Weeding out of nursing students

[Tweety]

Do nursing instructors deliberately try to weed out students, by doing things like testing on material they haven't gone over yet, deliberately making it hard, picking on students?

My opinion was the "weeding out of students" was a myth.

The weeding out process seems to occur naturally, and the reason so many people don't make it through the program that started out, is that it's a tough, demanding, time consuming program, and whose eyes are on graduating top notch nurses who can pass NCLEX.

I do know teacher eyeball students they don't think are good clinicians and many of these cry "the teacher doesn't like me, and is out to get me". Or eyeball students that need a kick in the butt, or need a confidence boost and they feel picked on as well.

I don't think insturctors play games and try to weed students out.

I know there are bad insturctors and bad schools.

[RN_Jen]

The way I look at it is (HA!) I take you up on that challenge, but remeber not everyone is the same. Others become fearful and slowly start to leave, while others stick to their guns and even they know they are failing stay and wish for the better. (This to me is weeding out process).

After reading this post, I have to wonder (out loud)....perhaps the weeding out process is the nursing version of natural selection. They aren't looking to remove those who aren't "smart enough" (the fact that you're there proves you are), but rather, those who are not dedicated enough. Someone who is struggling or failing but still hangs in there and works hard shows strength of character, a very important trait IMO. If you bail at the first obstacle then you may not be up to the challenges that nursing presents. Maybe they're looking for the people that have the courage and strength to rise to the occasion.

(This theory excludes those nasty bas***** who just like to throw their power around and harrass people to make themselves feel important)

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

At my school they say that the first weeding is chemistry. The second is pharmocology. If you can make it through both, you'll probably make it.

[dubbies31]

Not here.

Yet :)

Our instructors like to help the students succeed. The course lign up like putting two ANPs in the same semester might suggest this..... but the proffs are aware of the difficult load and help out big time.

They are aware we (society) are in need of nurses. What's the point of setting them us to fail?

Z

I will be a junior in the fall, and i certainly do think that the professors try to weed out the students who simply are just not puting in the time, and energy that needs to be put in to the program to suceed. There were 80 of us in the fall semester in sophmore year now theres 40. The NCLEX i'm sure is not an easy test, therefore the faculty are not going to make there tests easy. Theres no point of going through the whole program and not being able to pass the boards. Yes, we are in need of nurses, but were in need of good nurses who have put alot of time into their studies.

[dubbies31]

At my school they say that the first weeding is chemistry. The second is pharmocology. If you can make it through both, you'll probably make it.

I've taken both, so does that mean i'll make it?

[rtin05]

In our program you must maintain an 80% in order to continue. This next semester we will have to buy a skills and assessment program that we will also have to pass all of the tests on in order to continue in the program. Also we are not allowed to take home our tests and if you should happen to "accidentally" do so then you are automatically given a zero for that paper no matter what. It is seen as academic dishonesty. They want you to succeed but you have to be willing to succeed. I see this as a way of weeding out people. Alot of people didn't make it through the summer semester this year. They tell us up front that for the next couple of years it is nothing but school and they try to warn us how much is involved. I have seen alot of kids in the class that are slackers and try to get by not studying and so forth. I see it as a way of weeding these people out.

[crb613, BSN, RN]

At my school the instructors seem to bend over backwards to help you as long as you put forth the effort to help yourself. The weeding out process seems to be done by the students... excuses as to why they can't study or simply think the can slide through. I have noticed the ones that have failed so far seem to think it's someone else's fault....the instructor doesn't like them, they were graded harder on their careplan/clinicals (I see them doing their careplans like an hour before they are due!!). They missed x amount of days of class....the computer blew up... ect. I guess at some schools they do weed out but I personally have not experienced this. We are pushed to the max & expectations are high & some people simply cannot handle the stress. I must say so far I have loved every minute of school (except Micro!) I will be starting my 3rd semester in Aug. so my thought may change as I have heard it is by far the hardest.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately it's true. I used to think it was a good program, but not anymore. If they keep doing things like this, I probably will risk going to the BON.

Sad situation to be in. Can you report them anonymously? To the BON, or to the other accreditation agencies they have?

Good luck getting through.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

it is not a myth.

Deb, I would appreciate more input than just a blanket statement. What is your experience with instructors deliberately weeding out students?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

At my school they say that the first weeding is chemistry. The second is pharmocology. If you can make it through both, you'll probably make it.

Do they deliberately make those courses hard to weed out students?

Or is the nature of the material and all that one has to learn so difficult that many people don't make it?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I've taken both, so does that mean i'll make it?

I've always said that anyone that can make through A&P can make it through nursing school....but for those clinicals, you're on you're own there.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

We are pushed to the max & expectations are high & some people simply cannot handle the stress. I must say so far I have loved every minute of school (except Micro!) I will be starting my 3rd semester in Aug. so my thought may change as I have heard it is by far the hardest.

That's what I think too. That the program is so difficult and expectations so high, (well duh, we have to learn to take people's lives in our hand) there are going to be students that can't make it.

My first clinical was a disaster, my instructor stuck to me like glue, and I was nervous beyond all get out and she gave me a "marginal" which is one step above unsatisfactory. I could have whined, "she's picking on me, she made me nervous, she's prejudiced against males, she's trying to weed me out...". But I rose to the challenge and chose to learn from her and her bad review of me.

Truth was I was marginal because I was the only one in the group who wasn't a CNA or an LPN, thus she stayed near me to help me as I was the only there who had never touched a patient, my nervousness was my problem, not hers, she was only doing her job in helping to mold a good nurse. From then on I got satisfactory clinical reviews and graduated with honors.

[donsterRN, ASN, BSN]

Nursing school is supposed to be hard. If it wasn't, everyone would be doing it.

I believe that it's the school's obligation to educate students who can function independently, legally and safely as Professional Nurses. To graduate nurses who can't is a mistake.

I can't speak intelligently about the "weeding out" of students; I am, however, midway through Chemistry (which was referred to as one of the "weeding out" courses), and I can tell you that the students who are not doing well are the ones who are putting forth no effort into their education. They are the ones who, instead of asking questions, will look out the window during lecture. Instead of participating in lecture, they'll complain about how the teacher isn't prepared for class. Instead of actually reading the textbook, they depend on the lecture to be the delivery of all of that information, and then complain when the instructor goes through it at a faster pace than they expected. They are the ones who, instead of just doing the homework, will complain about how much of it there is. I don't mean to be harsh; we all have lives that don't have a lot to do with school. But sometimes things require a little bit of effort. I am no Chemistry whiz, but I work at it. And I'm getting it, and thankfully, my grades are showing it.

Now, having said all of that...I think what's happening in Lizz's school is horrifying. But I'm not looking at that as "weeding out"; the instuctors involved sound as though they are employing some power trip. Failing the entire class should have alerted that instructor that the information tested wasn't presented. And certainly there are ways to rectify that situation.

Sorry for the ramble.