QuinnP

Look at the pass rate in relation to other nursing schools in the area or state. If the school is near the bottom of the list, I'd probably pass. Also, to be sure, look at the schools previous years NCLEX pass rates...are they all low?

I can understand not being able to leave the site due to liability issues but having to spend lunch break together is...interesting. Has anyone asked whether or not breaks could happen independently and if so what was the instructors reasoning? One of my clinical instructors would do the same thing but count the time as a post conference, letting us out a little early.

Pass rates are a good place to start. To be fair, at least in MA, nursing schools have seen a decline in pass rates due to changes in the NCLEX exam - however 64% is pretty poor. Compare these pass rates to those within the last few years - are they all this low? I would also consider if the program is new vs. old and make sure it is accredited appropriately. Newer programs may obviously have a lot to work out in regards to appropriate faculty, curriculum, etc., older programs are usually much more established. Clinical affiliations are also another thing to look into. Schools with weaker programs may have trouble securing and keeping clinical sites for their students, especially in big cities with a multitude of competing nursing schools. Word of mouth will probably be most helpful if you're able to contact current students and ask their perspectives.

Hi everyone, I'm just wondering what some of your last semester clinical experiences were like in BSN programs. Specifically, did you get to work one-on-one with a nurse? My specific college is no longer offering this to the majority of the students...and it was something that I was certainly looking forward to earlier in the program to gain that experience that I wouldn't be able to in a standard clinical group. I'm just in another standard clinical group with six students just weeks before graduating... it's sort of scary!

At my school the HESI is worth 25% of every nursing course final grade...and honestly, most of my course exams seem like more of a "crap shoot" than the actual HESI lol. I wasn't too great at HESI's either, but after doing practice questions repeatedly and thoroughly reviewing and understanding each accompanying rationale I saw a great improvement (1,000+) on my HESI's. Saunder's Comprehensive Review is great for reviewing..you can register your book on the Evolve site (Evolve = HESI) and you'll have access to hundreds of review questions. You'll be much better off doing this than attempting to petition against your school policy.

Be assured you aren't alone! I go to a college in a big city - seems like my BSN program is so inferior to all of the other programs in the area. When I first started the program, the NCLEX pass rate was somewhere in the 90's - as with all of the other surrounding programs. However, that quickly turned around when the pass rate dove into the 60's my second year in. Like yours, we also have a very hard time securing clinical placements, which is a shame as there are a countless number of healthcare facilities surrounding the college. I have a few friends who had to spend their Peds/OB in simulation as well. There are ways for them to get around everything - and I guess sticking students in simulation when clinical sites can't be placed is one of them. Such a low NCLEX pass rate is very alarming. They've made some of those outside review courses mandatory in my program now in order for us to graduate. This is how my school is compensating for the low pass rate - hiring outside companies in a final attempt to heighten their NCLEX pass rate for 2015...instead of trying to improve things internally. Unfortunately, as this is my last semester, switching programs isn't a smart thing to do...I'm just waiting it out!

From my own experiences, health assessment wasn't exactly a course that integrated other nursing courses like patho/pharm/fundamentals. Health assessment, depending on your program, can become pretty detail oriented especially in the lab. Fortunately, though, I found reading the text and following my professors power points to be more than enough to be successful in the course. It's an assessment course, and unlike Med/Surge/Peds isn't usually centered around interventions and critical thinking when it comes to exams, at least that was my experience. It just requires you to learn some new information and gain some new knowledge to become proficient in assessing - good luck! :)