Ok, Ok, I've got another question, this time about grades and jobs

[dianacs]

Do grades matter when it comes to landing that first job out of nursing school? It's never come up for me (working in other fields). In fact, only one company wanted to see my transcript in order to verify that I graduated from college. (I guess the other places took my word for it.) Is having a nursing license all that is required? The only instance I can think of where grades would matter is if you were applying to grad school.

[LasVegasRN]

Depends on the facility and who is doing the hiring. If I were responsible for hiring new grads, I would want to see their transcripts. How would this impact my hiring decision? It would give me an idea of how the graduate functioned scholastically. I would also keep in mind that some people may not do as well on paper but excel in person. It's just a piece that would fit into the entire picture.

In my case, I had been working on the same unit as a "professional clinical assistant" (that's what they called the student nurses working as nursing assistant's back then) so when I graduated I had a job waiting and didn't have to go through the hiring process.

[live4today, RN]

Don't know about other places, but the only place that asked for a copy of my college transcript was on a federal job I had. I was proud to show off my transcript, so it didn't bother me. Now...had they asked for my high school transcript...Ahem...:chair: :rotfl:

[dynamicfigure]

From my experience the state of nursing is so bad right now that grades are not even a priority for most of the hiring managers out there. They are mostly concerned with just finding someone who has passed boards!

The fact many employers don't focus on them does not mean that they cannot affect your future though. In fact the contrary is true. If you wish to pursue any advanced studies the school you are applying to will inevitably screen folks on grades. Also, many of the more posh places and positions to work in will want to see that you are a reliable, savvy, performer and may view grades in school as a reflection of that.

Now for the graveyard shift with the worst employer in your region, they could care less because they are so short staffed. In fact your interview with them may go something like... so, you have your RN... well, can you start right away, or do you need a day or two... If you want that really high paying, day job in a specialty that is fun though, or to continue your education beyond just a basic license then the grades may start to make more of a difference.

[oramar]

I have had two managers tell me they checked grades. That was back in the days when jobs were a little harder to get.

[pfleige]

References are more important that grades! I think.

[SmilingBluEyes]

They did not care my grades....but DID care my references and REPUTATION in school for my first job. The subsequent jobs....not an issue at all. Just references and reliability/good attendance were the biggies.