50 out of 100 Nursing students failed program

sistasoul · Jan 27, 2008

My school is killing everyone this year - first year is LPN, then you reapply for the RN. I made it but decided not to go since the commute was killing me, I'd rather do it on-line, I needed to earn money, and I frankly couldn't stand the instructors and their attitudes.
Some absolutely brilliant students from last year aren't even squeaking by this semester. The instructors decided they want a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX. Well, they're doing it in a terrible way. They're failing gifted, hard-working, dedicated people.
I am SO glad I decided to do Excelsior.

I agree. My school seems more interested in us passing the NCLEX for their precious first time pass rate but seem to oveload us with busy work so students do not have enough time to study and fail out. I believe only one person out of 40 last year squeaked by with an A-. It is almost impossible to make an A. I just think the program should focus more on clinical skills rather than giving two 70 minute presentations and writing a 12 page paper. We are an ADN program and this type of work is BSN. We started with 56 students and are now at 39. 6 of these students are returning students from previosly failing last year and 3 are LPNS who joined us in Sept to get there RN. Without these add in students our Numbers would be at 30 and who knows how many will not make it to graduation.

By the way- one of our requirements is that we get an 80 or above on the Hesi or we can not continur in the program. I thought the HESI was a diagnostic tool to tell you where you are weakest prior to taking the NCLEX?

shannonFNP, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 28, 2008

There are several reasons for the students who don't pass the semester. Maternity, grades, financial reasons, family issues, etc etc.

That being said, these reasons alone do not make up for a 50% failing rate, if what you're saying is true. Please be aware though... some people tend to exagerate. Everyone told me I wouldn't get in or make it through the semester without a 4.0 GPA and I did, easily. I'm doing very well for myself. Another person said "oh, we lost like 30 people" or "only 15 graduated." Last semester, 45/60 graduated. But if what you're saying is TRUE, something is definately wrong with the way the school is handling students. Afterall, we were weeded out just to get here... which means we've got what it takes to succeed. If 50% are failed... there are definately some issues!

Freedom42 · Jan 28, 2008

There are several reasons for the students who don't pass the semester. Maternity, grades, financial reasons, family issues, etc etc.
That being said, these reasons alone do not make up for a 50% failing rate, if what you're saying is true. Please be aware though... some people tend to exagerate. Everyone told me I wouldn't get in or make it through the semester without a 4.0 GPA and I did, easily. I'm doing very well for myself. Another person said "oh, we lost like 30 people" or "only 15 graduated." Last semester, 45/60 graduated. But if what you're saying is TRUE, something is definately wrong with the way the school is handling students. Afterall, we were weeded out just to get here... which means we've got what it takes to succeed. If 50% are failed... there are definately some issues!

It's true that many nursing school students are well-qualified. It's also true that many are not: They're admitted solely on the basis of GPA, for example, regardless of what school they attended (one of my classmates was rejected for the first time despite graduating in good standing from Yale), or they're admitted based on lottery systems. I believe it's California that's launched a state investigation into high failure rates at nursing schools. If I were a taxpayer there, I'd be demanding answers.

Yes, students flunk out for a variety of reasons. But when failure rates are excessively high, there have to be two underlying reasons: Either the school fails to screen applicants appropriately or the quality of its instruction is poor. From what I see around me, the former is often the case. There are struggling institutions too busy cashing tuition checks to give students realistic appraisals about their chances for success. (The hospital nursing school in my hometown issues a press release each year bragging about its 100 percent NCLEX pass rate. It never mentions that it expels 50 percent of its senior class two weeks before graduation, though. This is the same school that insisted I detail my high school activities in my application. I'm 44 years old. Right.)

I also think that public perception of nursing is another factor. Until people truly understand what nurses do -- and the education that it requires to prepare for and stay in the profession -- many candidates who see nothing more than dollar signs and breathless media stories about nursing shortages will continue to flood schools that need those tuition dollars. It's a self-perpetuating problem.

Ms Kylee · Jan 28, 2008

My class started out with 45, and we're down to 28. One of the ones who left wasn't because she flunked out but because she was in a very bad car accident. She will be returning, but probably not with our class since she had an extended hospitalization. Most of the ones that failed out didn't pass Anatomy.

jelly221,RN, MSN · Jan 28, 2008

did you not have Anatomy as a pre-requisite??

Batman24 · Jan 28, 2008

did you not have Anatomy as a pre-requisite??

I do. We can't start the actual program until we copmplete a HHA or CNA course in addition to API. We also have to pass APII and Microbiology, but that can be done when in school.

MarathonGirl · Jan 28, 2008

Is it mostly the ADN programs that have such high drop-out rates? Are most universities and accelerated/2nd degree and direct entry masters programs the same?

Freedom42 · Jan 28, 2008

I'm in an Accelerated BSN program for second-degree students at a public university. I'm not aware of any classmates who've flunked out, though a few have had to repeat pharm. The university doesn't expel students who are unlikely to pass the NCLEX, either. The most recent pass rate for the school's first-time test takers, as published by the state BON, was 92 percent. That included accelerated and traditional students.

Entering freshmen who've earned fewer than 18 credits may declare themselves nursing majors and don't have to apply directly to this program. That's after admission to the university, which requires the SAT, etc. The rest of us have to compete for whatever seats are left. There were about 800 applicants for 180 spots in the traditional and accelerated program. I don't know how many were offered seats.

(Another pet peeve: The "we had 10,000 applicants but only took 100 students" chorus. Um, no. You might have had 10,000 applicants, but you haven't told me how many were given offers of admission; of those given offers, you expect only a fraction to enroll. If you don't tell me how many people are given offers, this claim doesn't add up to much. Consider that many students apply to more than one school as well. That changes the competition picture quite a bit, doesn't it?)

FutureNavyNrs · Jan 28, 2008

I'm in my fifth semester of a BSN program and while we started with 48, we will have 43 graduating. We have lost 8 and gained three - two from the class ahead of us and one that transferred from another campus. I was a straight A student going into this, and I have maintained mostly A's and B's throughout the program - except for second semester, where I had two C's. Nursing school is difficult, but it's not impossible.

Our school also requires students to take the HESI test their last semester. If you don't pass with a certain score the first time, you have to take it again, at your expense. They say that if you don't pass the second time, you don't graduate, but I know someone that didn't pass it the second time last year and they graduated her after she took an NCLEX prep course. Apparently, though, since they've added the requirement for the HESI test, the NCLEX pass rate has gone up to 97%.

Alternator81 · Jan 28, 2008

Sounds like your school doesn't care how many nurses they produce. No one has failed out of my program, and it is definitely not easy, the school is just supportive, and makes sure that we are well prepared before we can apply.

I totally agree with this post. I took A&P at a local community college. To be placed on the waiting list for NS at that college, you had to have B's in Intro Bio and and average of a B in A&P I &II. They do not accept on GPA-- instead they wait for students to get the B averages and then put them on the waiting list. For a large number of the students it was the second time taking it to get a B. It was the third time taking the course for some students.

I think it is terrible for the school to let students retake classes over and over, just to fail out. These schools should be responsible and tell them to look into other careers early on when they aren't hacking it. I know if I wasn't hacking it I rather be rejected from NS than to be kicked out the first semester!

And it is no wonder when the OP said they were taking students with a 2.5 GPA. I think that a 2.5 is academic probation at my university!

jelly221,RN, MSN · Jan 28, 2008

And it is no wonder when the OP said they were taking students with a 2.5 GPA. I think that a 2.5 is academic probation at my university!

Yeah, it was academic probation at my university too. I hope those people have some major support in nursing school so they don't all get hypertension and die. (Although, then there would be more spaces for me... WHOA totally kidding.)

giftedRN · Jan 28, 2008

At my school the ADN program is very new. We all are passing so far and doing a great job. God bless our Instructors, they are very supportive and they have always tried to encourage us to do well. They are not so egotistic like some Instructors I know.