I finished all requirements for my program, was pinned, and "graduated" this May. However, on June 1st I received an email from the Records Dept saying my record was "deficient", Nursing Dept clarified that was not the case and filled out the forms to fix my problem. About a month later only my lecture grade had been changed from an incomplete to my appropriate letter grade but my clinical grade was still a unsatisfactory. The Nursing Dept filled out ANOTHER form to fix the issue.
By July 6th my grades were fixed and I submitted my application to the Nursing Dept (that's what we do at my school). A week later, it turns out my transcripts were still not released to the Nursing Dept for them to send to the BON. When the Nursing Dept contacted the Records Dept the said they would not be releasing them until AUGUST 15th. A FULL MONTH LATER! Why so long? I don't know! Anyway, the Nursing Dept assured me they would request that their release be expedited. I contacted various individuals in the Records Dept multiple times via telephone and email to ask about the status of the release of my transcripts and I got ZERO response from anyone! I contacted the President of the University and no response.
On August 11th my transcripts were FINALLY released to the Nursing Dept and personally walked over to the BON. However, the transcripts list my degree date as AUGUST 8, 2015. OH. HELL. NO. I graduated in May. I have already had my NCLEX delayed for 3 months. And the Records Dept still will not contact me.
I will guess I will reach out to the President's Office one more time, not sure if I should mention if I once again receive no response that I will be contacting the BON, the Tennessee Board of Regents, hiring a lawyer, and contacting local news stations.
I finished all of my degree requirements in September and my degree was conferred in January. And......
I finished my nursing requirements in December, had to finish my degree requirement in March, walked in May and took my boards in June, 6 months removed from nursing courses-and survived!
OP, you are concerned about finding that job; even this delay you are upset about as far as finding a job is so minute.
I had a delay from most of my graduating class, found that coveted first job and I'm not even at that position anymore; took me two years post that job to settle into a specialty and job I am comfortable in.
Specializes in Early Intervention, Nsg. Education.
I had a similar clerical issue happen to myself, when graduating with by BA in Ed. (This was after I had already earned my LPN and RN.). I finished up my student teaching, Got Married (!), graduated from the college, and completed my student teaching portfolio within days of each other. It was one of the most hellish experiences of my life, but I made it through unscathed...or so I thought.
When Hubby and I returned from our honeymoon, I had at least two dozen messages on my answering machine from my advisor. My student teaching portfolio was missing. This was 25-ish years ago, when there were a dozen "typewriter and white-out" students for every "type it on a word processor and save it on a floppy" students, so the answer wasn't as simple as printing out another copy of the 200+ pages of notes, lesson plans, and who-knows-what that I had diligently collected and organized in that blasted thing.
Even worse, my class was the very last one to be "grandfathered" into the new teaching exams that only granted a "provisional license" to teachers with a bachelors. The next graduating class would take two additional exams and then would only receive "provisional licensure" unless they completed a masters degree within five years of graduation. I freaked! I don't know how many times I drove up to the campus to check every lost-and-found box, every locker, and every office to find the portfolio. Finally, it turned up in a copy room, and someone turned it in. I was able to submit it and receive my diploma on August instead of May. (And yes, my loan repayment schedule was delayed, which worked out very well for a newlywed!)
For a long time, I considered myself lucky for getting out of "being forced to get my Masters". Then, life happened. Kids, mortgages, bills, etc. And, guess what else? No one cared that my graduation date was in August instead of May. It never even came up. However, when I left my first teaching job to find another closer to home, I had a horrible time finding one. Not enough experience to rely on, and the applicants who had as much as or less experience than myself had a. MS in Education in their back pockets. So, my part time "just for extra money" job as an RN in LTC became my primary job, I eventually applied for med/surg, and the rest is history.
I've never been casually asked "when exactly was your graduation date?" However, whenever anyone's asked when I graduated from any program, I reply with the year. I graduated from XYZ Hospital's practical nursing program in 1990."
No, I didn't have a job lined up. That's why I didn't ever think it was a viable option. It was merely something that was suggested to me multiple times. I completely agree that I would not win any "case" against them. I was only posting so that if anyone else had something similar happen to them I could find out what avenues they had to take to get a resolution.
Well, now you know your options. I believe they range from "Nothing" to "Chillax" to "Have a nice glass of wine and forget all about it."
OP might not have been careful in articulating herself, she used such as strong word as 'screwed over' that people might find disturbing given the content of her story and given our own worse expetriences in our lives. But i agree with her that a mistake has been made, a wrong had been done and I agree that she has the right to feel bad about it. It is one thing not doing anything about it because you feel it isn't worth the trouble, but it is another thing to not recognize the problem. Don't become a door mat. In your personal life and in your work life, there are people will will intentionally or unintentionally "screw you over" . You will remain "screwed" if you allow them.
So, you are upset because your school made a mistake in your transcript. A mistake in a transcript is not minor. The school affixes it seal, it has a serial number in many cases because it is an important document!
Now, how you go about having it fixed by your school is another story. Of course you can hire a lawyer if you wish. BUT, it doesn't always mean a lawsuit. You hire a lawyer to advise you. They have have handled a case like yours already in the past. He/she might say go to the Registrar, write a letter ask that yiur transcript be corrected. They all know the situation anyways. He/she might then say, if you didn't get the result you want within a reasonable time (what is reasonable time?), then he/she might send your registra's office petitioning the same in his law office's letter head. Like it or not, they will tend to listen to him/her rather than you! If you can't afford a lawyer, find one that will do it as pro bono. Lawyers are required by the ABA to do pro bono hours and your case will be easy for a lawyer who is busy. Lawyerrs dont always threaten to sue, they 'negotiate'.. They call up people they know who can help in the fix.
I feel like I may have gone to the same school as you. I had several awful experiences at my school (all administrative issues) and the records department made a few clerical errors with my name this summer. They were using another student with the same name as me and it ended up causing me to get my ATT number several weeks after everyone else because of it. I was stressed, anxious, and mad but after making a few calls to the dean of nursing and health sciences it was fixed rather quickly. I hope it works out for you, good luck on the nclex . Even with my delay, I passed it so there is a silver lining somewhere. Did you go to TSU by chance?
Hi OP. in all honesty, sometimes there is no remedy for mistakes made by others. For example, I got a state tax lien placed against me in error. You think your situation is a big deal?? Try to get ANY type of credit if buy a home with this albatross hanging around your neck. More than 2 years later I now have the paperwork that states the lien was filed in error. But not after a lot of frustration, phone calls, and emails. The lien was filed against me when I wasn't even living in that state. Needless to say I was angry and frustrated. I did nothing wrong-this was someone else's mistake. I learned that this sort of thing is pretty common, despite how negatively it impacts the lives of victims.
But what I want to say is that it's perfectly fine to be angry over the mistakes of others. But, at some point we have to move on. Your situation took 3 months; mine took 2 years. Good luck!
this has been the logical answer so far. Apparently no one seems to think about that it looks like the OP COULDN'T finish in may and had to "make up" work.... and that would not look good to a future employer.
Instead of getting your knickers in a twist over something that has been rectified, look at this as a big opportunity. When interviewing and faced with the "Tell me about a time you faced a difficult situation" statement, you can use this example--if you were playing it smart during this time. e.g."Due to an error with administration, my grades were incorrectly posted and my graduation date was delayed. During this time, I showed tenacity by staying in contact with the administration to get the situation corrected. I also used the time to study, make a game plan, forge contacts and associations to better position myself in my role as a member of the healthcare profession." lemons/lemonade... Yes it was infuriating, yes it was a hassle and yes it sucks you were in limbo almost 3 months, but you are going to run into adversity throughout your time on Earth. Learn and mature from it. Best wishes.
. Even with my delay, I passed it so there is a silver lining somewhere. Did you go to TSU by chance?
Conqueror+, BSN, RN
1,457 Posts
I think I finally understand the term first world problems