Anyone get A's in nursing school?

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Anyone?? I'm going into this with a 4.0, and I know that nursing classes are much harder, but there is that competitive part of me that would like to keep it. So, please, share your stories!

Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

Yea..in my freshman year I got A's. Then in for a rude awakening in my junior year; first semester got a C :o but 2nd semester a B+ (both clinical & theory). About to start my senior year in August--we'll see what happens.

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the post about the way of testing, rather than your studying, is right. you have to get used to "critical thinking"! the 1st semester of fundamental clinical, the whole class was completely confused by the type of questioning, rather than the material itself.......

but getting a's is definitely feasible -- got 1 b & 2 a's -- going on the last (!) semester and just hoping to make it through!!

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the post about the way of testing, rather than your studying, is right. you have to get used to "critical thinking"! the 1st semester of fundamental clinical, the whole class was completely confused by the type of questioning, rather than the material itself.......

but getting a's is definitely feasible -- got 1 b & 2 a's -- going on the last (!) semester and just hoping to make it through!!

OK.. SO with this in mind. For those of us who are just starting, what can we do to sharpen the "critical thinking" skills? Should we be doing NCLEX practice questions now? Or is it truly hopeless.

I too am planning to "go on" to my BSN immediately and then my CNM and these programs both require a very competitive GPA.... the ADN is not the be all end all in my education so I unfortuately HAVE to be at least a little grade obsessed.

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
Yea..in my freshman year I got A's. Then in for a rude awakening in my junior year; first semester got a C :o but 2nd semester a B+ (both clinical & theory). About to start my senior year in August--we'll see what happens.

Hang in there Suzy you are almost there (lucky you) :p

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Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Maternal and Child.

If you can maintain A's throughout nursing school, good for you. There were several in my nursing class who were straight A students and got very upset because they were getting B's and C's. Eventually, they were happy to just be able to pass the nursing classes and pass state boards. Grades are less important than the reason you go into nursing. For me it was to help people get well!!

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Getting A's are possible, I received one A- and the rest were all A's. It wasn't easy and for some people it was harder than others. I have a good science background and was an EMT when I started. I was also an older student. Sometimes being old is good, I have been through or seen friends/family with quite a few of the illnesses I had to study.

My suggestion is to always think diseases through pathophysiologically. Not only know what the signs/symptoms of an illness are but try to figure out why the illness causes those s/s. Sometimes that will help you when you get confused about which s/s goes with what disease.

Another suggestion when taking tests, keep ABC' s and Maslow in your mind....airway is almost always the most important. I have wondered if studying the first few chpts of someones Kaplan (Nclex) book would help you understand how to do questions. Just a thought, I didn't do it.

Lastly, if you or a classmate does bad on ONE test, get help immediately. There is no time to wait and see if you can bring it up on your own, nursing school just goes too fast.

On the other hand, I'm talking to all of you anal A students....relax a bit, enjoy your classes, the people, and take care of yourself. It won't do anyone any good if you get an A but end up on the Psych ward... :rolleyes: There were times I felt I was headed that way. We joked that they should hand out antianxiety meds to everyone. And remind your signifacant other that you do love them even if you are stressed and insane at this moment...and it will be worth it in the end.

Good luck, it will be over soon,

Debblynn

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.
Hang in there Suzy you are almost there (lucky you) :p

Thanks Jessica--you're so sweet! I'm sure you'll be hearing about my experiences when we start class again. :uhoh3:

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as far as those elusive critical thinking skills:p ---- it helped me alot to answer nclex-style questions......

there was a student in my class that would use the "nclex 3000" cd -- and we all thought she was crazy, as we said "well, we're not taking the nclex for two years!!":argue:

but i began using the same cd, in preparation for my tests -- and it helps to see the rationales behind each answer.

but as one poster said before -- alot of the times it's easier to understand why the illness causes the s & s, rather than memorizing a bunch of manifestations for each illness!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
We have to know that this is nursing school, not medical school. We do not want to be doctors so it can't be that hard! My husband is going to medical school next fall and I have seen first hand how hard that schooling is.

:rotfl: Oh that's hilarious! No doubt your husband helped you form that opinion :rotfl: Please do let us know how you feel about the level of difficulty after you've begun, I'm very much looking forward to reading that post :)

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I'm intertested in these stories too. I haven't started my core nursing yet but I know that the instructors tell you at orientation that it is impossible to get an A (this is an ADN course at a CC). They flat out say.. "We know you are all overachievers (since admittance is GPA based) but you need to accpet now that this will be the hardest 2 years of your life. You WILL NOT have straight A's."

I too have a 4.0 and I can't tell you how angry this makes, not me, but my husband!! :angryfire

He is FURIOUS! He thinks it's just awful to tell someone who has maintained a 4.0 through college that they absolutely CANNOT get an A in a first semester nursing course no matter how hard they study. He says they are trying to "break you", to see who will tough it out. Basically trying to scare the wits out of you. In our program, out of 50 students, there were three B's and the rest were C's (with two people dropping due to failing scores) in the first semester. NOW in the second semester there were a couple of A's and a few B's and the rest C's... What I have heard from my friends in the program is that the reason the first semester is so hard is that you are learning a whole new way to test... no more memorization only, like in Anatomy, now you have to critically think instead.

So I guess I have had to accept that I will lose my 4.0.. even though I'm not particularly happy about it. I'm wondering if this varies from school to school and BSN vs. ADN...

Hey, Well I have managaed to keep my grades at a 4.0 during nursing school and received 100% on some tests and assignments. Just stay on top of your studies and use common sense. Also make sure to read the test question a few times before ever reading the answers.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

It is possible to maintain your A status. But, you cant beat yourself up if you drop a little. Nursing classes are as variable as the weather and naturally some find certain things easier to study and retain than others. Just like some love OB, or ICU some dont, some do better with med/surg some with cardiac. Just strive to keep yourself on the dean's list and do the best you can.

And if things get real bad C still ='s diploma.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Anyone?? I'm going into this with a 4.0, and I know that nursing classes are much harder, but there is that competitive part of me that would like to keep it. So, please, share your stories!

I had a 4.00 going in and was able to maintain As in my nursing classes the first year. I'll try and continue that next year, but the level of difficulty is such that I long ago readjusted my academic goal to Bs (with getting as close to an A as possible the desired outcome) and considered any As to simply be icing on the cake. So while I've maintained it to this point, I have vowed not to beat myself up for getting less than an A when and if that happens. But this is a decision that varies among students and programs. I may be capable of getting an A in the program I'm at but could potentially drop to Cs in another program. And if you were to add another child, a job, or any other difficulty to my schedule I am fairly positive I would not have carried the grades I have thus far. It's all relative to the person, program, and their life situation.

Study tip: Use your NCLEX book to help you prepare for your nursing exams. If you're taking an exam on Respiratory or Cardiac diseases and meds for example, pull out your NCLEX and do the questions in those sections. You can bet your instructors are keeping a close eye on what kind of questions you'll encounter on the boards and are gearing some of their lecture and questions towards this goal. So the NCLEX book will help you to understand how to answer critical thinking questions and it will also zero you in on the content your instructors are potentially considering for exam questions.

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