We are economically disadvantage service area of Illinois and serves a largely low-income population. The introduction of the City Colleges of Chicago’s HESI Comprehensive Exit Exam lacked instructional validity and it did not provide close correspondence between the exam content and instructional content have prevented the minority students who already have completed the nursing program from receiving their diplomas and the opportunity to take the National Council of Licensing Examination.

We have walked on stage, with our caps, gowns, and our families were there to witness the special event. Indicating that we have successful completed the nursing program ensuring that we are safe, competent practitioners. Olive-Harvey College than tells us that we cannot obtain our nursing degree, or do we have the opportunity to take our licensing exam unless successful with the HESI Exit Exam. The purpose of the HESI Exit exam is the diagnostic, practice, probability to assess students’ preparedness for the licensing exam. (www.HESITEST.COM). Once the students’ complete their HESI Exam the students’ summary reports will than provide content scores that evaluates curricular strengths and weaknesses - it is not a pass/fail exam. Also, it teaches the students how to decrease their anxiety upon taking the licensing exam that is the objective of the HESI Exam but instead it is being used to stop us from ascertaining our nursing degree and taking the licensing exam.

After being unsuccessful for the second time we were mandated to take a 6 week remediation pass/fail class with our instructor which we paid for. We passed all of our instructors exams – we were given a passing grade. But.... when we took the HESI Exit exam 90% of us did not pass. It is quite obvious that the instructional validity did not provide a close correspondence between the HESI Exit Exam content and the instructional content. This exam undermines the quality of education and has lower achievements test scores of racial and ethnic minorities and students from low- income families, therefore test scores are not equally accurate, efficient and/or fair. The American Nurses Association (1985) developed a code for nurses that in part states, “nursing educators have a major responsibility for ensuring that individuals have demonstrated required competencies and indicate a commitment to professional practice before entry into the practice of professional nursing.” Therefore, if we successfully completed the program, successful in remediation exams than we are safe student practitioners. It is up to the State Board Licensing Exam to determine if we are safe RN practitioners. Not the school.

The administrators are not being accountable for their actions, if 90% of us who already with success completed the program, and with the remediation courses cannot pass an exit probability exam that is not even mandated by the Illinois Board of Nursing than it is also a reflection on the program and its faculty. As students we can study as best we can but without the proper guidance and support from our instructors we are doomed to fail. How is it we continue to be successful in the nursing program, pass its competency courses but not allowed to ascertain our degree or be given the opportunity we deserve/earned to take the State Board Licensing Exam?

Four years of sacrifice, $30,000 monies spent, alongside side with the mental and verbal, racial abuse is what we invested in the nursing program at Olive-Harvey College.
As of December 2005, approx. over 60% of students were basically thrown out without their nursing degrees. City Colleges of Chicago wide is still approx. over 60% are left with no degree.

We are asking that we be allowed to take the NCLEX-RN examination. We were successful in the completing the nursing program. We support the diagnostic practice assessment tool, but not as to hold us back from taking the State Board Licensing Examination.