Average IQ of a BSN nurse

Nursing Students General Students

Published

In your professional opinion, what's the average IQ of a BSN nurse? Could, say, someone of average to slightly above average IQ become a nurse?:smokin:

I did a paper at the U of Illinois my freshman year, arguing that the random testing of someone to pigeon hole them into a category is a huge disservice (face it- the only reason people get tested as kids is to put them in "special" classes- whether remedial or excelled.

Example: the story of a 6 year old who had lit a kid on fire, and was an emotional disaster - couldn't function in any sort of classroom, and the juvenile justice system wasn't equipped for a 6 year old. Her IQ was over 160- at 6 years old (per the age adjusted IQ test)..... The book is "One Child" by Torey Hayden (she wrote several books about emotionally disturbed elementary school kids, and is an expert in elective mutism and special education). What good did 160 IQ do this kid? She'd been continuously molested at home by a skanky uncle, and neglected to the point of her clothing being stiff on her body from dirt and urine. Nobody saw to it that she was even bathed before school.

Another example... a former neighbor had a moderate hearing loss. Her school assumed she was also mentally deficient (how they came to that assumption, I don't know- neither did she; nobody asked her anything). So, she got hearing aides and a front row seat in special ed for her entire elementary school years. Then thrown into regular middle and high school.... I don't know her scores, but she held her own in any conversation I had with her. She was in no way delayed- hearing issues- yes.... 'stupid'- not at all...

JMHO..... IQ issues drive me nuts. I know mine, and it's mine to know. :D

LOL...just reread post- is "excelled" the proper term???? I've been up all night- should really be in bed- the dog evidently is bright enough to drag her sluggish butt off to bed. I, on the other hand, am reading posts just to have some human connection :) :lol2::D

Specializes in LTC.

You all should know your IQ's...Didn't you get it when you got your NCLEX pass results? Come on people:lol2:

I studied chemistry for 3 years and found it appropriately challenging. I did not find any of the nursing curriculum difficult at all in my BSN. More like jumping through really painfully depressingly boring hoops. That being said, a lot of the students did. Some could barely do the pathophysiology classes or even really write a proper essay, but were able to just barely scrape by and eventually even pass the board exam. My point is, I think a lot of really unintelligent people get through nursing school eventually. I don't think you have to be that bright to actually get into nursing and once you are on your own as a nurse, how competent of a nurse is largely up to you. If you are protected by a union, you can be a pretty ****** nurse and still survive.

For that reason I think the IQ averages in nursing vary A LOT and would probably vary in ways that might be quite unpredictable. I think the minimum IQ an RN would likely need to be competent would probably be 100+ but at the lowest end of this level I would be nervous about their knowledge of more specific information and ability to critically think. I think a nurse in the IQ range of 90-100 could survive without getting fired, but it would scare me honestly. I think a lot of nurses who are high in big 5 conscientiousness and have an IQ of 110ish - 130ish would probably be ideally suited for nursing. I think a lot of people with an IQ of 130+ might find nursing a bit boring, especially the areas of nursing that are more routine. That being said, if they managed to advance to higher level managerial or specialty positions (which carry a lot more responsibility), I think high IQ (130+) and high big 5 conscientiousness would be well adapted considering the workload and complexity of those positions can be quite high.

I would imagine that specialty areas (including ICU and emergency) are probably likely to be higher IQ on average simply because people with higher drive/desire to learn tend to self select into these areas.

All this aside, I think nursing is a profession where high IQ is very useful, but not as useful as being organized and hard working, which are attributes of the big 5 trait "conscientiousness".

Hope this answer was helpful! I really am just speculating, fyi, but I find the topic of intelligence interesting and I wish you luck in your endeavors!

If we are talking about the registered nurses who earned their degrees in the past decade and not the ones who earned degrees 25 years ago when the requirements were a lot lower then it would be a damn safe bet to assume they'd be at least above average.

Most students in BSN programs or who have graduated BSN programs in the last decade must've maintained very high grades in highschool to stay even remotely competitive.

It would also depend on where you obtained your nursing training as well. If it was at a lower-end university then the average BSN student/graduate in that school might have a lower IQ then a more high-end/competitive school that is harder to get into.

IQ is a great indicator on life success whether people want to accept that fact or not. Nurses have pretty decent lives (for the most part) and are quite successful. Most are also conscientious, which also correlates with high intellect.

I can't give you an exact study, but I would say most BSN students/graduates would hover between 120-130. Some sources say their IQ's are as low as 100-110, and that just seems low for the amount of work they put in to studying, remembering, and doing well academically.

And yes, there is an obvious correlation between academic success and IQ, and most nurses are typically academic overachievers.

So there's my educated guess. Around 125.

If we are talking about the registered nurses who earned their degrees in the past decade and not the ones who earned degrees 25 years ago when the requirements were a lot lower then it would be a damn safe bet to assume they'd be at least above average.

I earned my BSN in 1996; the requirements to get into the nursing program were a 3.0 GPA, but because of the number of aspiring nursing students at my university, it actually required a 3.8. Other programs in my area were similar. A local community college was so competitive, it required almost a 4.0.

I wouldn't assume that a nurse who earned their degree 25 years ago would be less intelligent than a newer grad.

Most are a level two on the Fujisaki Scale. Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference.;)

No bonus points for me :(. Where is Davy Do when we need him?

Well, there has been a lot of research that indicates that IQ testing is unreliable, doesn't measure what it purports to measure.

Also, I think that desire and motivation to succeed may often count more than raw intelligence. I'm sure that there are nurses out there who would be seen as average or slightly below but who succeed in nursing school and make good nurses.

I also think that getting the BSN may have more to do with access to money and opportunity than sheer intellectual ability. I know some extremely bright ADN's who just didn't have access to higher education, at least in starting out. And I know some nurses with 4-yr degrees whose intelligence seemed mediocre.

Finally, as someone else said, if you are considering going for BSN, a lot will depend on the individual school, its reputation, and the number of candidates you are competing with. It's not necessarily whether you are smart enough to get in, but whether you are smarter than the competition. And, having said that, academic excellence in and of itself does not guarantee you will be a star nurse after you graduate. There are just too many variables. If you really want to be a BSN nurse you may have to make compromises in what school you choose. There are plenty of excellent lawyers who didn't go to Harvard.

Desire to learn and determination to do whatever it takes mean more than your IQ.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Well, there has been a lot of research that indicates that IQ testing is unreliable, doesn't measure what it purports to measure.

Also, I think that desire and motivation to succeed may often count more than raw intelligence. I'm sure that there are nurses out there who would be seen as average or slightly below but who succeed in nursing school and make good nurses.

I also think that getting the BSN may have more to do with access to money and opportunity than sheer intellectual ability. I know some extremely bright ADN's who just didn't have access to higher education, at least in starting out. And I know some nurses with 4-yr degrees whose intelligence seemed mediocre.

Finally, as someone else said, if you are considering going for BSN, a lot will depend on the individual school, its reputation, and the number of candidates you are competing with. It's not necessarily whether you are smart enough to get in, but whether you are smarter than the competition. And, having said that, academic excellence in and of itself does not guarantee you will be a star nurse after you graduate. There are just too many variables. If you really want to be a BSN nurse you may have to make compromises in what school you choose. There are plenty of excellent lawyers who didn't go to Harvard.

Desire to learn and determination to do whatever it takes mean more than your IQ.

All of this is accurate in my opinion.

And just generally speaking, the essential "critical thinking" requires a level of Intelligence that is above average, therefore a successful nurse will always be highly intelligent.

Breaking it down by IQ numbers or degree attained is silly, to me anyway.

If we are talking about the registered nurses who earned their degrees in the past decade and not the ones who earned degrees 25 years ago when the requirements were a lot lower then it would be a damn safe bet to assume they'd be at least above average.

Cite your source for this nugget of information please.

With some of the nurses I have worked with, I would say an IQ of about 12 would be generous

I'm just curious as to why you're asking specifically about BSN nurses....

+ Add a Comment