I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on how to handle this situation.
I took the Hesi exam yesterday. As I was answering questions, the instructor was constantly looking over my shoulder. She then started telling me which answers to pick. I questioned her, because there were 6 questions that I just felt that were right and she told me to change them. In all, she ended up making me change 10 of my answers and I ended up failing the exam. I scored an 827 and needed a 900 to pass. I feel that those 10 questions could have pushed me over the passing threshold. Now, they are requring that I take another bridge class that will cost me $1100 in order to take the Hesi one last time. I'm sooooo upset right now and I don't know what to do. Should I go to the Chairperson and report this? If I do, I'm thinking this instructor will reallly make my life a living, you know what. Should I bite the bullet and sell my blood to pay for this bridge class?
Scenario: You are being precepted as a new grad. You are under the supervision of an experienced nurse and this nurse tells you to do X. You wonder in the back of your mind if doing X is the right thing, but you defer to the senior nurses judgment. Turns out the preceptor was wrong and your gut instinct was correct. You are being written up for the error. Should you "take your lumps" or should you be your own advocate and explain the situation to someone higher up on the food chain?
The big difference here is that you are expected to work with a preceptor and take their advice, but you are expected to take your tests alone. If you are being trained incorrectly, it's appropriate to self advocate and explain your situation. If you are being coached incorrectly on exam answers....you need to be able to say no when it's happening.
This was a computer exam. She hovered over my shoulder as I was taking it. I felt very intimidated and nervous with her standing over me (as I think anyone in my position taking an exit exam would) and when she saw the answers I picked, she kept telling me "no, that's the wrong answer, choose this one" I didn't ask her for her help.
No, you didn't ask for her help, but you did accept it. You felt pressured into accepting it, but if you go to your school, what proof do you have that you felt coerced and didn't accept it happily and only decided to complain when you found out you failed? I'd review your school's plagarism policy. Mine is very strict at the end of the program (some leeway is given earlier on for citation issues and unintentional plagarism). Is it worth risking getting kicked out of your program before graduation to save $1100?
Scenario: You are being precepted as a new grad. You are under the supervision of an experienced nurse and this nurse tells you to do X. You wonder in the back of your mind if doing X is the right thing, but you defer to the senior nurses judgment. Turns out the preceptor was wrong and your gut instinct was correct. You are being written up for the error. Should you "take your lumps" or should you be your own advocate and explain the situation to someone higher up on the food chain?
Sorry, if my preceptor told me to do X and I knew X wasn't right, I wouldn't do X. I might say...I'm not comfortable with that, could I watch you do it? Or, "we learned to do Y in this situation, I'd be more comfortable with doing that, are there negatives to doing it that way." The preceptor is supposed to be helping me develop my judgement, I'm not supposed to replace theirs with mine.
No one can "force" you to do anything.
I understand the OP. 95% of my class would have done the same as the OP. I'm an agitator so I'd be in the 5% who would balk about answering the question in a way that I didn't think was correct....but it's understandable that the OP probably assumed that the instructor was trying to help her pass (had good intentions but was wrong about the questions).
You'll be a "stronger nurse" if you learn NOW how to advocate for yourself. You fear retaliation, but just because you fear it does not make it an absolute. If I were Queen of the world, I'd let you re-take the HESI and you'd pass or fail on your own merits. I wouldn't make you pay to retake the whole class. But I have to keep reminding myself....I'm not the Queen.
Even if the instructor was trying to help (which I think is likely), it wasn't a group assignment. My school's honor code is very clear, if I accept help on an exam from any person or any other kind of source, it's considered cheating. So, from my perspective, retaliation from the Prof who helped the OP is the least of their issues.
OP: Take the supplemental class, and consider your next Hessi to be your do over. If anyone tries to give you answers, just smile and politely say that you're more comfortable doing this alone.
Were there other students in the room during the exam? We took our HESIs in a room with one proctor and about twenty students, and I can't imagine the situation going over well with the students who weren't being "helped."
I would go with taking your lumps. You could report it but it will likely backfire. If you had reported it when you walked out the door of the test...maybe. But you are on the back foot.
Suck it up and do what you have to do to get another chance (retake the course etc.).
Absolutely. Using the excuse you were "intimidated" in a profession that is going to require you to stand your ground when advocating for a patient isn't going to reflect on you in a positive manner. You cheated and you lost. Game over.
hiddencatRN, BSN, RN
3,408 Posts
The big difference here is that you are expected to work with a preceptor and take their advice, but you are expected to take your tests alone. If you are being trained incorrectly, it's appropriate to self advocate and explain your situation. If you are being coached incorrectly on exam answers....you need to be able to say no when it's happening.
No, you didn't ask for her help, but you did accept it. You felt pressured into accepting it, but if you go to your school, what proof do you have that you felt coerced and didn't accept it happily and only decided to complain when you found out you failed? I'd review your school's plagarism policy. Mine is very strict at the end of the program (some leeway is given earlier on for citation issues and unintentional plagarism). Is it worth risking getting kicked out of your program before graduation to save $1100?