Anyone get A's in nursing school?

MyLifeIsAScantron · Mar 4, 2006

I think that instructors that say no one is going to get an A are kind of using it as a tool. ....... Maybe by saying this the instructors are offering a challenge. Maybe by throwing a challenge (beyond the actual subject itself) most of the students will rise to that level of excellence......
:)

(Hope its okay to respond to an old thread like this but I was JUST having a discussion about this sort of thing with a friend last night so its fresh in MY mind anyways!)

I think that maybe for a select few it is perceived as a challenge but in my opinion, being told such things discourages more people than it helps. Also, sure, this material is hard and complex and all that but being told constantly how difficult, confusing, and impossible it is starts to alter people's perceptions too. We, as humans, have this tendency to believe what we are told repeatedly and I think being told such things actually starts to make it harder for people.

When I took my A + P classes, I went into them with a bit of apprehension. Sure, I've been the above 3.5 student, but I was told by nearly everyone I knew how hard it is to even get a C in A + P. Well, I went into the classes and I had an AMAZING instructor! She clearly stated at the beginning of the semester that yes, this material was hard and that yes there was a lot to learn and cover but that SHE WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE DID OKAY!

I don't know what she did specifically over the terms, probably a combination of things, how she explained things, how she presented things, her usage of examples and interactive skits even - But she EXPECTED people to make at least a B in her classes and guess what? People who put in the time and the work did - Many (including myself) got A's. AND, the bonus part is, I have retained a HUGE amount of what I learned in her classes - NOT just til after the tests but now, a couple years later, in my nursing classes, I am finding myself looking back on things learned with HER and they still stand out and make sense far more than something taught yesterday by current instructors.

I just think there is a lot to the "Self fulfilling prophecy" thing - If instructors EXPECT to have a lot of failings and low grades in their classes they tend to and if instructors EXPECT people to be able to do well then they more often do.

Oh yes, and one other thing - holding the expectation for people to have severe difficulty and border on failing all the time creates that as the NORM and then those who do end up doing better are placed almost in some separate catagory away from the norm. My belief there is that many people will then subconsciously dumb themselves down a few pegs just to fit the norm. There is a huge need for peer acceptance in such situations and most people don't want to be the one who stands out be it in a good way or a bad way.

Roseyposey · Mar 4, 2006

I had forgotten all about this thread. Just in case anybody cared...I did get an A my first semester (only one in a class of 63) and am holding on to an A two tests into my second.

ftr_bb_catchr · Mar 4, 2006

Ah ha.. I was one of the first to respond in this thread. NOW I'm almost half-way through my first semester and I am (for now anyway, until I see my most recent quiz score) maintaining the 'A'.

With my feet wet, for those of you who aren't there yet, I'll tell you this. The written/lecture piece isn't the difficult thing for me. There is a lot of reading and just basic volume, but it's not any harder than physio or any of the other pre req classes. In fact for me, in many ways it's easier! It's makes much more sense now that you know all the background stuff to apply it! The thing that makes the A hard to get (or maintain) is that there are only 390 points possible in the ENTIRE class (14 quizzes, midterm and final). With so few points available you really can't miss too many. The quizzes, at 20 points each, aren't an A unless you get a 19. That means you can miss a total of 35 points the whole semester!

I remember being in prereq's though and being so sad at the thought that I'd have to kiss my A goodbye and so scared (after hearing that A students don't make good nurses) that I would just be lousy! It's all coming together though! Be it A or C it's not the grade, it's the person! I've found that is really is about the journey... I've met great people and made lifelong friends (and I'd trade my A for them anyday anyway!)

Good luck to all!

burn out · Mar 4, 2006

I remember having A's prior to nursing school and making A's during nursing school but in nursing school there were not as many. I guess it just depends on your goal-everyone wants to maintain a 4.0 but by the time is over you will be glad just to have your degree and license in hand. I have never had an employer ask my gpa in nursing school-my degree yes but not

gpa ( as if either really matters in the long run most places just want warm bodies with a current RN license) As for grad school the Bachelors is a must and the score on GRE counts more than gpa.

DecafMom · Mar 5, 2006

I have not received an A in any of my nursing lecture classes, only Bs, but my clinical grades have all been As. In the end my GPA won't matter. What matters is if I can pass NCLEX.

ansturge · Mar 5, 2006

ive gotten B's in my classes.......due to a 7point scale, otherwise i would have all As........last semester there wasnt a single A to be found.

our tests are 50 questions long, so you miss 4 questions and you get a B on it. A's are very hard to come by.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2006

concentrate on learning, not scoring. You will need good grades to get out of nursing school and to advance your education, should you decide to do so. But the most important thing is to actually LEARN and believe me, every other nursing student is competitive, so you will be up against smart people. Your biggest competitor will be yourself. Don't make yourself crazing trying to be #1 in the class. Learn to be a good, safe nurse.

Lurksalot, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2006

I think many of us had the same concerns entering the RN program. The first semester I got an A, and I was so proud, I worked so darn hard at it. The rest of the semesters I am hanging around at B, B+ range, and pretty happy with that considering how difficult the material is and how it's crammed into four semesters. But the bottom line is, you need to pass to be able to graduate and sit for the NCLEX.

Nursing school is tough, don't be too hard on yourself if you're not maintaining a 4.0GPA. It's more important to learn and understand and be able to apply your knowledge, than to score the best on tests. (and let's face it, nursing school tests STINK--how many times do I get a question and know the answer immediately, yet the answer isn't even one of the choices!:angryfire)

ICRN2008, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2006

So far I am getting straight A's (except for a B+ in one of my pre-requisites), but I have a feeling that this will not continue through this semester. I have a full load this semester in addition to working, and it's all I can do to try to keep up!

All of my classmates and I had high GPA's coming into the clinical portion of the program, and I think that a lot of them expect that this should continue. Unfortunately, they cannot give everyone A's.

In my previous degree I certainly got my fair share of B's and a few C's, and I accepted that this is the way it has to be. There were people in my program who were smarter (and/or worked harder) than me, and they deserved the A's. I only wish that my classmates would realize this instead of giving the faculty (especially those who do not give out A's like candy) a hard time.

My mentor, a professor who teaches one of the pre-requisites, said that he has seen a huge increase in the number of students (and their parents in some cases) who come to him and complain, expecting him to change their grade. He says that the reason this occurs is that there has been a big increase in the sense of entitlement in the 18-19 year olds he teaches.

Bottom line, nobody is going to care what grades you had once you're a nurse, and even graduate schools are interested in accepting well-rounded candidates. Focusing on the A's will only drive you crazy.

allthingsbright · Mar 5, 2006

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!

Yes, I am getting low A-s in nursing classes and high B's that are almost A's and make me want to scream.:angryfire

I am studying harder than I ever thought possible-my life is consumed. I think getting A's in nursing classes is easier than getting A's in Micro, Chem and A&P tho'. For me, anyway. GL!

micco · Mar 5, 2006

It is possible. I have maintained my 4.0 all through nursing school and will graduate in May. To maintain my 4.0 , I have stayed up till the wee hours studying or get up at 4 a.m. to review before a test.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Mar 5, 2006

This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Whenever there are threads where some of us actually {gasp} admit to striving for As, there is always a contingent of people who basically imply that wanting As means we're going to be weaker in the clinical setting. It's not an either/or, and I don't think there is anything wrong with WANTING to get good grades! Especially if you're not planning on stopping your education once you take your NCLEX.
Sometimes it almost seems like some people are rationalizing their own marginal grades. I dunno.

Yeah, I see that all the time too. People are always putting other people down who earn A's. Like you can only be good in one aspect of NS? I kick butt in clinical. I always take a full load of patients, and try to take the hardest patients offered. My care plans are awesome, and I've had some of them copied for teaching. I've also received A's in every class in NS. And there is nothing wrong with being proud of all our accomplishments.