Given he Glut of threads I have encountered lately about people failing their nursing course once or multiple times, I decided to submit a poll. My main motivation stems from the obligatory post from someone responding to these threads with "Don't give up! I knew someone who failed 30 times, failed NCLEX 6 times and is the best nurse I know! Never give up on your dreeeeaams!!!!!!!!" (Insert sparkles, rainbows, and unicorns vomiting up glitter)
So ladies and gents, here's my question: Did you fail any of your nursing courses? To keep it as simple as possible, let's limit this particular poll to:
1. RNs
2. Only the actual nursing courses, not the science pre-reqs
3. Licensed RNs only please
I would certainly like to see variations of this, LPNs, the science courses, etc. But for now, lets limit it to the above
I failed my L and D semester. Went on to pass NCLEX first try and land a job before finishing school. I had to remove my head from my ass that semester. I was a stupid kid at the time and didn't realize that I was the one responsible for my grades and had to know that the teacher wasn't out to get me, she wanted me to succeed but I didn't see it until the second time through.
No. I never failed a class, paper or exam. A 3.3 GPA was required to remain in the School of Nursing. Graduated Magna Cum Laude. Passed NCLEX on first attempt.
Failed a bunch of classes as a teen out of highschool. Learned my lesson and got my grades back up. Never failed a nursing course. Anything below 80% was failing in my school. Passed NCLEX the first time.
Nope, never failed a thing, passed nclex first try and thought it was simple. I did have a clinical instructor threaten to fail me because my spelling was so horrendous (care plans done in the stone ages before we were computerized with spellcheck). I had an a average at the time. She made me go to the student resource center and ask to be tested for learning disabilities. They took a look at my grades and laughed me out the door, then asked me to tutor an anatomy student. I still don't spell well.
I know now a nurse who barely scraped by nursing school, then failed nclex twice before passing a third try. (Did you know there are whole classes, weekend long expensive classes, that are aimed at preparing nursing students who have repeatedly failed nclex!?!?). She was fired from her first 2 nursing jobs in less than a year.
Never failed anything in pre-reqs or my nursing school, graduated magna cum laude. However, in my first go-round in school at a traditional age for my BA, I failed multiple courses, then retook them with passing grades. First two semesters of college, I had a 4.0, but ended up graduating with a 2.96. I was not focused, lost scholarships, not interested in school, more interested in partying. It was all a matter of maturity.
I just realized that you can see who voted for what-is there a way to make this anonymous? Publicly shaming is NOT my intent!
WHAAAAAT????
Okay...
No shame, here... but I'm not burning with pride either.
I do stand alone in this poll and I stand alone in the responding posts.
Somebody has to represent the other side, so I'll do it.
Yes.
I failed two nursing classes in the same school.
Like many schools, mine was strict. If you failed two classes, you were done. You could appeal to the board, but it really was just a formality of due process.
In other words, don't expect to come back.
I do not know anyone else who was readmitted after two fails in my school. I do not know anyone else readmitted to a school after two fails in their school.
The nursing school board told me it was so rare that, really, it never happens.
However, I was allowed back.
I'm not going into the long story about how or why I failed or what I did to redeem myself, but I freaking got a chance that nobody got. I embraced it and aced it
There was no way I was squandering that.
I passed my NCLEX on the first try with 75 questions in 45 minutes :)
I never failed anything, I did earn a B+ in one class because of tardiness, but that's another story. We could get no more than 1 C per semester. You were on probation with two Cs or 1 D, and you were pretty much out with 1 F. Most of my graduating class passed NCLEX first try. We only lost two people throughout the program - one because a close family member had to have surgery and she took time off to help with his recovery, and another had a baby and ended up a year behind. Nobody failed out. Our instructors were very supportive.
If one were to look at my transcript, you wouldn't see any failures, but I was allowed to take a medical withdraw for a clinical course instead (thank the lord, or my GPA would have tanked.)
But I passed my the NCLEX the first time, 75 questions, in under 90 minutes. Isn't that what counts???
I failed a couple extremely important nursing courses! I failed the first time I did the nclex, who cares! I am an extremely good caring, thorough nurse now, never gave up tried, my best when I was in school, I had many many obstacles in my way to finish school unlike the young girls who had their tuition paid for by their parents and had no kids and a life.
"Don't give up! I knew someone who failed 30 times, failed NCLEX 6 times and is the best nurse I know! Never give up on your dreeeeaams!!!!!!!!" (Insert sparkles, rainbows, and unicorns vomiting up glitter)
That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B
3,421 Posts
I failed my L and D semester. Went on to pass NCLEX first try and land a job before finishing school. I had to remove my head from my ass that semester. I was a stupid kid at the time and didn't realize that I was the one responsible for my grades and had to know that the teacher wasn't out to get me, she wanted me to succeed but I didn't see it until the second time through.