Students cheating on tests....

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I am having an ethical dilemma. There are several students in our class that have most of the answers for every test. Just about everyone in the class is now aware of this and think it is unfair. Noone wants to bring it to light because they don't want the teacher to make it hard on everyone for what time is left in the program. I keep telling myself that it will get them in the end, when they can't pass the HESI or the boards. But the truth is, about half of them will pass it with no problem. They may all pass. What irritates me is that some have gone from C students to A students, one very well could end up valedictorian, they cheat and then brag about their grades to everyone, spend all weekend with their families doing fun stuff (not studying) while i'm busting my tail to do it the right way! So, what would you do?

Thanks Moogie. It is very frustrating. I can't help but think what kind of trouble I might be in whether I tell or not. If they ask me how long I've known, well I've known since the middle of last semester, then found out they had the answers for this last semester. So, am I going to get kicked out because of that? If I don't tell, and someone else does, what then? I've worked too hard this year to throw it away because of other people's dishonesty and laziness.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
That's what I'm running into. The instructor has made the statement throughout the school year that "you can cheat if you want to, but it will get you in the end", which leads me to believe she would not be willing to do anything about it.....im so perplexed.

That is because it is a huge headache to expel someone for plagiarism/cheating. Our dept caught a girl cheating on her tests and when she lawyered up, the dept backed down. She continued to cheat and she passed NCLEX. I hate the whole passive approach that if you cheat you will not pass NCLEX. That isnt the case at all in many of these instances. It hurts the pt in the end.

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They'll pay for it when they take the nclex or when they start working as a nurse. It takes years of school and hours of studying to get the license but it takes 1-2errors for them to take it away. I have some of those students in my class and they get 100 percent and they show off knowing that it is not their accomplishment. Me and the other students work so hard to get good grades and we never go around omg I got an A.

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That is because it is a huge headache to expel someone for plagiarism/cheating. Our dept caught a girl cheating on her tests and when she lawyered up, the dept backed down. She continued to cheat and she passed NCLEX. I hate the whole passive approach that if you cheat you will not pass NCLEX. That isnt the case at all in many of these instances. It hurts the pt in the end.

Yes ,they might get lucky and pass nclex but they will kill or close to killing patients.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

According to some of the students in my program who are close to finishing, cheating also used to be a MAJOR issue. This previous semester( my first in the program), they started proctoring all the exams.... Like literally standing over us, watching us like hawks!! It was annoying as heck..but it definitely nipped the cheating thing in the bud. I wonder though, if the powers that be do not care that cheating is a problem...I wonder how the state board of nursing would react?

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Would YOU want a dishonest nurse caring for YOUR loved one? What corners might he/she cut, what may she lie about?

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Movie butter popcorn is choice for the evening, except I'm at work. When I was in school, we had those "cheaters" and those who finished school knowing less than they did when they started. Some of them passed the NCLEX and can't even tell you what V-tach looks like. No joke, one girl looked at pulse ox machine and swore it was an EKG showing V-tach. She passed and is now working in CV-stepdown. There are numerous people who pass by unknown means, pass the NCLEX, don't know their a$$ from a hole in the ground, and come out with very nice jobs where they don't see poop, family members, or demanding patients. They care more about how stylish their grey's anatomy scrubs are than if their patient is breathing. If I were the teacher, I'd leave the tests the same from year to year, and change up my final. I knew a few people who had all the old tests from Peds and OB, they would brag about how easy the tests were...passing with 90's and what not. They would guard their notes like it was their life support. Well the day of the final, they walked out the final crying...needless to say they didn't pass the classes, and failed out because they failed both courses.

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

At my university using previous year's tests to study is not considered cheating. Admin knows about it, and encourage it as a way to prepare yourself for the exam. 7 out of 48 questions on my genetics final were from previous exams, and the nursing faculty is worse- they usually use 10+ questions from old tests.

I blame the fact that they mostly test via multiple choice-- open questions are much easier to change! there wouldn't need to be any repeat questions. It would also test understanding- not how well you can guess.

In my first year, I didn't study with those tests, I thought that studying my notes, being in all the classes, reading the required material etc' would be enough to get good grades. It wasn't. You need to understand how they phrase the questions, what they really mean, so that you don't overthink the question (which I was doing all the time--- sorry for thinkng!). I wish there would be no multiple choice tests--- then you would really know who understands and who doesn't.

But it comes down to laziness--- they don't want to check those tests manually, when multiple choice just goes through a computer scanner.

*sigh*

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Specializes in Electrophysiology, Medical-Surgical ICU.

So wait are the old notes from last year a students notes or are the teachers notes that some took? If they are a students notes from last year...that's fair game unless the teacher states otherwise!

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By all means... let them go.

Let nature take its course.

Either they'll get busted or the fact that they really don't know anything will bite them in the butt.

I agree it's frustrating, but just think: Your pride on graduation day will be hard earned and wholly satisfactory. Their joy (if they make it to graduation) will be hollow because they did not really earn it.

I agree with you 100 percent. That's how I think too, when I graduate I will be so proud of my accomplishments. Those who have cheated throughout school might be proud 2 but it's is not the same, they will be proud of cheating. I feel bad for their parents.

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You know what annoys me the most?! When We have clinicals and students tell me they guessed on blood pressure, pulse, respiration, etc. These idiots are paying thousands of dollars/year and they are charting false information. That's why you are going to school to learn, practice taking vital signs, ask for help if you can't get the blood pressure. If I don't know how to do something or if I can't get the bp, I don't care if people laugh I will ask for help.

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I agree with Mesha913 if the notes are from last year and they obtained it legally, then it is not considered academic dishonesty. If they accessed the notes illegally then that's a different case.

In my genetics class we had tests from previous semesters that we used as study guides. some of the questions showed up on the test but we still needed to know how to solve and answer the questions

granted the students are cheating on themselves if they are not learning and understanding what they are reading. other than that, there isn't much of a case here. save yourself some headache

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