Nursing student needing major advice!

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Hello Everyone

I am new to the allnurses.com. I ran across this discussion site in a search for help. Here goes my story: I am currently a senior or should I say previous senior, in a BSN program and during the summer break I was informed of changes in the program having to do with GPA requirements. I was informed the GPA for nursing students had increased and that mine was not high enough to meet the new standard. So I was told I would have to stay another year and take a bunch of misc. classes and then start my senior year the following fall semester. I was shocked by all of this. So I sought some professional advice and was told not to worry about it because I was already enrolled in my senior classes this semester and just to let it go. So I did until this week when classes started and I was dropped from them. Again I met with the dept. head and such and was told that I could not continue on and would have to take misc. classes and start again next fall. I again asked when this change took place and was informed that this took place in 2003, and I have been a student since 2002 which I thought that cleared me because it happened after me enrolling in the program, but no! I have followed my nursing handbook with the GPA and classes and also my advisor never informed me of the change and she always advised from my handbook and catalog. But apparently that doesn't matter either. Im just shocked and heartbroken, because just imagine your a senior and you have 8 months till graduation and all the blood, sweat, and tears is almost over, then all of a sudden it's gone. The new requirements are not listed in any of the new or old handbooks or catalogs. I just don't know what to do. So if anyone has advice for me or anything please let me know.

Thanks

Nursing Student in crisis!

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That is just nuts! There is so much with the way the whole thing has been handled! Are you the only one this happened to?

Get a good lawyer & see about transferring to another program?

Or, just take the misc. classes and finish next fall.

I just can't believe that not a single one person, especially your advisor, didn't mention anything to your class. Talk about slipping through the cracks!

I hope something works out for you-I wish you the best of luck!!!!!!

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
Hello Everyone

I am new to the allnurses.com. I ran across this discussion site in a search for help. Here goes my story: I am currently a senior or should I say previous senior, in a BSN program and during the summer break I was informed of changes in the program having to do with GPA requirements. I was informed the GPA for nursing students had increased and that mine was not high enough to meet the new standard. So I was told I would have to stay another year and take a bunch of misc. classes and then start my senior year the following fall semester. I was shocked by all of this. So I sought some professional advice and was told not to worry about it because I was already enrolled in my senior classes this semester and just to let it go. So I did until this week when classes started and I was dropped from them. Again I met with the dept. head and such and was told that I could not continue on and would have to take misc. classes and start again next fall. I again asked when this change took place and was informed that this took place in 2003, and I have been a student since 2002 which I thought that cleared me because it happened after me enrolling in the program, but no! I have followed my nursing handbook with the GPA and classes and also my advisor never informed me of the change and she always advised from my handbook and catalog. But apparently that doesn't matter either. Im just shocked and heartbroken, because just imagine your a senior and you have 8 months till graduation and all the blood, sweat, and tears is almost over, then all of a sudden it's gone. The new requirements are not listed in any of the new or old handbooks or catalogs. I just don't know what to do. So if anyone has advice for me or anything please let me know.

Thanks

Nursing Student in crisis!

I'm sorry for your situation.

This is the second thread in a few days regarding changes in program requirements AFTER a student enrolled, and was making satisfatory progress toward graduation. (The other involved senior students being dropped from their nursing program because of failing the HESI exam, which was added as a requirement only a semester or two before.) This is a foreign concept for me. When I attended nursing school at a state university in the 1980's, we were held to the graduation requirements that were in place at the time we enrolled, as long as we made satisfactory progress toward graduation. Changes in curriculum or graduation requirements applied to subsequent, not current students.

Perhaps you could ask an educational attorney for a consultation to see if your school is in violation of any laws or policies by changing the requirements mid-stream. You certainly have enough time and money invested to make it worth pursuing.

Good luck!

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Wow That is super horrible. We were also informed to hold onto our student handbook becasue whatever the policies were at the time we started are the ones that apply to us. If there is a way to dispute this, I would. I just dont see how this is fair unless you are a school that can change things like that. Maybe their graduates were not passing the boards and they wanted to raise their pass rate- but it still isnt fair.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Nursing Education.
Hello Everyone

I am new to the allnurses.com. I ran across this discussion site in a search for help. Here goes my story: I am currently a senior or should I say previous senior, in a BSN program and during the summer break I was informed of changes in the program having to do with GPA requirements. I was informed the GPA for nursing students had increased and that mine was not high enough to meet the new standard. So I was told I would have to stay another year and take a bunch of misc. classes and then start my senior year the following fall semester. I was shocked by all of this. So I sought some professional advice and was told not to worry about it because I was already enrolled in my senior classes this semester and just to let it go. So I did until this week when classes started and I was dropped from them. Again I met with the dept. head and such and was told that I could not continue on and would have to take misc. classes and start again next fall. I again asked when this change took place and was informed that this took place in 2003, and I have been a student since 2002 which I thought that cleared me because it happened after me enrolling in the program, but no! I have followed my nursing handbook with the GPA and classes and also my advisor never informed me of the change and she always advised from my handbook and catalog. But apparently that doesn't matter either. Im just shocked and heartbroken, because just imagine your a senior and you have 8 months till graduation and all the blood, sweat, and tears is almost over, then all of a sudden it's gone. The new requirements are not listed in any of the new or old handbooks or catalogs. I just don't know what to do. So if anyone has advice for me or anything please let me know.

Thanks

Nursing Student in crisis!

Even though it may seem extreme or costly, get a lawyer. These are your rights and they must be protected.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

This is the second thread in a few days regarding changes in program requirements AFTER a student enrolled, and was making satisfatory progress toward graduation. (The other involved senior students being dropped from their nursing program because of failing the HESI exam, which was added as a requirement only a semester or two before.) This is a foreign concept for me. When I attended nursing school at a state university in the 1980's, we were held to the graduation requirements that were in place at the time we enrolled, as long as we made satisfactory progress toward graduation. Changes in curriculum or graduation requirements applied to subsequent, not current students.

This is the way it still is in my nursing program. Any official statement (handbook, syllabus, etc.) given to the students at the beginning of the program is considered by us to be a binding agreement, a contract so to speak, which should not be broken.

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