Are A's a thing of the past?

Nursing Students General Students

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Before I got into nursing school I was an A student, not A-, but A. So far I have not gotten a single A. I got an A- in pathopharm and am going to have an A- in Peds/Ob with the rest of my classes being B,s and B+'s. I really wanted to get an A this semester because I want to go in OB so I though I should be able to pull it off at-least this time, but NO, I missed it by 3% ugh! Is any one else finding that getting A's seem to be a thing of the past once in nursing school?

I am trying not to focus so much on the "A" - (still have a 4.0 going into finals). It is a lot of pressure to put on yourself to maintain that perfect score. I do believe it is a goal to shoot for, but I will not be upset if I miss the grade by a point or two.

I do agree that overall standards should be raised. In our school, 80% is considered passing. I think that's fair. Besides, not everyone performs well on the test themselves, but can perform brilliantly in labs and clinicals.

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I am trying not to focus so much on the "A" - (still have a 4.0 going into finals). It is a lot of pressure to put on yourself to maintain that perfect score. I do believe it is a goal to shoot for, but I will not be upset if I miss the grade by a point or two.

I do agree that overall standards should be raised. In our school, 80% is considered passing. I think that's fair. Besides, not everyone performs well on the test themselves, but can perform brilliantly in labs and clinicals.

In our school, we have to now maintain a 76% on tests to take the final for that class. We are in an accelerated modular school so our classes are 6-7 hour days, 5 days a week and last 1 month in duration. If at any point someones test grade goes below that 76 they have the next test to bring it above that or they are out of the program. Our clinicals and skills are pass/fail and do not effect our overall grade for the classes, they are strictly test based and care plan based.

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I got a B+ second wuarter of nursing school and I was upset, but after that the pressure was off to maintain my 4.0 because there was no longer any chance of it. I think nursing students need to study, know their material and be able to perform well and most should get the best grades that they can in case they want to enter grad school at some point. I don't like the sentiment of C=RN or C=degree, but I also don't look down at those that have a rough time with tests, and struggle to get decent grades. There are plenty who just can't master the NCLEX style test questions and will always have a bit of trouble, but they do know their material and can apply it in clinical. My view is to each their own. If someone wants to kill themselves to get straight A's more power to them, if someone has a lot of other interests and isn't working as hard but gets good grades, more power to them, if someone can work diligently but only make C's, more power to them. The only people I have a problem with are those that can't apply anything that they have learned in clinical, don't study at all and them wonder why they are failing. These are the people that will hurt someone if they somehow manage to scrape by.

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I feel like I opened a big can of worms!!

O_O

and to clarify...

Actually at my school you have to have an 80% to pass nursing classes. (which is a low B)

The statement C=RN to me is not that it should be a goal...but that's it's ok not to put all that pressure on yourself to be perfect because you can still reach the same end goal if you don't get all A's.

And really, it's hard to get all A's. Especially for some people.

Cheers!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

YIPPIE! I forgot to include the extra credit I got for scoring in the 97th percentile on the ATI. I got the SOLID "A" I wanted!!! Only took me three semesters. Hope I can keep this up, its addicting!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I've been in a LPN program and now I'm with a class of RN students and I have to say there has not been one person that graduated with all As. I'm one of those 4.0 pre-req people that has gotten 2 As in nursing classes so far and have learned to be satisfied with a B average. Unless you've already graduated I don't seen any value in trying to speculate where your gpa will end up. Remember its always easy to referee from the cheap seats.

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In my pre-req classes, I made killer A's. Even had a couple of teachers tell me that I was the best student they'd had in several years. (And I'm not saying that I'm all that - that's just what they told me.)

Now that 1st semester of nursing school is over - I know I have an A in Health Assessment, and I'm pretty sure I have an A in Pharm. Fundamentals class is a different story: all of my test grades have been either low A's or B's. Our comprehensive final is tomorrow, and it carries almost twice the weight, grade wise, that each of our other tests did...and honestly I'm not so sure how I'm gonna do. I'm shooting for an A, but my goal is merely to pass. (passing = 75 at my school)

At my school - and this is just my own experience, so far - I have found that all of my pre-req biology teachers were actually more competent instructors than many of my nursing teachers are. Not that my nursing teachers aren't distinguished people who I immensely respect, but that's just been my experience so far. I think too, for me, having 300 people in a class vs. having 20 or 30 as it was in pre-reqs makes an enormous difference. I like being able to ask questions freely during lectures, and it's hard to do that with a packed auditorium.

Well, I guess we just have to hang in there, and give it our best.

I have been told that much of a nurse's learning begins after school, once you've actually started working - but of course, we aren't there just yet.

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C = RN

I think that this very statement is HORRID. I am sorry but I WON'T, REFUSE TO BE, and am appalled at nursing students who use this phrase. If your child or my child were in a serious situation would you want a nurse or a doctor working on them that had this for an attitude? NO WAY! I don't think that this particular phrase says anything to uplift the nursing profession. Nurses, at times and in certain circles, are not considered "intelligent." It is phrases like these, used by students that push that point of view. I am an A student, I will be an A nurse or I won't be one. I won't settle for myself or my patients to be someone who just does enough to get by. I think it is very very sad for the nursing community when phrases like these and others flow through students. There are students in my class who started out their pre reqs with this "fun little saying." Those are the very students who complain about tests being too hard, instructors being too hard, who are BARELY making the minimum grade required to pass each class. I think students need to take a deep look into what having this type of attitude brings. Trust me, if your child was in a NICU or PICU and you had to choose between a nurse who pushed him/herself and made the grades or one who just did enough to get by (C = RN), you would pick the one who pushed themselves.

VERY VERY sad, indeed.

The doctor that graduates at the bottom of his class is still a doctor. George Bush was a C student. Einstein... well he failed mostly. My point is that grades mean absolutely nothing.

I would trust the C student that passed NCLEX in 75 than the A student that took 150. Shrug

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Whoever says C=RN is a bad thing to say obviously isn't in a hard enough program. My teachers purposefully make the tests so the average is at most an 80. A 75 is passing and between a 75-84 is a C. It's very difficult to get A's in my program as on a test, you can only miss 3 items on a 50Q test to get an A.

Even the program director who has her PhD says C's are good. Mind you, I would like to get A's because I would like to eventually goto graduate school but the fact of the matter is only 1-3 people in my class of 45 (started out with 60 so 15 have already dropped) will end up with A's and more people will drop out after they get their final grades.

I'm not certain what my grades are for the semester and I hope none of them are C's, but nursing school is tough and on a different grading scale. Just knowing I'm making it through and can take something from the whole experience is good enough for me.

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I was debating on responding to the post about the saying C=Rn. I don't think it is that bad of a saying it takes stress off, pressure off and lowers anxiety levels. That being said yes I was an A student before in general courses but nursing school is a different animal. The grading scale is different at our school you have to have at least an 80 to pass and that is a c. I did great in my first year of the nursing course but this semester, the third semester, was rough on me. I am doing my best and believe I will pass my exams (2 left to go). But I probably will recieve a C or maybe 2 this semester I hope not but if I do I will get over it and move on and hopefully do better next semester. Sometimes saying C=RN helps relieve the pressure and helps you focus on what you need to do to pass. Sorry I am rambling but I am tired and got to get back to studying.

Frez

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Here is the way I see it... just do the very best you are able to do and if that happens to be a "B", then so be it! We can only do so much with all that is on our plates in nursing school and then you have to consider that many of the test questions are subjective which tends to lower test grades. If you are working your hardest and earn a B or A- then celebrate your accomplishments and don't beat yourself up over it. :twocents::icon_hug:

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I was debating on responding to the post about the saying C=Rn. I don't think it is that bad of a saying it takes stress off, pressure off and lowers anxiety levels. That being said yes I was an A student before in general courses but nursing school is a different animal. The grading scale is different at our school you have to have at least an 80 to pass and that is a c. I did great in my first year of the nursing course but this semester, the third semester, was rough on me. I am doing my best and believe I will pass my exams (2 left to go). But I probably will recieve a C or maybe 2 this semester I hope not but if I do I will get over it and move on and hopefully do better next semester. Sometimes saying C=RN helps relieve the pressure and helps you focus on what you need to do to pass. Sorry I am rambling but I am tired and got to get back to studying.

Frez

MWAHHHHH.......Frez, hun, you will do just fine. Yes, school is extremely stressful. I do agree that each has a different grading scale, different grading system, and so and and so on. My main thing was just that I have experience with students at my school who I have been with for over a year who's attitude is horrid. They continually say that phrase, while boasting about not studying, partying all weekend (knowing full well all our tests are on Mondays), some coming in hung over. So it is the attitude of those that make me question their sincerity of really "wanting" to be good nurses. Do I think all nurses who are good makes A's in school, nope. Do I think good nurses make C's in school, yep. I just think it is all in the attitude of the person. That was all I was trying to say about that particular saying, at least for those I am around 5 days a week at school for the last year.

Good luck with your tests sweety.... You will be a fan-freakin-tabulous nurse, Frez......

ali

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