Unfortunately, classmate and friend did not pass the last semester of RN Program-
the faculty and administration REFUSE to give her the "nursing pin" she paid for nor
will they reimburse her and so she is unable to get her money back ($100
The Director of this community college RN program, in California- told her the pin she paid for - was going to be "donated" to someone - she was forced to "donate" the pin to the program and won't be reimbursed for the cost.
Does your school have the same policy? Isn't this coercion?
Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.
I think the more interesting question is: why does she want it? In my state, the use of the title "nurse" is restricted. You cannot identify with the word, wear emblems that imply you are a nurse, and so on, unless you are licensed as one. I would suspect this is true in other states.
Hm. We got our pins when we purchased them. Pinning was optional. You go to the bookstore and give them 25-150 depending on the style. I think they were out of them at one point so they didn't sell them till they got more in.
I would flip out if they did not give me the money or the pin. Donating it is not an option in my book. Did they inform students of the risk of not getting the pin if she didn't pass? My school allowed us to use whatever pin we wanted. It's one thing if it was in the order form but if it wasn't I would throw a fit.
In all honesty, there shouldn't be major changed to the pin each year. I don't think mine had dates on them.
The nursing school pin is a symbol. If it was so sacred, then nursing schools would ban their pins from being sold on Ebay. There are currently 91 nursing pins for sale. I wasted a lot of money on nursing school if all I had to do to was buy a nursing school pin on Ebay. nursing school pin | eBay
The person has no intention of representing themselves as a graduate of the nursing program, they want to recoup their cost by reselling it to the next class (or Ebay). Obviously, going into a job interview with a pin as proof of your nursing degree will not get you far.
This just doesn't sound kosher to me. The fact that a donation of her pin is possible hints that buying one wasn't mandatory. I cannot imagine it's legal to withhold the property she bought, if no prior agreement was signed. These pins/caps usually come from a graduation company or uniform store. The school has rights to the emblem, sure, but they themselves didn't make the pins. They would have given the rights for the school's likeness to this third party during creation and distribution. It's absurd if they claim they maintain irrefutable ownership of the likeness in so much that they can TAKE the product from an individual. If she put it on and posted pictures online, they could make her cease-and-desist publicly showing their brand but they can't take her physical property unless they give her compensation.
She can't possibly be obligated to both the school AND the company. That's impossibly unfair for the individual consumer, after all--she didn't pay them both. Sounds as though they're interfering with a business agreement made between her and the pin-creating company, and forcing her to pay for a product she bought, that they'll use. A football team can't decide to keep their memorabilia you bought from an atheletic outfitter without just reimbursement. All the ritualism of nursing school aside, without prior signed agreement this is just plain failure to render.
Also, the idea that they shouldn't be on the hook for reimbursement just doesn't make sense to me. Someone using that pin certainly should. If there's a need for the pin, the owner deserves payment for her property or else her property should be given to her. I just can't see where, unless terms were made clear before payment and signing was done, this is legal or ethical? How can you be forced to donate something you purchased, unless you specifically signed something agreeing to do so? It's just bizarre to me. No other part of your schooling is taken from you. You can fail, that doesn't allow the school to commander ownership of your textbooks and uniforms. Even the classes you failed, you got what you got out of them with lectures/testing/etc. Where I schooled, I paid a separate fee after finishing for a physical degree.
If nothing else, encourage her to use it as a tax write off?
Try this perspective should she be reimbursed for tuition and books for the classes she failed? Not that different.
No, this is very different. She received the goods for the currency she spent in your scenario. The school isn't going to take her books from her because she failed. She had the ability to be in lecture and take tests. Those experiences/items were properly exchanged for her money.
This reads as though they not only won't reimburse, they won't even GIVE her what she rightfully bought. They've essentially swindled $100 from her if "no reimbursement/failing forfeits ownership" wasn't made transparent to her at the time of sale. Without prior written agreement that she risked forfeiting the money, that's illegal.
amoLucia
7,736 Posts
What if the nsg school has a 'no repeat class policy' or if student chose NOT to reapply?
She paid for her merchandise; it's hers.
I never saw any 'nursing school pin police' anywhere checking for rule breakers - anybody else did?