My HESI story.

[2btmanrn]

hello and good morning everyone. my classmate is requesting for everyone to read her story. its about her experience and opinions regarding our school and hesi. please be kind to her with your replies. remember, this is a very delicate subject. thanks you guys.

[color=#333333]the academic staff at one of the city colleges of chicago awarded me my grades, which indicates mastery of their nursing program.

[color=#333333]i was unsuccessful with the hesi exit exam, an exam that was utilized to protect their own pass rates two months before my graduation. the city colleges of chicago is implementing this exam only as an obstacle to prevent myself and other qualified classmates from taking the nclex rn exam. this strategy shows only one design, and that is only to give an artificially inflated pass rate for the school. which indicates that the city colleges of chicago lacks concern of the success of their students, but is only concern in protecting their own pass rates. i am not arguing the importance of appropriate and relevant testings. but the city colleges of chicago is using this exam to deny me and other classmates who have successfully completed the academic program the opportunity to graduate and sit for boards.

it all boils down to the city colleges of chicago not having confidence in their own academic program. they are trying to bolster their nclex pass rates by eliminating me and other classmates from the test pool. if they have legitimate reason to question me and other students' ability to pass nclex, then why have i passed all of their nursing classes? if i had any unsatisfactory performance i should have been weeded out of the program long before completing the program! i provided above standard care of my patients and received excellent evaluations/competency from my instructors for the two years that i was in the program. my family and i sacrificed a lot. i completed the program, and paid my tuitions. my score was 85%, which indicates the probability by percentage of passing the state boards exam (nclex rn). olive harvey college stated they will not allow me to sit for boards or give me my nursing degree unless i scored 87% or above. the hesi exam is not a competency exam. only the nclex rn is the nationally recognized competency exam. i have accumulated over 100 college credit hours and most are nursing. nursing courses are not transferable. there over 1 ½ yr. long waiting list in other nursing programs. i am in debt from college loans and with no degree to show for it. does this sound fair to you?

in simple terms what am i talking about?

what is the hesi exit exam? its an exam that determines the probability by percentage if you will pass the nclex rn exam. it is also used for both the faculty and students, to determine the student and nursing curriculum of their areas of weakness. in other words, it’s a probability and assessment exam.

for example, there are 43 students who completed the nursing program. out of the 43 students only three passed the hesi exit exam. out the three who passed the hesi exit exam, only two passed the nclex rn exam. now, the school can state that they have 99% nclex pass rate. according to the state requirement, if nursing programs can show they have above 87% nclex first time test taker pass rate (i think that the%) they can attain more money from the state and it will bait more investors. but, what nobody knows is that, the 40 students who completed the program, cannot attain their nursing degree or take the nclex rn exam. those 40 students are left with nothing but a student loan, low self esteem, and humiliation. four years of nursing school down the drain.

one more thing, there are seven colleges within the city colleges of chicago. therefore, if there are 40 students who were unsuccessful, that would not include all the other six colleges. you can assume, 40 students times 6 colleges. plus, students graduate in december and may. that’s 240 students times 2. you do the math. my classmates have been without their earned degree since 2006. i can assure you, currently, this sort of deceptive practice is still occurring city college wide. those students who were not successful, were abandoned by the school.

another thing, the city college policy is so subjective. they chose who can and cannot re-take the hesi exam. nobody knows how and why, but its true.

here is the kicker. you can take the nclex rn exam, according to the state licensing board up to twelve times within three years. but, the city colleges of chicago only counts those students who will pass nclex rn exam the first time. the second time test takers don’t count. i wonder how many excellent doctors, and lawyers passed their boards the first time? i would like to hear from other city colleges of chicago nursing students who are going through this. we need to get together democratically and voice our concerns. this sort of diagnostic test is not being utilized in medical school. mayor daley i hope you will read this. how many times did it take you to pass your bar exam?

there are a lot of issues and concerns regarding the punitive uses of this exam. the creator of hesi, susan morrison has stated herself that she did not create these exams for punitive reasons, but as a learning tool. i hope i have a few supporters regarding this issue. if the city colleges of chicago truly wanted their students to be successful, they should have utilized the hesi exam throughout the curriculum and not just at the end. it should have been implemented after each nursing course, which will give the student familiarity base, and used accordingly as an assessment tool for both the faculty and student. why did they have to wait until we have completed the program? can you imagine? you received you final grades, than for the school to tell you, “oh by the way, you have to take another test, if you don’t pass this one, you will not get your nursing degree and you won’t be able sit for your licensing board?”

i would like nothing more than your support. help my classmates, please. if you have any question please ask away. you can research this issue, there are a lot of students who have voiced their concerns. i am afraid this sort of deceptive practice is becoming a trend with most nursing programs. other programs, have taken accountability and fixed their mistakes. unfortunately, the city colleges of chicago have not. i doubt that they will.

contact mayor daley, senator dick durbin, reporters, past, current students, nurses and anyone else you can think of to attend and advocate us. please!

the next board meeting will be held thursday, may 7, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. room 300 district office, 226 west jackson boulevard, chicago, il 60606.

my classmates and i do not have anymore money to take them to court and we don’t have the resources. telling our story is all i, we have. i pray a savior will come. i have faith in the lord in the people. mind you, we are not asking for a free-ride. we asking for what we worked hard for – the opportunity to take the nclex rn exam.

i am sorry if my story if so lengthy. its been a very difficult road for me and my family, my classmates too. i, we need your help.

[Eiano]

I'm really sorry to hear that.

That must be so difficult to have spent so long working for a goal only to be told that ultimately, it comes down to an exam.

Well, I think a lot of NSs use the HESI as a predictor, the school I attend does too, but they do not deny you the right to sit for the NCLEX, but they do have you do a 6 week remediation after graduation before the Incomplete is removed from your transcript and you are allowed to sit for the NCLEX.

I really hope everything works out for you and your classmates. This should be a lesson for students: find out what exactly is required from you before graduation BEFORE you enter a program. The information may not be volunteered, but you have a right to ask if there is an exit exam when you are offered an interview.

[2btmanrn]

as months pass by, i have come to realize that there are more than just my classmates out there within the city colleges of chicago whose lives have been damaged severly by the lack of accountability. how many more students, how many more?

yes, i agree. making a whole degree hinge on a single test is wrong, and using that to artificially inflate a college's pass rate is truly dishonest, rather deceptive. why not just give the degree if earned and permission to test and let nclex do the test? that is what medical schools and law schools do. passing the exam is up to the students. if the college does this, then why not put up the honest statistics and let the consumer decide where to spend their dollars? where is the consumer protection here? it's absent, i'd say.

researched has been done and the psychological consequences and they are more disturbing. using a qualitative design, 10 nursing graduates who had failed the nclex-rn were interviewed to gain an understanding of this experience. several themes emerged including: carrying failure as a daily burden; losing the of identity of being a nurse; doubting past accomplishments; seeing self as damaged goods; wanting support; and daring to hope. the authors described the experience of nclex-rn failure resulting in feelings of abandonment. in addition, graduates who failed the nclex-rn stated they felt cut off from the community of faculty and students who had been important to their learning experience while in a nursing program.

this is how what we are experiencing. we were qualified to enter the nursing program, passed each nursing courses, paid our tuitions, and completed the program. approximately, 50% of my classmates who completed the program are without a degree and cannot sit for the nclex examination.

please attend the meeting and support the students who deserves the opportunity to take the nclex rn exam.

[sbyramRN]

We had to pass the HESI exit exam in order to graduate, too. Out of the 16 who took it, 12 passed the first time. I think the issue for you is that your nursing school is doing you a diservice by not teaching you appropriately....if they are teaching you correctly, and what you need to know, you should be able to pass the HESI. I have to say, the HESI is much more difficult than the actual NCLEX. Also, when we signed the contract for nursing school, we signed stating we were aware that there was an exit exam that HAD TO BE PASSED in order to graduate...Did your school make you sign such an agreement? If so, I don't see how you can get around it legally? Is it fair???? Not sure. I think it is unfair that you have not been taught what you need to know in order to pass the exam...they have denied you of a good education. that should rest on their shoulders. Also, two out of three passing the NCLEX is not a 99percent pass rate...that is a 66 percent. Still is HORRIBLE.

[nminodob]

One of my classmates was a summa cum laude and she failed the exit HESI - and left the testing in tears. She took it a second time and got the highest score of anyone in our group. Others less fortunate had to sit for a 3rd and then a 4th try - the last time was on the day before graduation (the day of our "pinning ceremony.") Even then, a few did not pass and had to stay in school for another semester.

I have heard that some schools are becoming disenchanted with the HESI, and are making it part of the curriculum, but not mandatory for graduation.

[llg, PhD, RN]

While I don't approve of the use of HESI as described by the OP either ... let's keep our facts straight.

Throughout history, schools have included "comprehensive final exams" as part of their graduation requirements. They have been a routine part of many programs (e.g. graduate programs) for generations. What is new and different about the current situation in nursing is that so many students are failing the exam used for this purpose. That high failure rate rate raises some serious ethical questions.

If the students were not mastering the material, should they not have failed some of their nursing classes? Are they being "passed through" the program because the school either wants their money -- or because the school is afraid to fail the students in their coursework? Have the schools become so afraid of lawsuits that they give passing grades to borderline students rather than give them failing grades? Or is it that they want the students to take all the classes because they want their money?

Some people think it is harsh to flunk students in their early courses. ("Give them a chance." "Everybody makes mistakes when they are just beginners." etc. etc. etc.) However, it doesn't do the student any favors to pass them along if they are not able to pass the final graduation requirements. It can be kinder to include some similar tests early in the program to identify those students who are unlikely to meet the graduation requirements so that they can appropriately counselled -- and understand the finanical risks they are taking if they stay in the program.

[Skeletor]

The problem lies within the vast majority of students either failing to read or failing to trust in the concreteness of their Student Handbooks before and during their curriculum.

For instance, my institution specifically states "Students must demonstrate a passing score on the HESI exit exam to pass. A passing score is greater than or equal to 850."

We as students, in my respective college, also need to be aware of the Student Handbook Disclaimer:

The content and requirements of these admission packets may be altered at any time at the discretion of the College. These packets were checked for accuracy at the time of printing but should not be considered a contract between the College and the student.

While I do not agree with the HESI either; it is a curriculum requirement I must adhere to.

I do wish those the best of luck in their personal fight to graduate their respective programs.

Lastly, I found the HESI to be a fair test and an accurate predictor of one's "possible" chances (since they would have more time to focus on studying) of passing the NCLEX. I had to remove my bias from this comment in order to voice my opinion.

[hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN]

I used to have the mentality of the original poster, but I took the HESI on Friday and I didn't find it particularly challenging. In fact, I passed it quite easily and still missed a significant percentage of questions I should have known the answer to.

I dare say that scoring an 850 is a reasonable bar to jump over in order to prove one's knowledge is satisfactory for graduation, especially when multiple attempts are given. To score below that would indicate significant deficiencies in multiple subjects and nursing process steps-- should such people be allowed to graduate?

Edit: By the way, your percentage on the HESI does NOT directly correlate to your chance to pass the NCLEX. HESI themselves says the only meaningful data to compare with is their raw score, not the conversion.

[hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN]

Why not just give the degree if earned and permission to test and let NCLEX do the test? That is what medical schools and law schools do.

You must not be familiar with the USMLE steps I and II, are you?

Researched has been done and the psychological consequences and they are more disturbing. Using a qualitative design, 10 nursing graduates who had failed the NCLEX-RN were interviewed to gain an understanding of this experience. Several themes emerged including: carrying failure as a daily burden; losing the of identity of being a nurse; doubting past accomplishments; seeing self as damaged goods; wanting support; and daring to hope. The authors described the experience of NCLEX-RN failure resulting in feelings of abandonment. In addition, graduates who failed the NCLEX-RN stated they felt cut off from the community of faculty and students who had been important to their learning experience while in a nursing program.

I'm sorry this is what you're experiencing, but it really isn't about the candidates feelings, it's about protecting the public. You wouldn't let a doctor that failed his board exams be your family's physician, would you?

[2btmanrn]

TRUE. "Throughout history, schools have included "comprehensive final exams" as part of their graduation requirements."

That part is true, I know. But, all throughout the nursing curriculum your passing score is 78%. Why is than the "comprehensive final exam," should be 87%? With our case, we received our final grades, than were told we need to take another exam. We had our graduation ceremony.

Thanks everyone for beindg courteous to my friend yesterday. It is a sensitive crisis.

No, we did not sign any contract regarding the change.

[2btmanrn]

LOOKING FOR..

STUDENTS who have attended any of the seven city colleges of chicago nursing program to come and support our mission to utilize HESI accordingly. We completed the program, therefore, we deserve to be given the opportunity to take NCLEX RN Exam. Please attend the meeting on May 7 at 800am at the District Office. Past, and current students and instructors are MOST welcome!

Its time that we all unite as one. Please e mail or contact everyone.

[motivated2nurse]

I must say I share the same opinion as you when it comes to the Hesi. I attend SSC in the south suburbs of Chicago. I did pass, however, I am concerned for my classmates that did not. I personally dont think that it is fair to withhold someone that has passed every class in the program to be stopped by the HESI. We only have to get 800 to pass and Im not sure how many times we get to take it. But it seems a little unfair. I hear that the HESI is much harder that the NCLEX itself. There were items on the HESI that we did not cover in class. Is that fair? I think that something should be done more positive, like, if you dont pass HESI you should be required to take a review course or some other alternative offered by the school. That way a student doesnt feel empty handed after spending all of there time and money. I wish you the best of luck! Dont give up. My prayers are with you.