Is anyone getting into nursing programs with a realistic GPA?

LetUrLightShineRN · Aug 23, 2011

I have spent a lot of time thinking about the process of becoming a nurse ie.) pre-reqs, entrance exams, specific requirements such as becoming a licensed certified nursing assistant, etc. An argument can be made to support the claim that grades are not an accurate predictor of the kind of nurse the student will become. For example a parent who must work and care for their family while attending school is going to have less available time to study which will likely impact their grades, but this person is very diligent, caring, smart, and is a team player. And then on the other hand a different student might have the lucky fortune of not having to work during school and focuses their time to their studies and maintains a 4.0 gap but this student wants to be a nurse for the money and does not really enjoy working with people. That being said, I want the best and brightest to be caring for me, for my family. I don't want a surgeon who made a b average in school I want the smartest and most skilled surgeon. Same goes for nurses, we save lives. I want to really know and understand the material I am learning in school because soon it will be a matter of life or death for another human being. It is very realistic to expect an a average in the prereq classes to determine how hard a student is prepared to work to become the best nurse they can be.

The "sciences matter" very much they are the foundation of medicine and if you want to be a nurse you need to be solid not just cutting it. We have to make sacrifices, I have friends who are really torn because they miss their children, I have turned down countless social invitations, missed birthdays, holidays, football games because I needed to study. We had to create a budget to deal with our decreased income when I quit my job to go back to school. It's about working hard and sacrificing. I've never seen anyone who REALLY wants to be a nurse fail.

mamayogibear · Aug 31, 2011

As a single mom to two kids who worked while completing pre-reqs and maintained a 4.0 gpa, I do not like your argument that grades are not an accurate predictor. True someone may earn all A's but not be compassionate and comprehend caring theory but I doubt someone would continue far if they do not truly care about being a nurse. There are also some students who despite a desire and want to become a nurse are not quite smart enough to make the cut, this may be a sad fact for those students but will likely be better for society as a whole. After all if someone crumbles under the stress and pressure of a simple test, how will that person hold up under the real pressure of saving someones life.

nubsthedog · Aug 31, 2011

I too am a single mom and have maintained a 3.9 gpa. No offense but the last two posts are very smug sounding. If we all went to the same school, and had the same teachers, your argument would be solid BUT not all teachers or schools, grade the same. I spent a good year and a half at Shoreline and the science classes were extremly difficult. The dean once told me it was not uncommon for students to fail the first attempt and have to retake the class. Very few students got 4.0s at Shoreline VERY FEW! I switched schools and about half of my anatomy class got a 4.0. My teacher was a very easy grader and offered mostly multipal choice answers on the exam. Yes I studied a lot but the two schools were like night and day!!

Ten years ago the average gpa was much lower than it is today. My point is that if you really want to be a nurse and have a lower than 4.0 gpa there are pleanty of schools that will accept you. You should follow your dream and know that perfect grades do not always paint the whole picture :)

Era324 · Sep 1, 2011

nubsthedog, what school did you go to that had the easy grading teacher for anatomy?

nubsthedog · Sep 1, 2011

Hi Era324,

When I say easy I meant compared to my Shoreline teacher ----. I spent a good 30 hrs a week studying and was getting around a 2.5. Her exams were insane! I went to Seattle Central and took ------. He is an incredible teacher!! He is a fair grader and his exams were based off the lecture notes. Anatomy is a difficult class period, but I feel that with ------ you have a fighting chance. He is also really nice and is willing to help you after class. He truly wants his students to succeed and you can tell he loves teaching. You should go to rate my professor (if you haven't already) it's a great website and gives feed back from students :)

LetUrLightShineRN · Sep 3, 2011

Mama bear I think I did not make my point clearly, I believe that grades should not be the only determining factor in the selection process for nursing school. I have met many "hardcore academic" know it alls who are not getting into the profession because they are team players, or sincerely compassionate. Nursing isn't defined by how you perform on an exam, it's thinking on your feet during stressful situations, it's steeling yourself in the face of watching a family member determine that it's time to withdraw care and say goodbye, it's working 12 hour shifts and then having to spend another 2 tedious hours charting, it's dealing with hospital bureaucracy, it's adapting to constant change, new techniques, best practices, software, policies, management, it's being an advocate for your patient even if that means challenging a doctor or a peer. They don't teach us very much about this in nursing school some of it is innate within us, some of it is learned only through experience.

The schools that only look at GPA are doing a disservice to the profession. That being said I feel that we all should be held to the highest standard and expect excellence from ourselves and each other through nursing school and throughout our careers.

I am not smug, but I am proud to be in nursing school knowing that I worked very hard to earn the right to be here. As someone who returned to school at 32 with a history of struggling in remedial math and crappy study habits in college at 18, I was honestly fearful that I wouldn't be able to do it. I had to check my ego at the door and just give it 100% and hope it was good enough. I feel that most people don't make the sacrifices in time to dedicate to studying and this is why they don't get As. I don't think I'm smarter than everyone else I was just lucky enough to have the support of my family, and I made studying my number one priority because I want to be a nurse and I will do what it takes. I wish all of the students applying to nursing school the best of luck and hope you succeed in achieving your dreams:)

susanlwins · Apr 1, 2012

I agree that grades are not the ONLY thing that is important, and if you feel this way, apply to a school that looks at interviews, recommendations, and experience in health care as a major part of admissions criteria. However, many schools, at least in the Seattle/Puget Sound area, do NOT place as much emphasis on these as they do on grades. My explanation for this is, it doesn't matter how caring you are, or how motivated, or how good your time management is, if you are unable to learn the material up to the standards of your school. Prerequisite grades are the best and ONLY predictor a nursing school admissions committee has regarding how well you are able to do academically. Nursing school is incredibly challenging academically and psychologically. Not only is there an enormous AMOUNT of material to cover, there is a lot of depth to the material as well. And then, you not only have to learn the material in the classroom, but are expected to APPLY the material in a real life healthcare setting that involves real people with real problems and real emotions, which raises the stress level even further. Therefore, while a GPA of 3.4-3.6 may be considered "realistic" for prerequisite classes, nursing school admissions committees perhaps do not feel that this level of academic success will "realistically" translate to success in nursing school when all of these extra factors are working against you. It is not a matter of being superior or smug. It is a matter of choosing a cohort of students who have a reasonable expectation of being successful in nursing school, and that means that NOT everyone who wants to go to nursing school is going to be able to go. I have classmates who are already picking out their new cars based on their future RN salary, and yet are unwilling to make the commitment even to their Anatomy class to put in the study time needed to pass the class - to me, that is a HUGE disconnect, and one that rightly weeds out those who are either are not going to be successful ever, or are not going to be successful at least until they change their study habits and make a strong commitment to what they are doing. That is not to say that everyone who gets a low grade is uncommitted, just that this is the case for some people. I wish everyone the best, who is trying to get in to nursing school, and I hope and pray that I will be up to meeting the challenge as well. Have a good spring quarter, everyone!

JLoya · Apr 1, 2012

I just got accepted into the UW BSN program... My GPA is a 3.5, but I have significant experience and when I applied I had 3500+ hours in my current job in a Level One Trauma Center, that also cares for the areas under-served population (36+ hours a week), I volunteered(4-6 hours a week), I have a family (3 teenage daughters) and I balanced school (15 credits a quarter). It is NOT all about 4.0's, it is about multitasking several things and succeeding at them...

abalone · Apr 1, 2012

I agree with what many have said; getting into a CC (ADN) program seems to require a higher (very high) GPA. The BSN programs, on the other hand, seem to be a little "easier" in terms of GPA. Like JLoya, I just got accepted into the University of Washington's BSN program (and was also admitted into the UW ABSN program). I was also invited for an interview with WSU (but turned them down, so I don't know how that would have turned out). I am in my very early 20s but this will be my second degree. My overall GPA is a 3.5 but my prerequisites are all 4.0s. I did most of my nursing prerequisites at a community college. I mention this because a few people gave me some flack for this but, in the end, I feel like I actually got a better education at the CC (especially in A&P) and, as long as you do well, it clearly doesn't matter where you take them. Anyway, I have my CNA licence (but had no experience working as one when I applied), CPR, HIPPA, first aid license, HIV-AIDS training, and 400+ hours of volunteer work in an urgent care clinic.

While I did get 4.0s in my prerequisites, I really think (at least for UW) having the full package is important! Get some health care experience, volunteer, and spend time getting licensed (even if it's just your first aid/cpr). Keep your head up, grades high and try to get more experience. Then, once you've done everything you can to show you are a good candidate, write an amazing essay. It's not easy. It's lot of work, but getting into nursing school is hard right now, so you have to standout in some way.

Aongroup1990, CNA · May 13, 2012

No it's about GPA. But in earning a gpa takes alot of focus, and understanding to earn good grades which leads to a high gpa. Maintaining a balance, multitasking, understanding, comes with all of that . Gpa is a factor though.