Nursing school is on probation, need to transfer

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Mar 16, 2015

VERY few programs will let you transfer credit for the actual nursing classes. Is your current school regionally accredited? You might ask in your registrar's office if they have agreements with other schools- or where students have successfully transferred.

What school are you attending? (I'm in Indiana and get asked about schools by potential students all the time)

Reese2012 · Mar 16, 2015

Our school does not give us much detail on what is going on. Last semester they raised our minimum pass rate to an 80% without any warning and they are making it more difficult for people to pass the classes. It seems as when I first started the staff cared about our ability to pass, now, they do not care if we fail out. My advisor even told me to look at other programs back at home because this may not work out for me (keep in mind I have passed all of my classes and never had to repeat a nursing course).

Within the last two semesters, we have lost at least 30 students because they were unhappy with the program and chose other schools. The problem is they found these schools on their own, no help from the current school I am at.

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 16, 2015

VERY few programs will let you transfer credit for the actual nursing classes.

This. While the BON sets forth what must be included in nursing education, the school is free to distribute that information as it sees fit. Therefore, while you have completed your current school's 100 and 200 level courses, that doesn't mean you've covered the same information as what is taught in another school's 100 and 200 level courses. Throw in the fact that you want to change schools in separate states as well, and you may have an added difficulty. It may be best for you to simply remain at the school you are currently attending rather than find yourself having no other option but to begin at the bottom again.

Reese2012 · Mar 16, 2015

My school is accredited, but we are on probation for it because of our retention rate for the NCLEX and students not coming back next semester

vanilla bean · Mar 16, 2015

Within the last two semesters, we have lost at least 30 students because they were unhappy with the program and chose other schools. The problem is they found these schools on their own, no help from the current school I am at.

Have you reached out to any of the more than 30 students that have left to find out which schools accepted them as transfer students? I'm guessing that most of those students were not able to transfer their nursing courses (as others have mentioned), but it may be worthwhile touching base with some (or many) of them to find out what other arrangements they were able to make, and where.

Reese2012 · Mar 16, 2015

I have reached out to some, but most of them had to start over again. They were all in the same boat as me, halfway through the program and now starting from the beginning. I would hate to have to do that as I already have 20,000 in loans and to see that wasted on starting at another school with another 2yrs of loans.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 17, 2015

I have reached out to some, but most of them had to start over again. They were all in the same boat as me, halfway through the program and now starting from the beginning. I would hate to have to do that as I already have 20,000 in loans and to see that wasted on starting at another school with another 2yrs of loans.

Would you rather finish the program and come to find out that no board of nursing will allow you to take the NCLEX?

That would be MUCH worse.

Cut your losses and start over. Don't you want a high-quality nursing education?

In twenty years, two years is not going to mean a damn thing.

Spangle Brown · Mar 17, 2015

My school is accredited, but we are on probation for it because of our retention rate for the NCLEX and students not coming back next semester

This explains why they raised the bar. They are graduating students that are unable to pass the nclex. Now, students will either fail out or drop out before graduating and taking the nclex. THere is more to becoming an RN then just passing the courses, you have to pass the Nclex. The staff isn't doing any favors by making things easy for the students. IT is better the fail the student and have them taking the course again, so that they learn ALL they need to know to become an RN.

OUrs is 77%. Which includes a HESI each term. Also, several pass/fails. Example, If I fail my dosage exam, I will fail the whole term. Even if I had a 99%, it's an auto fail. The nclex scores are between 94-100% pass rate. I rather have a hard school, knowing that IF I keep passing, I should be able to pass the Nclex. Than attend a school that is just taking my money, knowing that they are not forcing me to learn enough to pass the nclex.

Spangle Brown · Mar 17, 2015

Our school does not give us much detail on what is going on. Last semester they raised our minimum pass rate to an 80% without any warning and they are making it more difficult for people to pass the classes. It seems as when I first started the staff cared about our ability to pass, now, they do not care if we fail out. My advisor even told me to look at other programs back at home because this may not work out for me (keep in mind I have passed all of my classes and never had to repeat a nursing course).
Within the last two semesters, we have lost at least 30 students because they were unhappy with the program and chose other schools. The problem is they found these schools on their own, no help from the current school I am at.

Just 30? How many of those claim it was because they were unhappy, but really it was because they could not meet the expectations??

Sounds like the staff got a wake up call. There is more to becoming an RN then passing the courses and they are not really helping their students if they just pass them. For this very reason we have the Nclex to ensure that all student Nurses become RN's with at least a basic expected knowledge base. I am sure they CARE if you fail out. But they can not prevent you from failing out if you are unable to keep up.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2015

I currently go to a nursing school in Indiana that is on probation.

My response is going to go against the general grain...

Schools that are on probation go off probation all the time. As long as your nursing program is still approved to operate by the Indiana BON, you can still graduate and take NCLEX even while the school of nursing is on probation.

I don't know about you, but I'll be darned if I had to repeat two years of hard-earned nursing education. The ASN degree program that I attended was placed on warning status for chronically low first-time NCLEX pass rates by the state BON while I was attending. Although a few classmates opted to withdraw and start over elsewhere, most of us stuck around, graduated and passed NCLEX.

I've been able to obtain nursing licensure by endorsement in other states. I've been able to find work relatively easily and attain higher education. You can listen to the gloom and doom and be prompted to start your nursing education all over, or you can stay the course and graduate on time. It is up to you.

Good luck!

Reese2012 · Mar 17, 2015

Thanks for the comments everyone. I am actually looking into a ADN prgram right now in hopes of being able to transfer and get my degree faster (and possibly learning a thing of two). At my current school I feel like I have learned nothing. Plus the schools retention rate is only at a 54% and their NCLEX pass rate I last checked was at a 64% (which I feel is terrible). I want to attend a school where I am learning and do not feel put down all the time by the staff. I understand nursing school is supposed to be hard, trust me, my school is not a cake walk, but I also want to be able to pass the NCLEX after graduating.