I am currently in the ABSN program in my 3rd semester. Without listing some of the reasons I will simply say, first of all that the post last night was made after one frustrating incident after another finally put me at a near breaking point.
Okay, I will just say that the ABSN program is VERY young (new) and as such there is still an enormous amount of growth and change that needs to occur before it will become what it needs to be.
There is an overwhelming desire of the school to grow its numbers and unfortunately this leads to lower quality instruction. I am currently in a couple Senior level classes and in one course the instructor simply pulled out the upcoming test and said "okay you need to know this, this, and this . . . . for the test". In order to be highly prepared nurses we are left entirely on our own to learn the material.
I feel that I work VERY hard in the program in put in tons of hours. This really isn't necessary at MCON, a monkey could PASS, but in order to feel confident in my skills and my knowledge I have put in a large amount of time to learn the material rather than simply memorizing answers for tests like we are being taught.
MCON will prepare you to become an RN, simply given the fact that you will have a BSN degree upon completion, but I feel that in many ways we are being short changed on our education.
The good news is that administration and most faculty are willing to talk about ways to improve, and myself and other classmates have had exhausting discussions with faculty. For example, we were having our nursing exams on-line, at home, open book. . . some without time limits! A scary thought given the caliber of students that were passing the exams and the obvious lack of knowledge that they actually had. After a meeting the school has done away almost entirely with online, at home tests.
The 1st time NCELX pass rate is rather low, a number they don't share too often and in my mind it is easily traced back to the instruction method and previous testing methods. Changes are in place, but I feel that they are slow to happen.
Sorry if this is rambling on too much. Any student at any nursing school will complain. I am not a bad student as I mentioned I am holding a 4.0, it is disheartening however, because I am not sure that means too much coming from MCON.
I must tell you that I am a student at MCON and although it may be easy for some its not that easy for others. I bust my butt and struggle to keep my high GPA. I wish it was as easy for me to maintain a 4.0 but I have a good GPA and I can't get there and maintain it. I do not think that it is an easy breezy program at all and I see the frazzled students who juggle insane schedules on a daily basis. Also I think that you should recheck your statistics on their NCLEX pass rate because you are mistaken. I also want to add that they are in good standing maybe you should look into that on a state level and work your way up. I am not in the ABSN program and I don't have open book quizzes etc. Maybe the ABSN wasn't the right program for you. I do feel that with already having a BSN maybe the school has higher expectations of students investing their time and trusting that they are doing the work they need to on their own. I take great pride in going to MCON and I am sorry that you don't have the same amount of pride in our school. I do think that it is sad that you have felt it necessary to bash the school who will allow you to become an RN. In case you didn't know you can get in trouble for bashing the school and students have been talked to about such measures. I would think very carefully before going around bashing the college especially while you are still in their program. I am very upset by this post and hope that it falls on the right eyes because despite the flaws of every program they all have their good qualities if one is willing to look for them. I feel that Methodist works very hard to continue to improve as a college and they should be applauded for their great strides that they have taken to get the recognition they have.
I am curious, why do you feel MCON's NCLEX pass rate is low? In the 'About Us' website section for MCON the NCLEX pass rate is 90% in Spring 2008, and 91% in May 2010. These figures are both higher than the state of Illinois pass rates for those years.
I am admitted for this spring semester at MCON, so any clarification you can provide would be nice...
This is the rate that is published. However, I am not entirely clear where they are getting these rates. For example, four year students in the spring of this year only had a pass rate of about 30% for one cohort on first time attempt. I am not sure if they are reporting overall pass rates regardless of attempts or what. This information was shared with me by a student of that cohort. There was also some concern among faculty early this year with "low pass rates".
However, with all of this said, as with anything in life it is what you make it! I am not the least bit concerned with my ability to pass the NCLEX. I put in a lot of time on my own and have decent ATI scores and am doing well in my classes. I will be fine and so will anyone that puts in the needed time.
However, when all is said and done I wish that I had gone to a cheaper, more established school. This would have eliminated a great deal of stress. Many of the teachers here are new and of a lower caliber. Some students are low caliber due to low admission standards. Course are poorly designed. All of these factors affect the learning environment in a negative way.
But again life is what you make it. Will I pass the NCLEX, yes! Would I prefer a higher quality learning environment, yes!
do you mind if i ask why??i might going there for the ABSN in Jan!!
ReplyDeleteDo you mind if i ask why not??I might be going there in Jan for the ABSN program!!
ReplyDeleteI am currently in the ABSN program in my 3rd semester. Without listing some of the reasons I will simply say, first of all that the post last night was made after one frustrating incident after another finally put me at a near breaking point.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I will just say that the ABSN program is VERY young (new) and as such there is still an enormous amount of growth and change that needs to occur before it will become what it needs to be.
There is an overwhelming desire of the school to grow its numbers and unfortunately this leads to lower quality instruction. I am currently in a couple Senior level classes and in one course the instructor simply pulled out the upcoming test and said "okay you need to know this, this, and this . . . . for the test". In order to be highly prepared nurses we are left entirely on our own to learn the material.
I feel that I work VERY hard in the program in put in tons of hours. This really isn't necessary at MCON, a monkey could PASS, but in order to feel confident in my skills and my knowledge I have put in a large amount of time to learn the material rather than simply memorizing answers for tests like we are being taught.
MCON will prepare you to become an RN, simply given the fact that you will have a BSN degree upon completion, but I feel that in many ways we are being short changed on our education.
The good news is that administration and most faculty are willing to talk about ways to improve, and myself and other classmates have had exhausting discussions with faculty. For example, we were having our nursing exams on-line, at home, open book. . . some without time limits! A scary thought given the caliber of students that were passing the exams and the obvious lack of knowledge that they actually had. After a meeting the school has done away almost entirely with online, at home tests.
The 1st time NCELX pass rate is rather low, a number they don't share too often and in my mind it is easily traced back to the instruction method and previous testing methods. Changes are in place, but I feel that they are slow to happen.
Sorry if this is rambling on too much. Any student at any nursing school will complain. I am not a bad student as I mentioned I am holding a 4.0, it is disheartening however, because I am not sure that means too much coming from MCON.
If you have specific questions feel free to ask.
I must tell you that I am a student at MCON and although it may be easy for some its not that easy for others. I bust my butt and struggle to keep my high GPA. I wish it was as easy for me to maintain a 4.0 but I have a good GPA and I can't get there and maintain it. I do not think that it is an easy breezy program at all and I see the frazzled students who juggle insane schedules on a daily basis. Also I think that you should recheck your statistics on their NCLEX pass rate because you are mistaken. I also want to add that they are in good standing maybe you should look into that on a state level and work your way up. I am not in the ABSN program and I don't have open book quizzes etc. Maybe the ABSN wasn't the right program for you. I do feel that with already having a BSN maybe the school has higher expectations of students investing their time and trusting that they are doing the work they need to on their own. I take great pride in going to MCON and I am sorry that you don't have the same amount of pride in our school. I do think that it is sad that you have felt it necessary to bash the school who will allow you to become an RN. In case you didn't know you can get in trouble for bashing the school and students have been talked to about such measures. I would think very carefully before going around bashing the college especially while you are still in their program. I am very upset by this post and hope that it falls on the right eyes because despite the flaws of every program they all have their good qualities if one is willing to look for them. I feel that Methodist works very hard to continue to improve as a college and they should be applauded for their great strides that they have taken to get the recognition they have.
DeleteI am curious, why do you feel MCON's NCLEX pass rate is low? In the 'About Us' website section for MCON the NCLEX pass rate is 90% in Spring 2008, and 91% in May 2010. These figures are both higher than the state of Illinois pass rates for those years.
ReplyDeleteI am admitted for this spring semester at MCON, so any clarification you can provide would be nice...
This is the rate that is published. However, I am not entirely clear where they are getting these rates. For example, four year students in the spring of this year only had a pass rate of about 30% for one cohort on first time attempt. I am not sure if they are reporting overall pass rates regardless of attempts or what. This information was shared with me by a student of that cohort. There was also some concern among faculty early this year with "low pass rates".
ReplyDeleteHowever, with all of this said, as with anything in life it is what you make it! I am not the least bit concerned with my ability to pass the NCLEX. I put in a lot of time on my own and have decent ATI scores and am doing well in my classes. I will be fine and so will anyone that puts in the needed time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when all is said and done I wish that I had gone to a cheaper, more established school. This would have eliminated a great deal of stress. Many of the teachers here are new and of a lower caliber. Some students are low caliber due to low admission standards. Course are poorly designed. All of these factors affect the learning environment in a negative way.
But again life is what you make it. Will I pass the NCLEX, yes! Would I prefer a higher quality learning environment, yes!