and honesty is not comforting. Of course, there is a good chance they will never get that far.

Mike

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This sounds bizarre to me. Nobody could have cheated on exams where I attended school. They watched us like hawks. Can you look up the NCLEX pass rate online in your state?

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It also seems to me a school like this should be investigated and if found guilty, lose their credentials.

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People were caught cheating in my class. My professor caught a few people cheating and she told the chair about it. The chair person talked to those who were accused of cheating in her office and that's it. However, there were even some people who were accused of cheating who was not cheating. There was no further investigation or anything...

I know people who were cheating because I saw it with my own eyes. TBH, I wanted to say something because it's annoying how there are people who are studying their asses off and there are others who are cheating their way through nursing school.

I ended up not saying anything. I just minded my own business. I graduated nursing school in May 2019 & I passed NCLEX. Those who cheated, actually ended up passing NCLEX too.

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The number one regret I have from nursing school is not reporting someone who was blatantly cheating before my eyes. I was too tired after studying all night before the exam and decided to just go home and sleep.

Other options include reporting this behavior to the state BON and/or the accrediting entity that has vetted your program.

An additional alternative would be to have a non-nursing and non-school friend video tape this behavior from outside the classroom window. If it is as blatant as you say it is, the cheating shouldn't be hard to capture, even on an iPhone.

It's wonderful to make life long friends in nursing school, but these don't sound like the type of life long friends you want.

Like the previous poster said, do consider the ramifications re: professors being somewhat "in on it" to a certain degree and how that might play out for you.

My vote, burn 'em to the ground. Just be ready for the storm unless you can get it done anonymously. I.e. make an anonymous email and eventually prove you owned the email account after you send your complaint.

thumbs-down-gladiator.jpg

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

There was rampant cheating in my cohort. Not the type that you are describing, but other types of cheating. It was infuriating. This was a state school, with an excellent reputation. My class was a bad one, for specific reasons that I won't get into.

I graduated magna cum laude, but I would have been valedictorian if others did not cheat. That bothers me a little still when I think about it.

Many folks in my cohort did not pass NCLEX on their first try. The school has since wised up and eliminated take home tests and all testing done on a personal computer. If you did not cheat in my school and got passing grades, you would not have had a problem passing NCLEX. The cheaters cheated themselves.

I never snitched and doubt it would have helped the situation. I'm sure folks thought I snitched though, because I refused to participate in their cheat parties, which really pissed them off.

Whatever you do, don't drop down to their level. Be a person of integrity.

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35 minutes ago, FolksBtrippin said:

Whatever you do, don't drop down to their level. Be a person of integrity.

I agree, don't ever drop down to their level. I struggled so much in nursing school. Hell, I even failed a nursing class and I was so close to getting kicked out of the program because you are only allowed to fail one nursing class. It infuriated me how much I was struggling and then there were those in my class who was cheating on exams.

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