Opinions Please! Long Story

[RNbeach]

Ok....... 2 weeks ago during my AP Class muscles pratical, a girl in my class asked me for an answer on the written portion of the pratical and I gave her the answer. Whatever.... maybe I shouldn't have done.... hindsight is 20/20 but I did. OK.....Aside from that some other people in the class shared some answers also...... A woman in our class (the A+ Student) who is now my ex study partner took it upon herself to mention something to the professor about the class cheating and made some derrogatory comments about me to someone else in the class "I can't believe so and so would actually help someone cheat" OK.. I am not denying that I did..... because I did give this other student an answer.... and the fact the others in the class were sharing answers does not excuse it!

BUT for her to mention something to the professor, I felt was out of line....... she needs to mind her business...

Tonight during our break from lecture.... everyone is commenting on how the professor seems to be very dry with us, he is usally a cut up..... and one of the young ladies said she called him during the thanksgiving break to inquire about the pratical, if she had passed or failed... and he mentioned to her, that her name had come up with regards to dishonesty! So me and my BIG MOUTH... said I know where that came from..... SO & SO said something to the professor!

Well I just opened a can of worms because now... everybody is giving the my ex study partner....... dirty looks.......

So now it's the end of the class.. I am putting my coat on and she confronts me and starts shouting.. and i know the professor can hear her... that next time I decide to say something about her i should say it to her face, and that she only told the professor that some people were being dishonest, and that maybe if I hadn't help other student.... I wouldn't be so upset...... So I told her 1st of all it's your word against mine.......... 2nd..... I know you said something with regards to me b/c another student told me and I confronted the other student. and she agreed! and 3rd who are you to play class police and go back to the professor with anything......

I Dismissed her and walked away.......

NOW....... we are all walking down the hall and she comments to the other mob of students.... one in particular who she mentioned by name to the professor..... (MIND YOU the professor just told some of the students individually that he was disappointed that some people were dishonest)

She said to them don't say anything I am right here... WEll here we go..... it' all blows up.... yelling... the students who were not mentioned and the ones that were.... are all upset at her... they say how dare she bring it up at all.... she deny's it..... than she said she only said some people were dishonest..... the mob continues to get unruly and name calling starts.....

She won't get in the elevator with us....she stays behind..... in the parking lot the one of the students who was mentioned by name said she is going to say something to the professor.....

UGHHHHHHHHHHHH and I 'm sure my ex study partner probably went to the professor and told him about the mob scene and that I started it......

GEEZ........ I know I probably should not have said anything..... but I did.

MY question is #1 do I personally address it with the professor who is a sweet heart and has been really nice and supportive to me....... and helped tremendously.....and he never mentioned anything to me about this whole thing at all tonight

Just forget it and not even acknowledge the incident

Of if he asks me about it.... just remain clueless

Or should I call my ex study partner and try to clear the air.....(her and I might be in the same nursing class in the fall

Of course I will not get any sleep tonight or for the rest of the week..... because of the S%it!......

Please guys.... don't crucify me..... just constructive critisism or some advice....

B

[natsfanrn]

Originally posted by nursing 101

Maybe I'll be classified as a bad person for this one but for Christ sake people giving one answer to one person is not cheating to me. Maybe that person drew a blank on that ONE question and wanted a memory boost!

Umm... giving one answer to one person on a test IS cheating -- just like making one mistake on one patient can kill a person (or at least lead to a malpractice suit). Don't mean to sound harsh here, but this is spelled out clearly in every school's honor code, as well as the point that observers of cheating are required to report it. More important, as future nurses it should be an fundamental part of your own morality. Off my soapbox, now I'll go hide :chair:

[Robin61970]

I wouldn't address it unless the Professor came to me, and how you handle it there is up to you. I have never taken an answer from someone else on an exam, but I did give someone else an answer. She is not going for Nursing.....at my school Dental hygeneist(sp?) have to take A&P I and II before getting into their school where they have to take a seperate A&P as well....I think that is ridiculous as do many others. I gave her one answer, but I would not have done it for a nursing student......guess I am funny that way.

[BMS4]

was this a group assignment and the answers were shared or was this an individual exam? in class or take home assignment?

I never saw an answer to this. The way I read it, it was a practicum and our practicums were usually group efforts unless specifically stated otherwise by the instructor.

rstewart, why would nurses not be held in high regard in the future? I don't understand why you say that. I am a new nurse but have been around nurses all my life. The nurses that I have known and the folks I went to school with who are now beginning their nursing careers are wonderful, honest, caring people.

People make mistakes. They learn from their mistakes and they move on. No, I've never cheated on a test, but I have made some huge mistakes in my life. I'm glad that those around me didn't judge me by those mistakes.

[RNbeach, ASN, RN]

It was a pratical where we do the written part first, the professor gives us pictures of the muscles and we name them, and then we go into the lab, where we have actual muscle models and name those... although it is done in a group, it is an individual test for each person.

As I said...hindsight is 20/20...... so Yes I was wrong, If I had to do it over would I do it again...... Absolutely not!

What's done is done..... now I have to just learn from this nerve wracking experience and that's it...... MOVE ON!

Thanks for your comments Paula!

Brenda

[rstewart]

To BMS4

You will recall that in the original post the instructor told another student that her name was mentioned regarding some dishonesty; if the exercise was intended to be a group effort, the instructor would have had no reason to characterize the events in such a manner. Other examples abound which suggest that all were well aware that they were expected to do their own work.

As to why I fear the nursing profession may be in danger of losing the public's trust in the future: I should think that the quotations extracted from this thread speak for themselves.

[BMS4]

rstewart, I appreciate your reply. I suppose I didn't read the first post as well as I should have.

As for the other, I stand by my view. I don't want to judge the honesty and morality of an entire population by the 28 posts made here. Yes, you, me, and others may not like what we read, but one comment shouldn't be used to judge a person's character.

Thank you again, rstewart for your reply. I always enjoy a respectful exchange of views. It's what makes things interesting and helps us all grow and learn. :)

Brenda, you are welcome. :) I wish you continued success in school. You stated that you had learned from this experience and that's the important thing. Take care. :)

[rebelwaclause, ASN, RN]

Originally posted by rstewart

As to why I fear the nursing profession may be in danger of losing the public's trust in the future: I should think that the quotations extracted from this thread speak for themselves.

I can understand your concern rstewart, but on a bigger picture there's a lot of problems with nursing that factor into the public trusting it as a whole. On the floor, don't we ask and use other nurses as resources to situations we don't know the answer to? Though Brenda's situation is different, because of the "pass/fail", "do-or-die" process of elimination of school, I understand concerns of posters who have deemed this as blatant plagiarism. But Brenda has acknowledged on several posts her error, and I believe this situation is a growth spurt that will stick with her throughout her nursing career. She'll be that nurse the public is expecting because of it.

[RNbeach, ASN, RN]

Thank you Rebel!

Brenda

[nursing 101]

Kardut,

I'm not saying it's not cheating... Key word "TO ME" it's not. I'm also not saying that I would not take responsibility if I would get caught. As stated I would not give more than one answer. I would not take one either. Different words have different meaning to people. Cheating comes in different forms and varieties, people also consider it in different forms and varieties.

As far as an observer reporting incidents such as cheating, I (key word) just think they are pathetic. You imagine working with a tattle tale???

People make mistakes on a daily basis, no sorry, on a minute basis and nurses are not excluded from that bunch! Most (key word) mistakes are not made because someone didn't know the answer to whatever dosage but they were careless or probably distracted in preparing it. Why do you think there are lawsuits going on. Most of them are for being "careless" not "didn't know the material or sickness or whatever is at hand"

Getting of my soap box... No flames please : )

[natsfanrn]

Originally posted by nursing 101

Kardut,

I'm not saying it's not cheating... Key word "TO ME" it's not. I'm also not saying that I would not take responsibility if I would get caught. As stated I would not give more than one answer. I would not take one either. Different words have different meaning to people. Cheating comes in different forms and varieties, people also consider it in different forms and varieties.

No flames intended, but that sounds a bit like a former president ("it all depends on what your definition of 'is' is"...). I CAN assure you that your school DOES consider giving one answer cheating, and WILL kick you out with a huge black mark on your record for doing so. If you're willing to take that risk, go for it.

[pama]

Giving an anwser to one questions or the entire exam is cheating. Your former lab partner would have been as guilty as everyone else if she had not informed your professon.

If this had happened at our school every student who cheated, regardless if they gave or received the answer would received punishment based on the college's code of coduct. Further, if you and the other students were enrolled in the nursing program, the Board of Nursing would have been notified. Additionally, if you successfully completed the nursing programo on the application to take the NCLEX-RN this would have been included AND the Nursing Coordinator may or may not have signed off.

If we as nurses, and nursing faculty, fail to respond we are also quilty. I hope you will think twice in the future before you provide answers in the future.

[kittyw]

Putting flame suit on. This is one of my big pet peeves - I really believe in the honor code. It makes taking a test more relaxing because you don't have that professor staring over your shoulder.

After reading the posts it really bothers me the attitude towards the ex-study partner. She's a student who was pi&$#ed off that MANY people were cheating. This - from what I've read - was not a two person incident but involved many people.

Aside from that some other people in the class shared some answers also

How many times have the others shared answers. This is your first and last time, but has this student seen repeated cheating?? Doesn't really matter because ALL cheating is to be reported by the HONOR CODE.

A woman in our class (the A+ Student) who is now my ex study partner took it upon herself to mention something to the professor about the class cheating and made some derrogatory comments about me to someone else in the class "I can't believe so and so would actually help someone cheat"

I think mentioning her grade only indicates that people in the class may be a little jealous that she's able to get an A+. I think her statement, "I can't believe ...." was probably made out of pure shock. I bet she thought she knew you, and thought of you as the upstanding fine person we know you as. There are some people that I could see cheating at some point, and others that it would just blow me over if I saw them doing it. She also probably thought she could confide in a friend not to spread that statement, and has now figured out that the person she told that to wasn't a friend.

So me and my BIG MOUTH... said I know where that came from..... SO & SO said something to the professor!

Well I just opened a can of worms because now... everybody is giving the my ex study partner....... dirty looks.......

So now it's the end of the class.. I am putting my coat on and she confronts me and starts shouting.

I'd be pi(*$#ed at you too - doesn't excuse the yelling - but you all were the cheaters, she did the morally right thing (and what is required by the honor code), and she's the one to suffer. Did you really have to tell everyone that she's the one who told? Did you absolutely KNOW for a FACT that she's the one who told and that she gave names? I wouldn't be surprised if more than one person told the professor, and your ex-study partner is bearing the brunt of this attack.

Originally posted by nursing 101

As far as an observer reporting incidents such as cheating, I (key word) just think they are pathetic. You imagine working with a tattle tale???

This was not a run home to mommy and tell, but something that is REQUIRED to be told. It is part of the HONOR code to tell the professor - remember that thing we all have to sign and swear to???? What has happened to standing behind your word and honesty?

Now, you said that you've learned from this and that you know you did wrong. But there's still that resentment there. That's the part that really saddens me.