0.9 points kept me from graduating with my ADN. What to do?

[Jess1980]

Ok, so I am admitting that I failed on a public discussion board...hoping this helps to soothe the wounds and maybe someone else out there has been in my shoes. Right now it feels like I am all alone in this search for answers and the ones I have gotten are vague as I live in a rural area, with little resources on this subject.

I was in my last semester of nursing school, and loving it! I love nursing and always have, and will continue to. I was 4 days away from graduation and did not pass my class by 0.9 points! I have NEVER been a good test taker, but always felt good about school as all of my instructors always bragged at how great I was in clinicals. I am a dooer, and darn good at doing, just can't take test well. I feel I know the material well and can apply it during clinicals and practicum, but it was like I have "writer"s block" when it came to test. The thing I have always disliked about school was that our grades solely came from test. For those of us that are "hands on" learners, that is hard for us to show our competency thru a written test.

Anyhow, after my week of crying and looking like a bum, I finally realized it was time to quit feeling sorry for myself and pick myself up by my bootstraps and move forward...problem is I don't know where that is. I did speak with a former clinical instructor and she told me that a few other students have moved into online only programs, and that they qualified by being in their last semester and having so many clinical hours? I am new to this whole idea. I am going to finish one way or another, whatever it takes, I am not giving up..just don't know where to go from here.

I live in a small town and would consider finishing online for the convenience, having children, and hoping the change of pace from a classroom might help. Anyone have any suggestions or have been in my shoes?

[jaevigil]

hey girl... chin up... the same thing happened to me.... i was 0.4 points away from finishing my last quarter and lets say my school was being a complete pain in my bootay and denied me readmission into the program with $40,000 of debt in students loans.... yeah... it sucks , especially since i am a poor test taker as well .... but hey.... life ain't fair.... and here i am with all these credits and not even excelsior will take nursing credits into their program, i already tried.... as with any nursing program.... 50% of the credits must come from the school in which you intend to graduate from.... but hey... i look at it like .... "my school sucked... it really sucked.... so i will transfer the classes i did real well on, and i plan to retake the classes i did not do well on to strengthen my skills and knowledge". it's a thought... to make a better nurse out of yourself... yes a waste of time as well... but hey.... i realized that i can't always have my way even though i am use to getting it. LOL

it sucks for me because i feel like i am a dang good nurse since i have been an LVN for 5 years, and i put forth 100% effort in all my education to be left with 1 class short of being able to sit for RN-NCLEX.... and my school to use an exam i was exempted from taking because my GPA in the LVN program was high enough that i wasn't required to take it to deny me readmission.

i just wanted to let you know it happens more times than you think.... most people won't even admit it on a discussion board that they failed out of nursing school at the tail end..... but hey... it makes us stronger knowing that we are still committed to completing our education and becoming that awesome nurse with skill and not just a book smart nurse.

[DoGoodThenGo]

First let me say to the OP, you has my sympathies, and I am truly sorry for your current situation. Sadly it is not a uncommon one as schools seem to be drawing a line in the sand and anyone who crosses it is O-W-T, out.

Being as this may, and do not wish to sound harsh but as I've often replied to posts of this manner, you all is grown men and women thus need to take some responsibility your actions and outcomes.

Not taking tests well is not an excuse that will hold water. I mean as a college student just what did you expect was going to happen at exam time? Did you explain your anxieties about test taking to your professors and or instructors *before* failing this particular class. If this is a problem you have known about within yourself for quite some time what steps have you taken to deal and work through this issue?

I've got news for you, test taking does not end when you graduate nursing school. There of course will be the NCLEX, but there will be more, many more exams you will have to take over the course of your nursing career. First and foremost most every hospital in the land will not hire any nurse without a pharma/med dose calc exam. Then there are the various tests such as ACLS and others depending upon your specialty. If you area only going for an ADN degree, then sooner or later you will probably seek out your BSN, and there will be exams there as well. Oh not to mention any of the continuing education courses you may take as well.

Failing out of a program by

As others have said, first you really need to sit down and sort yourself out. By definition insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome each time. If you aren't "good at test taking", then just being readmitted isn't going to solve all your problems

Best of luck, and hang in there. Remember our God doesn't close a door without opening a window some where.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I just wanted to say that I truly admire your perseverance. I can't imagine the devastation you felt. Good luck and I wish you the best.

I also agree that clinical should be rounded into our final grades as well. Some people are more of a kinetic learner and written exams does not always show how competent a student may be.

I imagine in about 20 years or so NCLEX may have a clinical part too. Anyone who is an excellent test taker can pass a test, in my humble opinion.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

I'm not going to weigh in wrt your qualifications, test taking skills or eventual ability to pass NCLEX. I have no way of knowing that, however, I really do feel for you and wish you the best. You sound like you will perservere and land on your feet wherever it is that yu are meant to be.

What I will weigh in on though, and have a huge problem with, is schools flunking students in the final months/weeks prior to graduation. I'm sorry, it is part of the responsibility of educators to identify weaknesses in students and begin working with them to problem solve;as well as assess their overall suitability AEB by performance in clinical rotations. If they sincerely believe there are signifigant limitations, then they need deal with them prior to a week or so. It should be a very very very rare occasions where someone flunks out at the 11th hour. I may be cynical, and I don't believe it is always the case, but if the student continues matriculating then they continue to pay tuition. Plus, it's playing with their life.

I agree. I at my school they are excellent at meeting with us if they see we are falling behind. Our passing score is 75 percent per exam. If anyone scores a 77 ( which is passing but close to the borderline) the student meets with the instructor or the retention specialist to review their exam and identify weakness.

In addition, some people are able to get a note from a psychologist to take their exams in the test center.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Wrong thread.

[meghan91]

oh gez i could only imagine how you feel. i just had a post a few weeks ago about how the only thing keeping me from my getting into my BSN program was a a&pII class that i failed by 1-2 points but this is actually keeping you from graduating =(. If i were you i would first contact my academic advisor right now and tell him or her what has happend they will be able to stear you in the right direction. Then if you know that you failed because of a certain class, ocntact that teacher, see if first your grade is right that you got and then ask if they have a summer class. At some school you can re-take parts of and a lot of schools offer them in the summer. I would first contact your advisor they will help you out the most. good luck!

[Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN]

Sorry this happened. Test taking is difficult. My school was very strict on grades as well and didnt believe in passing students who failed by any points and this happened to a classmate of mine. But she had been failing each test slightly and only passed 1 test of the four. So with that said her avg in the end was a failing grade but she was allowed to repeat the course. See if you can retake the course and right before exams do some deep breathing exercises. Before you get to school eat a healthy breakfast. Also, I recommend chewing gum while testing, it always helped me relax. I know the program I was in, you didnt have to just know the information you had to be able to apply that information to a real life situation, which made the test difficult. I wish you much luck in the future.

[Bhavana]

I feel your pain, I really do. My school was tough, and clinical only counts if you did really bad or were unsafe. Otherwise, you could be Mother Theresa in clinical and it would not effect your grade. I think that that is wrong, that clinical should count towards the grade. I know of so many students who were barely passing in clinical, but did just enough right to get by - yet were getting great test grades. Then there were students who were great in clinical, but not good test takers. We know that the best test takers do not necessarily make the best nurses, and personally I think clinical is a better judge of who is going to be the better nurse...but unfortunately, the schools don't see it that way. They care more about test grades, and NCLEX scores, because that is how they get their grant money from the state - by keeping high test scores.

I know a lot of people who failed by only a fraction of a point - but then, many pass by that narrow fraction as well. It's a shame that your school couldn't just nudge you through, especially if you did well in clinicals, but sadly, I don't think that happens much. If it does, I don't know about it.

There isn't much I can say to make you feel better, but you are not alone in your extreme disappointment. There are some other options, though. You can repeat the semester...which isn't so bad right now, considering how the job market isn't the best, and the extra school time can only help you. But there is also an online program called Excelsior. I know of a lot of students in my school who did it after failing, and passed. It's pricey, compared to community college tuition, but if you don't want to wait a year to repeat the semester, it may be worth it for you.

Try not to be so tough on yourself. Things do happen for a reason. Good luck!

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I would go to the Dean to see if you can work on a project for several weeks to improve your grade. If that is not possible, ask what you can do. So sorry you have to experience this!

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

hey girl... chin up... the same thing happened to me.... i was 0.4 points away from finishing my last quarter and lets say my school was being a complete pain in my bootay and denied me readmission into the program with $40,000 of debt in students loans.... yeah... it sucks , especially since i am a poor test taker as well .... but hey.... life ain't fair.... and here i am with all these credits and not even excelsior will take nursing credits into their program, i already tried.... as with any nursing program.... 50% of the credits must come from the school in which you intend to graduate from.... but hey... i look at it like .... "my school sucked... it really sucked.... so i will transfer the classes i did real well on, and i plan to retake the classes i did not do well on to strengthen my skills and knowledge". it's a thought... to make a better nurse out of yourself... yes a waste of time as well... but hey.... i realized that i can't always have my way even though i am use to getting it. LOL

it sucks for me because i feel like i am a dang good nurse since i have been an LVN for 5 years, and i put forth 100% effort in all my education to be left with 1 class short of being able to sit for RN-NCLEX.... and my school to use an exam i was exempted from taking because my GPA in the LVN program was high enough that i wasn't required to take it to deny me readmission.

i just wanted to let you know it happens more times than you think.... most people won't even admit it on a discussion board that they failed out of nursing school at the tail end..... but hey... it makes us stronger knowing that we are still committed to completing our education and becoming that awesome nurse with skill and not just a book smart nurse.

Did you point out to your school that they were using an exam from which they had exempted you? What was the response?

[kakamegamama]

Hang in there. Online programs, sitting for LPN Boards, applying to another program==are all good suggestions. Have to spoken to anyone about learning/testing styles? There are folks who can help you understand your testing style so that you can better prepare yourself for future testing, including the NCLEX. As another poster said, not taking the NCLEX is not an option if you want to work as a RN or LPN, so learning why testing is so difficult and how you can remedy that is a very good idea. Best to you!

[BigButtNurse]

Sorry to hear about your situation. When I was in school I failed one my final exams by a fraction of a point (I scored a 69.43 & I needed a 69.50). My instructor felt no sympathy, so extra-credit was out of the question. There were several students who were in the same predicament, who got together and went to the dean to complain. The end result: the instructor has final say. Long story short, I'm sorry for you & hopefully things will get better.:)