What do you think ?

[Nursing4U2]

Hello all,

I am currently in my second semester of nursing school and I would like an unbiased opinion. Prior to entering the program all students signed a contract agreeing to achieve a 76.45% or better in each nursing class in order to move on to the next semester. I believe that this initial policy was more than fair. However, during the summer the administration at my university decided to change the policy (we were not informed of this change until mid-September). We are now required to have an overall average of 76.45% or better in each class, and an overall exam/quiz average of 76.45% or better (excluding homework, assignments, and ATI)- meaning if we get an 85% in the class with everything combined (homework, quizzes, exams, assignments, etc.) but do not achieve an exam/quiz average of 76.45% or better, we fail the course. Do you feel that this was handled appropriately? Should students have been informed as soon as the policy was changed, or was it fair for them to tell us this information months after making the decision? Would you attend a school with this policy?

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

Our school's handbook states that the policy can and may be changed throughout the program. I do think it is unfair that they didn't tell you of this change when it was implemented. I don't think that it's an unreasonable policy to have an exam average of 76.45% or greater, though.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Perhaps there should have been more timely notification of the policy change, but ultimately it boils down to four words:

Their school. Their rules.

[DragonNerd]

My school has a policy of you have to have an average exam grade of a 78% or better, and then you also have to still have a 78% or better after the assignments are added in. We also have to pass math proficiency exams and if we fail those, then we fail the class they are in as well. So we have 2-3 ways to fail a course.

[shedevilprincss]

Same, if we failed dosage calc (2 attempts), lab skills eval (2-3 attempts), clinical fail, or less than 75% we failed the class. Usually our homework wasn't graded and we relied primarily on exams and/or papers for grades.

[rob4546, BSN, MSN]

Fairness has no bearing on the issue at hand. To pass and get your authorization to take the NCLEX you have to follow their rules. Is it right? They should have informed the students of the change but like others have said most handbooks state that they can make changes at will.

To answer your question about speculation that we would not attend this school because of this policy I would say in short, yes. Minimum standards should apply and quite frankly the standards set are far easier than what many of us have endured. In the program I graduated from you had to have above a 78% in three areas; homework, unit exams, and midterm and final exams. Not only that but we had to pass three separate dosage calculation exams where we must score 100% with only two attempts.

Do everything you can to not be near the pass/fail line and get it done. Don't let stuff like this derail your education.

[llg, PhD, RN]

They should have informed the students earlier ... but there is nothing wrong with the rule. At the university where I teach, our students need to have an 80% average on all quizzes and tests to pass regardless of what they score on other components of the course.

High standards are good -- and students who argue against high standards almost always lose.

And if this minor change upsets you enough to make you want to leave school, then you are doomed to be unhappy in life -- and certainly unhappy in health care, where we face increasing expectations to be near perfect for every patient encounter. Patients (and employers) are rarely satisfied with a 76.45% performance on anything. If that standard is a problem for you and your classmates, you need to up your game, not complain about a rule interpretation change.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I agree with PPs. "Fairness" is subjective, and the interpretation can be heavily skewed depending upon one's unique circumstances. "Equitablity" is more applicable in this case - as long as everyone has to follow the same rule and meet the same standard, it's OK.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Life is unfair. You will learn this lesson over and over. But let me ask you this, so what if it's not "fair"? I mean, really. Do you expect they will change this policy because people deem it unfair? I want to know because I see this question posted from time to time. A school changes their grading policy and everyone is immediately up in arms. This is so unfair, how can they do this? I've seen some people who want to bring a lawsuit over it. That makes no sense at all. The time and money involved in that when, you will have graduated..... Those are the ones I really can't fathom.

But in all seriousness OP, it doesn't matter whether you deem it fair or right. The school made a decision and now you guys have to abide by it. Is your homework weighted the same as your tests? That's kind of odd if they are. Truly, if you are not consistently scoring above a 78% on your tests, chances of passing the NCLEX the first time are slim. It's why the grading system is so much different in nursing school. It's all about their students passing NCLEX on the first try. That's how schools get their accreditation and how they attract new students. You, are 1 student, in one moment in time. The school needs to still teach new students after you have graduated. So they have to up their standards. That is the big picture you need to look at.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

The students should have been informed of the change in policy as soon as it passed. Yes, it's unfair, but higher education has been a racket for a while. Students who fail courses have to pay to retake them. Too bad the school didn't decide on a different way to raise revenue.

[futurepsychrn, ADN]

Wow, every time I see posts such as these, I am so envious. To pass in my school you must have an overall GPA of 2.5. I realize that seems low to a lot of people that may seem low, but our grading scale is different. You must obtain an 80% to get a 2.0 or a low C. An 85-92% will get you a 3.0 or B and 93-100 will get you a 4.0 or an A. This grading scale may seem high, but at the same time I know they're making us achieve more.

My contract also says that they can change policy at any time, however the students must sign a paper saying we were informed of the policy change.

[81shelbay]

We only need 60% in every class to pass except our OSCE that has to be 90%.