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.
My state's BON *lost* my application for licensure, which was sent to them in March, before we graduated 2nd week of May. They held on to our applications until the school mailed them verification that we graduated. I know the BON received my application because they cashed my check the week after I graduated. Kept waiting & waiting to get my authorization to fingerprint/background check and nothing arrived. Had classmates get their ATT & take NCLEX, still nothing. Contacted the BON on June 6th and was told they didn't receive my application. I explained that they cashed the check, so they must have received it. Was told I'd still have to submit and new application. Was I frustrated? Yes.
Submitted new application. Then received a message that I didn't attach a check with the application fee. Contacted them again and reminded them that they cashed my check with the original "lost" application. Finally got authorization to fingerprint/background check and got that done on June 16th. Didn't get my ATT for NCLEX until June 26th. First available test date was July 7th.
In the mean time, I had sent out resumes for new grad positions at several hospitals. I interviewed and was hired pending passing the NCLEX. I passed, but the BON didn't post my license until July 14th.
I say all this because a) I could have just gotten PO'd at the BON and raised a fuss. What would that have accomplished? They probably would have been even slower processing my app. b) I could have whined that I missed out on pay, since I didn't get to start my new job until July 27th. c) I could let anger & frustration eat me alive.
But, I chose to laugh it off as bureaucratic red tape. That's all this is: red tape. Is it frustrating? You betcha! Does it make your eyes roll and your teeth grit? Sure. Can you do anything about it? Not really. You can only be as proactive as the system allows you to be. You did what you needed to do in your situation. Is it right that they aren't owning up to their mistake and changing your grad date? No, but at this point, you need to take it for what it is and go from there. I could have pitched a major fit to the BON, but it wouldn't have done any good. They shouldn't have lost my application. It wasn't my fault, but I was "suffering" the consequences of their mistake. Just like you had to endure the consequences of your school's actions.
But if you choose to dwell on it and let anger drive your actions, you're really setting yourself up for disappointment. No one is saying you don't have a right to feel frustrated about this. Absolutely, you do have that right. But to try to go to the media or get a lawyer? Well, you'd be hard pressed to show you have actual damages from the 2 months time lost. There's no guarantee you'll pass NCLEX on the first attempt. There's no guarantee you'll have a job by a certain date. In the grand scheme of things, is spending what could amount to thousands of dollars in legal fees really worth it? Most employers don't care at all what your graduation date was. All they want to know is if you have a valid license #.
So, focus all your energy on passing NCLEX. Take a deep breath and let go of all that anger. You'll feel better about it. Laugh at their ineptness. But most of all, move on from this. You can start applying for new grad nursing positions before you have your license, so focus on doing that while you continue preparing for the exam.
Most universities have procedures that they ask you to follow to petition for rectifying a mistake in the transcript of records. Usually the mistake is about a grade. So just ask for the procedure and follow each step. make sure you write a lettera nd have it received. Just work it and see what happens in each step. It'll take some effort on your part. BUT if it is IMPORTANT to you, then you need to do the work. What is important to you isn't the same as what is important to somebody else. That is why you see all sorts of responses here.
SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP
3,152 Posts
My state's BON *lost* my application for licensure, which was sent to them in March, before we graduated 2nd week of May. They held on to our applications until the school mailed them verification that we graduated. I know the BON received my application because they cashed my check the week after I graduated. Kept waiting & waiting to get my authorization to fingerprint/background check and nothing arrived. Had classmates get their ATT & take NCLEX, still nothing. Contacted the BON on June 6th and was told they didn't receive my application. I explained that they cashed the check, so they must have received it. Was told I'd still have to submit and new application. Was I frustrated? Yes.
Submitted new application. Then received a message that I didn't attach a check with the application fee. Contacted them again and reminded them that they cashed my check with the original "lost" application. Finally got authorization to fingerprint/background check and got that done on June 16th. Didn't get my ATT for NCLEX until June 26th. First available test date was July 7th.
In the mean time, I had sent out resumes for new grad positions at several hospitals. I interviewed and was hired pending passing the NCLEX. I passed, but the BON didn't post my license until July 14th.
I say all this because a) I could have just gotten PO'd at the BON and raised a fuss. What would that have accomplished? They probably would have been even slower processing my app. b) I could have whined that I missed out on pay, since I didn't get to start my new job until July 27th. c) I could let anger & frustration eat me alive.
But, I chose to laugh it off as bureaucratic red tape. That's all this is: red tape. Is it frustrating? You betcha! Does it make your eyes roll and your teeth grit? Sure. Can you do anything about it? Not really. You can only be as proactive as the system allows you to be. You did what you needed to do in your situation. Is it right that they aren't owning up to their mistake and changing your grad date? No, but at this point, you need to take it for what it is and go from there. I could have pitched a major fit to the BON, but it wouldn't have done any good. They shouldn't have lost my application. It wasn't my fault, but I was "suffering" the consequences of their mistake. Just like you had to endure the consequences of your school's actions.
But if you choose to dwell on it and let anger drive your actions, you're really setting yourself up for disappointment. No one is saying you don't have a right to feel frustrated about this. Absolutely, you do have that right. But to try to go to the media or get a lawyer? Well, you'd be hard pressed to show you have actual damages from the 2 months time lost. There's no guarantee you'll pass NCLEX on the first attempt. There's no guarantee you'll have a job by a certain date. In the grand scheme of things, is spending what could amount to thousands of dollars in legal fees really worth it? Most employers don't care at all what your graduation date was. All they want to know is if you have a valid license #.
So, focus all your energy on passing NCLEX. Take a deep breath and let go of all that anger. You'll feel better about it. Laugh at their ineptness. But most of all, move on from this. You can start applying for new grad nursing positions before you have your license, so focus on doing that while you continue preparing for the exam.
Good luck to you on the NCLEX