Received an "F" for a "B"!

Nurses General Nursing

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If anyone out there can offer me some advice, I'd be so grateful. I am in an accelerated second degree AAS program at a University in VA which I will not name.

I and 3 other students are currently battling the nursing department over "F" grades we received despite the fact that no on got less than a C+ in a class that ended July 31st. The reason for this is because the 4 of us did not obtain a 90% or higher by the third attempt at a 10 question dosage calculations quiz. Mind you the calculation of dosages is not taught at our school, it is considered the students responsibility to learn it themselves.

I don't understand how my overall grade of 85% can be reflected on my transcript as a "F" because of one dosage calculations quiz, which I got an 80% on. The four of us tried reasoning with the nursing staff and they basically told us tough cookies and see you next semester at a private Catholic school that costs $600 per credit! Additionally, our school has a policy where you get kicked out if you have to repeat more than 8 nursing credits.

Am I wrong to believe that this action taken was harsh and unfair? Is this just the nature of the nursing beast, or do I have a legitimate right to fight this. I sent emails to the dean and the grievance committee, but no one has responded. It has been 3 weeks.

Please help. I am ready to break down and quit, as I can't cry anymore than I already have. The callousness and cold-hearted nastiness of these ladies is absolutely mind-boggling to me.

Can anyone help?

At my school we had to make 90% in order to pass. If you made below 90% you got to take the exam one more time within about a two day period. If you made below 90% on the second attempt you were out of the program for a year.

When I applied for the job I am at now I had to take a med dosage calculation test before I was hired. You really have to learn how to do it. I do not understand why your school was not teaching or offering a tutor for dosage calcuations. I loved algebra in school but it really is a different style of calculations.

melissa

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
I have to agree with the school and the other responders to this. Drug/dosage calculation is VITAL-life and death sort of thing.

I thoroughly agree. This is not just a run of the mill math calculation test; this involves future patients' lives and wellbeing.

There is an epidemic of medication errors in this nation with an alarming rate of associated patient death or serious harm. The worst possible outcome from any medication error involving a miscalculation is a patient death. 90% simply is unacceptable - that translates into one medication error out of every ten, or (worst case scenario) one patient death per ten med passes. :eek:

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

My school is the same way. We get 3 chances to get a 90 or above. If you do not get a 90 by the third time you fail the semester. It is clearly written in our syllabus each semester and explained in your first semester orientation then again the first day of each semester and again the day the test is given. So far my instructors have been wonderfully helpful to the few students who do not pass it the first time around. They are not out to "fail" anyone..they are there to make sure we know what we are doing before we go handing out medications under their licenses and then our own. I have to agree with the other posters, I wouldn't want someone giving myself or a family member meds if they weren't sure they were giving the correct dosage. This is very critical. I am sorry you failed your semester I know that it is disheartening. I would ask one of the instructors for help before the next test came around. Good luck!!!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.

I must say, I'm appalled that they expect you to learn dosage calculations on your own. That's ridiculous! Do they expect you to learn everything else on your own also?

I attend a private Catholic college also, and we are given 3 attempts, but we had it DRILLED into our heads during lecture, lab AND clinical during Fundamentals. And even more during Med/Surg 1. It's an ongoing process, one they never stop quizzing/testing on. If one didn't pass on the first try, they had to go to tutoring sessions.

I would say your only recourse would be if they didn't explain the policy, but also maybe that they expected you to learn on your own. Yes, there are many things we must do on our own, like studying, but the foundation for such learning is laid down first.

Plus, there are several ways of doing the calculations, and what works for some, doesn't for others (I'm a Dimensional Analysis girl, myself, but most aren't).

Good luck to you!

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I must say, I'm appalled that they expect you to learn dosage calculations on your own. That's ridiculous! Do they expect you to learn everything else on your own also?

I attend a private Catholic college also, and we are given 3 attempts, but we had it DRILLED into our heads during lecture, lab AND clinical during Fundamentals. And even more during Med/Surg 1. It's an ongoing process, one they never stop quizzing/testing on. If one didn't pass on the first try, they had to go to tutoring sessions.

I would say your only recourse would be if they didn't explain the policy, but also maybe that they expected you to learn on your own. Yes, there are many things we must do on our own, like studying, but the foundation for such learning is laid down first.

Plus, there are several ways of doing the calculations, and what works for some, doesn't for others (I'm a Dimensional Analysis girl, myself, but most aren't).

Good luck to you!

this is an accelerated program and if you can't do SIMPLE math then you shouldn't be there. There are plenty of books on drug calculations. It's not rocket science

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

It was the same scenario at my school: pass ALL three doseage and calculation tests with a minimum score (can't remember the exact #), or you're out. One of my classmates did fine in school until we had to take these tests. She failed all three of them and as a result, flunked Clinicals and out of school. I felt bad for her. What was even worse, the instructor who was teaching this class didn't have a CLUE as to what she was teaching. Very unfair. :angryfire

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Sorry, I have to agree....most schools around here are 100% or fail. Even most of the hospitals in this area require a 100% passage on yearly med tests...if you fail you get 2 more times to pass, if you don't you are terminated.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
I must say, I'm appalled that they expect you to learn dosage calculations on your own. That's ridiculous! Do they expect you to learn everything else on your own also?

I attend a private Catholic college also, and we are given 3 attempts, but we had it DRILLED into our heads during lecture, lab AND clinical during Fundamentals. And even more during Med/Surg 1. It's an ongoing process, one they never stop quizzing/testing on. If one didn't pass on the first try, they had to go to tutoring sessions.

Agree. When I attended L.P.N. school, we ATE, BREATHED and SLEPT doseage calculations. 75 Problems EVERY single night. I was totally sick of the course and my instructor by the time I got out of that class, but I never forgot what I was taught. Thank God for her...for if I hadn't taken that class, I would have probably flunked out of R.N. school, too!

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, M/S.

Dosage calculation is the equivalent of elementary algebra - taught to many 7 and 8th graders. So for all these nursing students having problems with dosage calc - what does that say about America's education system? Many fall through the cracks, esp when it comes to math.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Nursing Education.

I've never been the best at math - I've always made good grades somehow, but I just don't always understand it. And in addition, the way my school taught drug calcs was confusing. Before we tested, I figured out the best way for me to do a calculation and then practiced, practiced, practiced. Do that until you NEVER get one wrong. Ever. Then ask them to retest you - even offer to have a harder test than before. Have you talked to them about possibly retesting you?

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Unfortunately, you are unable to apeal this because they are going to say that you are an unsafe practitioner if you do not correctly calculate the dosages. I understand how hard this is for you because I lost some friends in nursing school who were withdrawn from the program because they couldn't pass the math.

I'm surprised some of you say you got three chances to pass. We were only given two chances, and weren't allowed to have more than one wrong answer. It wasn't difficult, but they did go out of their way to try to trick us with some of those questions so we had to pay real close attention, especially with rounding and unit conversions.

I hope you won't give up because of this. If it means going to another school to finish the program, do it.

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At my school, they did teach dosage calculations. However, the dosage calculation test that we take is 10 questions and has to be passed with 100%. You have three trys and if you don't pass, you have to sit out a semester and retake the test when it is given at the end of the NEXT semester.

So I guess what I am saying is that it is kind of the nature of the nursing beast, like you asked.

Sorry, I know that is not the answer you were looking for.

This is exactly how the policy was in school I went to. Three tries to get a 100% and the calculation test. It did not matter if you had a 100% for the entire course you were out. In the regular classes any semester grade below 80% you were out. BTW they did not round up. I actually knew a student that failed with a 79.9%.

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