Despite doing all I was supposed to, according to my contract, in order to uninterruptedly complete my nursing education at UNLV, my education has been suspended and when it will be possible to resume is still unknown. UNLV has cheated me by changing my contracted schedule without allowing adequate time to prepare for these substantial changes! Now, all of my plans and goals are at a standstill! This is all due to the school of nursing's need to double their graduates. Well, I think that might be quite difficult when they are not accepting qualified, prepared students that should rightfully be attending!
I am (or was) a nursing student at ULLV. Last summer I completed my final nursing prerequisite class. I was admitted into the nursing program last fall. Prior to the beginning of the fall semester I met with the director of the nursing program, Debbie Warner. At the meeting I was required to sign a contract which outlined what I was responsible for in order to remain in the program. It also outlined my class schedule for the following 5 semesters. At that time the nursing program did not offer summer classes, therefore my schedule indicated that I would attend only the fall and spring semesters until graduation in December. I have fulfilled all of my responsibilities as outlined in that contract, yet I can not attend my third semester of nursing school this fall because there is not enough room for me!
This all came about in February of this year when the nursing students were informed that the nursing program would be offering summer classes. They would condense the courses into 13 weeks making the summer another full semester.in the following few weeks, word was spreading that summer school attendance was mandatory and if we did not attend, there may not be room for us in the program in the fall. It wasn't until March that it was officially confirmed that summer attendance was mandatory and would consist of 45 hours per week of class and clinical alone. We were also informed that there would be no break between semesters, other than the weekend. This news was troubling to me since I had prior commitments for the summer.
In return for reducing my hours during the past fall and that spring semester, I had committed to my employer to work full time all summer. I was also planning to work and save money during the summer so that I would not have to work as much while attending school.in spite of these commitments, I looked into financial aid for the summer. I learned that I was unable receive any financial assistance for the summer. Therefore, I would need to come up with around $1,400 for tuition and $700, or so, for books within the next 6 weeks. I barely earn a quarter of that amount of money per month! Financing my tuition for the summer was virtually impossible.
At this point I had been attending approximately 40 hours of school per week for the past year, and working 20 hours per week as well. When these sudden changes came about my stress level reached its peak and I needed a break! I plan on attending graduate school, which is very competitive, to become a nurse anesthetist. Attending 45 hours of school per week all summer was not in my best interest because it could affect my chances of being accepted into graduate school. I felt I would not be able to perform at my normal capabilities while under so much academic and financial stress.
In April, I met with Debbie Warner and explained my situation to her. She regretfully informed me that there was nothing she could do. She explained that the reason for these changes were because of a mandate in legislature which required all of the nursing schools in Nevada to double their graduates per year. She recommended that I take at least one of the third semester classes this summer, in order to remain in the nursing program. She informed me that this would improve my chances of getting in the fall semester. I followed her advice and have been taking NURS 418 all summer.
Yet, when I spoke with Debbie Warner's secretary on Wednesday, July 21, she informed me that there would be no room for me in the fall and that I was at the bottom of the waiting list! I have a 3.68 GPA. I am eager and wanting to learn. I have fulfilled all of my responsibilities according to my contract, yet the nursing program has not fulfilled their part of the contract!
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