Students that Fail

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hey all!!

to any current nursing students and recent graduates, has any of you noticed a pattern among the students that flunk out versus the ones that succeed? ex: younger students, the inexperienced, chatty/gossipy, perhaps the few that dont "get in good" with professors!...the reason i ask is that i am starting ns in august and i want to make sure that i don't fit in to the demographic that fails!!!

thanks to all that reply!!

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I am about to start my Sr. year of my BSN in August and we have not had a single person fail yet, one decided that nursing is not for him and got into an occupational therapy program, another had to move when her husband got transfered, and another go pregnant, other than one person that joined our group from the year ahead of us,after a suggestion to take a year off and get more CNA experience first...but was not failing, we still have our original class. We have people from 20 to mid 40s and although I am not among the group that does the occasional partying (I went to my first gathering at the end of the second year and everyone was giving me a hard time for finally coming to something) no one is how you described....immature?

I am not sure if this has anything to do with it, but my program selects by merit; Pre-req GPA, overall GPA, TEAS score, past medical experience, residency, and a second language. The JC which uses a lotto system and only requires a 2.5 GPA had people failing the first few weeks.

I think if you loose your drive and dedication or focus this could mess you up too. My friend was in a class ahead of me at the very JC I was talking about. He had been accepted into UC Davis medical school, so he was no dummy. He ended up failing second semester by like 2% because he lost focus, was spending way too much time working extra shifts as an LVN, helping other people study (and not for himself), now he will graduate at the same time as me but I will have a BSN and he will have an ASN. He was really upset about it for a long time; he was not immature and he was not partying or anything, he was just working overtime and helping other people with their study groups when he should have been saving some of the time for himself.

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I am about to start my Sr. year of my BSN in August and we have not had a single person fail yet, one decided that nursing is not for him and got into an occupational therapy program, another had to move when her husband got transfered, and another go pregnant, other than one person that joined our group from the year ahead of us,after a suggestion to take a year off and get more CNA experience first...but was not failing, we still have our original class. We have people from 20 to mid 40s and although I am not among the group that does the occasional partying (I went to my first gathering at the end of the second year and everyone was giving me a hard time for finally coming to something) no one is how you described....immature?

I am not sure if this has anything to do with it, but my program selects by merit; Pre-req GPA, overall GPA, TEAS score, past medical experience, residency, and a second language. The JC which uses a lotto system and only requires a 2.5 GPA had people failing the first few weeks.

I think if you loose your drive and dedication or focus this could mess you up too. My friend was in a class ahead of me at the very JC I was talking about. He had been accepted into UC Davis medical school, so he was no dummy. He ended up failing second semester by like 2% because he lost focus, was spending way too much time working extra shifts as an LVN, helping other people study (and not for himself), now he will graduate at the same time as me but I will have a BSN and he will have an ASN. He was really upset about it for a long time; he was not immature and he was not partying or anything, he was just working overtime and helping other people with their study groups when he should have been saving some of the time for himself.

Sounds like your friend is a compasionate caring individual who will make an excellent nurse. Its not the first one over the finish line that matters. ASN or ADN nursing programs are often "much" harder than any other nursing degree since they are the most competitive. It sounds like your friend is mature and learning Nursing priorities the way they should be viewed. Sometimes the best courses from the best teachers are not available all the time, so skipping a beat is routinely required for the best education.

Those who think that 'the first one to graduate' is the goal has no idea of the liabilities ahead of them.

Good luck.

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The reasons students failed out of the LPN program I am in are as varied as the individuals themselves. However, I do have to say that of the remaining students, there are more than a few that I would be afraid to meet up with again as the nurse of a family member of mine. The immaturity is a big thing, but the lack of honesty and integrity is scariest of all........if you study hard, commit yourself entirely to the program, and never forget the reason(s) you chose nursing as a career, you will do just fine!! Good luck to you, and to all upcoming students...and be glad you discovered this site before you started....wish i had!!

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We lost very few students due to grades, in my LPN school. Most that failed had excessive absences or behavior problem (i.e. arguing with the instructors). We also lost a few in clinical for unsafe practices. Funny thing is that most of them were middle aged like me. The youngest ones in my class were amazing. There were serious about their studies, polite and quiet during lecture. I think you will do fine!!!

I start my LPN to RN NS courses in the Fall. I really hope there are more students that care than my LPN class.

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As far as my school goes...the only students to fail out have been older...like 30's 40's..all the younger students (like me..I'm 21) have made it so far..and graduate in less than a month..I really don't think it has anything to do with age.

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We lost half of our class (down to 35) within the first 3 or 4 months - mostly due to failing 2 correlated exams...that is the school's way of weeding out those who would never make it....what I meant by varied is both ages (about half were younger, half were older), and students not putting into the program the necessary time and effort (studying 3-4 hours per night after 7 hours in school) due to realization that nursing is not for them, etc. It is a grueling 11-month program that is meant to turn out very good nurses, and as far as nursing skills are concerned, our school has. Good grades and the best of skills cannot, however, change a person's ethics, and that is where it becomes scary to think about the very few who will pass boards and be out there "caring" for people when they really don't CARE ABOUT PEOPLE.

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This thread has made me think...Now, I have a decision to make....

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This thread has made me think...Now, I have a decision to make....

what kind of decision??

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Since 2004 I have lurked, here is my story:

I am one of those students who failed, and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I entered LVN school in Fall 2004 with A's in most of my prereq's. I should have checked my motives before I even applied for a nursing program!!! I got all A's in my bookwork and clinicals in LVN school. Clinicals made me nervous and I dreaded having to drive to the next town over.

I failed Basic Skills because I failed all of checkoffs twice. My meds pass I did in front of the Director of the Program and got an 84 on it. So that was good for me. I looked at the videos of my doing my checkoffs and I look nervous and nauseous. In the end, it worked out for me ego because I got 100 points out of 102 points possible on the final exam. The instructor told me after my failure in the class that nursing and I were probably not a match. I cried a little because of my bruised ego, but the tears were tears of relief and I told her so. From the very first day of clinicals, my cover was blown! A CNA told my clinical instructor that I "looked scared" and she was absolutely right. However I stuck it out because I did not want to have a bunch of withdrawals on my transcript.

I entered the program with my version of what the legal system would call "unclean hands". Being over 40 y.o. with no direction in life is not a good thing. A steady job eluded me at the time. I had passed a Med. Assistant course with flying colors but could not find a job. A nurse at a job fail said that Med. Assistants are a dime a dozen, be a nurse. From then I was hooked. For two years I did my Prereqs and I got into four different nursing programs on the first try. Two were RN and two were LVN. The RN programs would have meant a move across the country which my sisters discouraged. So I stayed in my home state and moved to a smaller city for an LVN program.

I think people can be wonderful. But I learned in that one semester that I do not have the capacity to work with them in such a personal or intimate setting. I still remember my patients names and I hope that they are doing well. When my dad had a very bad fall at home alone due to atherostenosis, I was grateful to understand what the doctor in the hospital was saying in medical language. When my dad got home a couple of days later I was able to feed him as I was taught in the LVN program. My dad is now completely ambulatory and living in an Assisted Living program in my city.

Now, I realize that I am a "paper and information" loving person. Shakespeare said that we should all be "true to ourselves" and after my experience in NS, I know what he meant! I have gotten a degree in Accounting and am in search of employment in a field that I enjoy very much.

My intention is that this will be my only post. However, I adore lurking on these forums and have been doing so for the past four years!!! There is no such thing as allaccountingclerks.com so I have to get my jollies where I can. This website has proven to me that failing out of NS was the best thing that ever happened to me!!!

God Bless all the nurses and nursing students...

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Specializes in Hospice.

I am finishing up my first LPN school term. We are losing just under 30% of our students to A&P. It's hard material and I am borderline one of those people.

The people who are failing any of the other classes are people that have had attendance issues. We were allowed 2 absences per class per term and the people that pushed that policy are having that reflected in their grades.

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hang in there......A&P was the worst for me, mainly because i tried to understand everything in the book.....it is, in fact, nursing school, not medical school...so best off memorizing what you HAVE to know for A&P (such as cranial nerves), and let med-surg put it all together for you...believe me, it DOES make sense in the end - the actual diseases/malfunctions help to explain the systems; that and when you get into specialties, where you are focusing on OB, PEDS, PSYCH, and GERI, will help you to realize just how much A&P you really did absorb......i look at the threads on here for NCLEX study and am amazed at how all of those facts i thought i'd never get come flooding back....you really are learning even if it seems you aren't......don't give up.....you are NOT one of the 30% - you are one of the upcoming graduates!! Best of Luck to You, and all student nurses

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Isn't A&P one of the pre-reqs before you get into the LPN program? I always thought that it would be more or less some sort of "review" during the curriculum, but now it sounds as if it was going to be cranked up yet another notch in the program? Oh Lord have mercy.....

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