Are A's really not practical in nursing school?

melmarie23, MSN, RN · Jul 29, 2010

I've received mostly A's in nursing school (with a couple A- and one measly B+ thrown in there). My university recognizes the +/- system, though anything less than an 80% (a B-) is a failing grade. And you are out of the program if you receive less than an 80% in more than 6 credits worth of classes.

As are definitely possible. Don't let anyone else tell you differently.

CrunchyMama, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2010

I got all Bs in my prereqs and have gotten As in all nursing classes so far, except for pharm 1, I got a B. Trust me, if I can do it....ANYONE can! It is really hard...you have to bust your a$$ but it's possible. I also have 2 kids. Good luck!!

PaperPencil · Jul 29, 2010

I got all Bs in my prereqs and have gotten As in all nursing classes so far, except for pharm 1, I got a B. Trust me, if I can do it....ANYONE can! It is really hard...you have to bust your a$$ but it's possible. I also have 2 kids. Good luck!!

Good job!

MsbossyRN · Jul 30, 2010

I have always done really well in school and in college for the life of me I could not get an A in nursing classes. Pre req's no prob..but actual nursing classes..no way! I would have had to get a 97. I got a whole lot of b+'s but no A's. In my school people were just thankful for a 78 which was the lowest grade you could get without failing.

allnurses Guide · Jul 30, 2010

An A student in pre-req's.... made two As and a B in my first semester of nursing school. It is do-able. Just with a lot more effort and organization than in pre-req's.

workinmomRN2012, BSN · Jul 30, 2010

I have not logged into allnurses for a while, I usually just read some helpful posts and move on. This time when I read "I had to deal with getting a few B+'s", I just had to respond. Not, everyone can stay stay home 24 hours a day and study to get all A's all the time, it's not healthy. I personally work 3 days a week, have 2 children under 10 and their activities and I stuggle to get B+'s. I work as a CNA currently and love my job and I believe that I would make a great nurse and so do the patients and nurses that I work with. Remember when you have the RN behind your name they won't be asking if you were an A,B or C student. By the way, some A student nurses have the people skills of a mad dog.

I'll be happy to deal with B+'s throughout nursing school!!!

melmarie23, MSN, RN · Jul 30, 2010

Not, everyone can stay stay home 24 hours a day and study to get all A's all the time, it's not healthy.....................By the way, some A student nurses have the people skills of a mad dog.

I think there is this big misconception that in order to get A's you have to study 24/7. Of course it depends on the person, but I can assure you that I was not holed up studying each hour where I wasnt sleeping, eating or at school/clinical. Also, I still had a social life (I am quite personable, friendly and fun to be around) and had a whole list of other activities, such as remodeling our house, which has been extremely time consuming, while I was making those grades.

Anoetos, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2010

In pre-reqs, I probably studied 8-10 hours a week and carried a 4.0.

I expect that to increase in NS, I expect it to double and then some, so I am expecting to study 20-30 or so hours a week (3-5 hrs/day), maybe a bit more. I will not commit to an expectation for grades because, frankly, I do not know what to expect.

Studying too much just hastens burn out, IMO, so you have to know how much to study and you have to study smart, right?

I know a guy, with a 3.89 in NS who still coaches his son's baseball and basketball teams, still plays softball and still does what he needs to do as a husband and father.

I know others who do quite well while holding down jobs, though I have to admit that I do not know how someone could work full time and do well. I expect that it gets done by some exceptional people but it can't be common in an accelerated program.

As for A's? Who knows, there are so many variables, the difficulty of your program, the attitude of your instructors/preceptors, your own study habits...is it possible? Why not?

allnurses Guide · Jul 30, 2010

I don't study 24/7 either and I also have a job and kids, new spouse and a brand new home. I get tired of people assuming those of us who make good grades can't possibly have other obligations. We do.

The hospital I am working at won't even look at a new grad with less than a 3.0 anymore. It is a continuing trend now that there are more graduate nurses than jobs. And if you tell them your grades were lower because you had other obligations such as kids, they will simply wonder how that obligation is going to affect your performance at the hospital since it affected your performance in school.

It is true grades don't indicate whether an individual will be a good nurse. It is, however, one way of weeding through the masses of job candidates and choosing from those who have measurably put themselves ahead of others.

kayty2339 · Jul 31, 2010

While I think A's are much harder to get in nursing school depending on how you do with NCLEX style tests, it is possible. I made an A in Fundamentals, will make an A in Mental Health and a B in Adults 1 this semester. I have two kids and worked part time through Fundamentals. But I don't work now because they couldn't work with the demanding schedule of the summer semester. I study a lot, but it doesn't take up 100% of my time. First semester I studied way more than I do now, but I think I've learned how to study the right things, so I don't have to study quite as much as I did last semester. Also, I think getting used to answering NCLEX style questions has helped a lot. In Mental Health I barely studied and still made good grades on the tests. Sometimes it seems like you don't necessarily have to know all the info, to know how to answer the questions. (does that make sense?) But Adults 1 (ie Med/Surg) is a lot harder and I do have to spend time studying for that class.

I do know a few people in my class though, who are A students, but have made only C's in nursing school. I think the main thing is just not being too disappointed in yourself if you do make C's. If you are trying hard and studying as much as you can, then that's all you can do. A nurse who graduated with a C is still a nurse.

pitaya · Aug 2, 2010

So I would like to hear from A students who either continued getting A's or those who were A students and now find themselves as B/C students.

What about B/C students who are now A students? :) I had horrible pre-req grades, C's in Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, Biology...now I'm in an accelerated BSN program and I have a 4.0.

nyashan · Aug 2, 2010

Part of it is the grading system. In all other majors that I have encountered roughly 90-100%= A, 80-89%= B, 70-79% = C, and do on. Of course there are +'s and -'s in there too, and I've even seen a system that used A, BA, CB, C, etc, in lieu of the +'s and -'s, but you get the point.
Nursing programs though have a tendency to score differently. Why? I have no idea. In my program the grading was:
94-100% = A
86-93.99% = B
80-85.99% = C
below an 80% was failing
I don't recall where all the +'s and -'s fell, but you can see that just to get an 'A' left a lot less room for error. It's still perfectly doable (I made mostly A's), but the smallest errors can really add up to lower your grade.

80% =C wow, they are tough!