<p>My wife recently got accepted in a competitive Nursing program after a years worth of acceptance classes. Now that she is in the program she is required to get a C or above on all classes or she is kicked out of the program. She is doing fine in all classes except for a Pharmacology class. The first test was decent 74%, second was a 68% (this was after a curve that took the best score in the class 68% to an 80%), and third was taken today. The teacher gave the second test to a working pharmacologist who took the test and said it was too difficult. The teacher isn't using a book because she is currently writing a pharmacology text book and is just printing off the chapters to give to the students. </p>
<p>So I am paying for a class where the "professor", using the term lightly, is using the class for guinea pigs and not using a bell curve (people already working in hospitals can't get a passing grade). My wife studies non-stop between her other classes, clinicals, and college required community service. </p>
<p>How do I handle this if she doesn't pass and I have lost thousands of dollars in tuition expenses because of one incompetent professor? </p>
<p><strong>By the way, I finished a Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from a top 50 college and from my experience did not have to study nearly as much as she is having to study for this one class.</strong></p>
<p>Talk to higher authorities and the professor herself. It’s actually quite a simple and common thing; I wouldn’t expect an undergrad to ask this sort of question.</p>
<p>Is this an Instructor at the college, or an actual prof, ass’t prof, or assoc prof? Instructors don’t have a lot of power, so don’t be afraid to pursue this.</p>
<p>Your wife should first talk to the prof and if needed, after that the department chair. But I am left with questions from your post:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I don’t see the issue with giving drafts of a book. How are they genuine pigs? It may just not be out yet. Some of my best and most dedicated profs made their own notes into meaningful texts for us (moreover it may have saved you the $200 price tag on the text).</p></li>
<li><p>The current class average seems pretty normal to me, with a 74 then an 80. What should it be to make her a better prof? </p></li>
<li><p>How do you know the prof isn’t going to curve the final grade in the class? Assuming everyone has to maintain a C in every class like your wife, surely the prof is not going to be giving everyone Cs (so nor should your wife either, unless she’s not as competitive as most of her classmates). I don’t think a prof has to guarantee a course easy enough for everyone to get a C in it. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Maybe she can form a study group with other students in the class. Has she taken advantage of the professor’s office hours to ask questions or to clarify some of the information from class that she doesn’t understand?</p>
<p>Is your wife by any chance taking this class at a community college? CC nursing programs are notoriously difficult. My daughter is currently in such a program and only about 2/3 to 3/4 of the original class will graduate in 2 years (I am not including prereq classes in the 2 year time frame). Most require longer. And yes, the nursing classes are much harder than ‘regular’ college classes. </p>
<p>At my daughter’s college, the pharma class is required and no credit is given for it. You can test out of it, but to do so, you must pass the test with a score of 100%. </p>
<p>Your wife is the student and she has to be the one who handles the situation. What she can do is 1) Meet with the professor. She should express worry about her current grades and politely ask for advice. She can also ask about grade distributions from previous semesters (do any students earn an A? How many, typically? If the prof says “I’ve never had a A student” then we have grist to take to the Dean. If there are A students, then what did those students do (In the professor’s opinion). </p>
<p>2) She can begin a sign up sheet to pass around to all her classmates. Ask for email/phone contacts. This could be invaluable if group action/complaint needs to happen. She can email ALL her contacts and ask them to (politely) state their concerns to their professor. </p>
<p>3) She can (after politely meeting with the professor) go to the Dean of Nursing and explain the challenge and make it clear that it is impacting her family life (it is). </p>
<p>Depending on your wife’s nature, she may or may not do any of these. Your function may be to be her sounding board. You sound like a “take action” kind of guy – but you can’t fight this battle for her. She may work harder than she’s ever worked before. She may become an activist. She may remain passive and go down the tubes. The last may be hardest for you to accept. </p>
<p>There have to be other students in the same boat. Encourage her to talk to those students (including the ones from last year). Your contribution may be to make dinner and handle the family while she goes to yet another study/yakfest where contacts and stories are exchanged. </p>
<p>If you have your wife’s approval (and ONLY if), you can (VERY politely) meet with the Dean or school ombudsman. You don’t get to throw things, yell or pound tables. You can document your confusion (Why have such a strict policy on the C grades if the professors teaching don’t have clear grading/testing criteria?). You get to be senior statesman here – diplomatically bringing the administration’s eye to a problem and trusting that they will handle it (although not as publicly or as quickly as you would like). </p>
<p>Keep in mind, please, that a spouse is like a parent in that you are supposed to unequivocably on her side. That means if she left out some part of the story (like there was a review session but she chose not to go because she’d miss that baby shower for her sister) then you can look like an AXX if you go pound tables and yell. </p>
<p>Maybe a good time to be supportive, encourage actions that seem helpful and . . . go walk the dog. . . . good luck.</p>
<p>All schools have a policy that they will NOT talk to others about their class except the student. You won’t go far trying to do anything on your own. I didn’t think you would, but had to say it anyway.</p>
<p>My advice: tell your wife to be absolutely straight with this professor. That she MUST get a certain grade to stay in the program. Most times, they are unaware there are strict grade requirements. Then, because she asks for extra help, the professor will understand she isn’t just trying to get an better grade.</p>
<p>Nursing school is VERY difficult. Many schools have rules about passing grades of C or better or you’re out of the program. I remember my mother crying throughout school because it was so difficult. Now, as an instructor, I would remind you that, as a nurse, you hold people’s lives in your hands. We only want the cream of the crop. So many people are going into nursing school who are not qualified. THAT’S why the graduating class may be only 1/2 of the starting class. Would you want someone giving you medication who couldn’t get a c or better in their pharmacology class? I wouldn’t. That said, I agree with previous posters. Your wife needs to speak with the instructor. See what kind of response she gets. Then she can decide if she wants to go to the department chair.</p>
<p>Does the school expect a certain percentage to fail? Does administration consider this a “weed-out” course for that purpose? Perhaps looking at past indicators (passing rates) would give you a better idea. </p>
<p>Some programs have an expectation of a particular failure rate.</p>
<p>Just because the professor isn’t using a published book doesn’t mean your wife can’t. She can ask the professor for suggestions for a “supplemental” book, or look to see what books this professor used in the past, or ask other professors for suggestions, or check other schools’ websites to see what books are popular for this class, and buy or borrow a textbook. </p>
<p>You should definitely NOT be the one trying to talk to the professor. And I hope you don’t share your concern about “losing” tuition with your wife, as that is likely to simply add to her stress right now. Also, you don’t know whether the professor is incompetent. The professor might be tough, sure, but that doesn’t mean she’s incompetent.</p>
<p>The situation sounds frustrating, but not disastrous. If your wife feels that she’s done everything appropriately on her end - reading the assignments in advance of class discussions, attending and participating in class, taking good notes on readings and class lectures, going back and rereading after class - then her next step should be going to the professor and having her check her notes. Is she focusing on the right things? Has she formed a study group with other class members? Met frequently with the professor - NOT to complain but to make sure she understands the material?</p>
<p>Your tuition dollars are going for the process of education; you haven’t purchased a guarantee of a certain grade.</p>
<p>I got a Bachelor’s in Nursing several years after my first B.S. It was ten times more difficult than my other major.</p>
<p>We could not receive a passing grade in Pharmacology if we did not make 100% on every math section. The reason for this is that it is NEVER acceptable to make a mistake when you are preparing a medication for a patient. In real life, you must be 100% accurate.</p>
<p>Pharmacology is a very difficult class. There are so many drugs, so many potential adverse effects/drug interactions/contraindications, etc. But pharmacology is part of a nurse’s job every single day. It is a critical component of nursing and therefore is probably one of the most important classes to master. The stakes are high.</p>