Are A's a thing of the past?

Nursing Students General Students

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Before I got into nursing school I was an A student, not A-, but A. So far I have not gotten a single A. I got an A- in pathopharm and am going to have an A- in Peds/Ob with the rest of my classes being B,s and B+'s. I really wanted to get an A this semester because I want to go in OB so I though I should be able to pull it off at-least this time, but NO, I missed it by 3% ugh! Is any one else finding that getting A's seem to be a thing of the past once in nursing school?

Sometimes yes I do think A's are a thing of the past, and let me just make a little comment to the person who said something about settling! I have a personal experience with actually getting a 76% in my psych class when I needed a 77% does this mean I'm just down right dumb or didn't study no, so if you are an A student, well thank God and keep it moving but don't judge someone else just because they're not. I also wanted to comment on a lot of the A nurses that I work with nursing school doesn't teach you everything sweetie so you come out knowing the theory, but common sense and basics are what you need to survive, not trying to figure out how to answer instructors questions, why? because they're not there. Some A nurses don't even know how to introduce themselves to a patient or don't even bother explaining that they're going to assess the patient, they just go in and rip their gown off, and some physicians don't even know how to speak so don't give me that "I know what it takes to do it right,":nono: because when you come out nobody gives a hoot if you got an A, B, or a C, as long as you do your best and can hold your own and take it from somebody who's been working in the medical field long enough.

Good Luck to everybody and don't beat yourself up if you don't get an A, just do the best you can and keep it movin!!!!

Specializes in Urgent Care.

I just gradiated with 2 AB's, and the rest all A's. It was extremely difficult, and the only reason I killed myself for those grades was to get scholarships and get into a direct entry MSN program.

Specializes in floor to ICU.

I have been nursing for 18 yrs and I can tell you that I have seen many nurses that are very book smart but do not have the best critical thinking skills.

I am in a transitional program and I made A's for my pre-req's in order to get in. Now? I am an A/B student and it is fine with me. I made a couple of C's on finals.

I can tell you that school is NOTHING like floor nursing Your ability to critically think, manage your time and prioritize will tell what kind of nurse you will be- not grades.

C=RN.

Specializes in ICU, Psych.

Here at WT you have to have a 74 to pass, an 84 for a B and a 93 for an A in clinicals as well as lecture classes. Most of the girls/guys in my classes are THRILLED with their B's. It is VERY hard to get an A in the classes here. It's hard to get a 90+, let alone the 93 you need to get an A. A lot of the girls "on the bubble" who end classes with a 91, 92, 83 and end up getting the lower letter grade have their professors write letters To Whom It May Concern stating that the student got an 83, a solid B, in their class but because of the grading system they end up with a C and their GPA reflects that. It's frustrating to not get that bump up to the next grade, but we lose kids every semester because they fail and have to drop...so we're pleased as punch to be moving on every semester!

I feel very compelled to respond....

just because a nursing student is bringing home a B or C does not mean that they will be horrible nurses, and it doesn't mean that they aren't studying either. Some people who used to be A students are now C students...not because they don't care, but because they are busting their butts and still don't make an A. I myself am a former A student, now making B's in nursing school. I bust my butt and still can't seem to bring that A home. You can learn the material however you want, but if you don't test well or can't seem to grasp the "application" type questions, you'll never succeed in nursing school. I'm tired of hearing that C=RN is a bad statement. C does = RN and the grades you make don't matter. As long as you pass the NCLEX-RN you can be a nurse. And you'll be the type of nurse you want to be regardless of whether you made A's or C's.

So, my question to you nurz2be, do you ask each and every nurse that you've had what kind of grades they made? and then if they say something other than an A, do you refuse them?? cause that's crap...and you know it just as well as I do.

Actual nursing school is soooo different than the prereqs. In my class there are students that make cs/bs that are awesome and I would trust with my life and students that are anal straight As that I would let near me and of course A students that are great all around. I don't really have a problem with Cs=RN....sometimes a C in a certain course if very hard to come by and that course might not even really identify with real situational nursing. I do have a problem with people who are not motivated to do the best they can. I think in the long run it sells the patient short and the perception of nursing short.

I too have a problem with those who are not motivated and then complain about the grades they get. All I am trying to say is that just because some may make C's doesn't mean that they will be bad nurses. And I too know A students who I hope I never have to deal with professionally and I would not let near me nor anyone in my family.

Im still getting A's in my classes but let me say I am happy with my B I received in Anatomy and Physiology. It could have been worse I guess.

C = RN

I think that this very statement is HORRID. I am sorry but I WON'T, REFUSE TO BE, and am appalled at nursing students who use this phrase. If your child or my child were in a serious situation would you want a nurse or a doctor working on them that had this for an attitude? NO WAY! I don't think that this particular phrase says anything to uplift the nursing profession. Nurses, at times and in certain circles, are not considered "intelligent." It is phrases like these, used by students that push that point of view. I am an A student, I will be an A nurse or I won't be one. I won't settle for myself or my patients to be someone who just does enough to get by. I think it is very very sad for the nursing community when phrases like these and others flow through students. There are students in my class who started out their pre reqs with this "fun little saying." Those are the very students who complain about tests being too hard, instructors being too hard, who are BARELY making the minimum grade required to pass each class. I think students need to take a deep look into what having this type of attitude brings. Trust me, if your child was in a NICU or PICU and you had to choose between a nurse who pushed him/herself and made the grades or one who just did enough to get by (C = RN), you would pick the one who pushed themselves.

VERY VERY sad, indeed.

I understand your point but I wouldnt go as far to say that a C student will not make a good nurse. Some people may be absorbing all the knowledge they are learning but may not be good test takers or grades may be lower because of other reasons. If you are an A student I congratulate you. Not everyone is as lucky though.

Yes, they were for me. I had a past degree and started the nursing program with a GPA of 3.9

Well, no more. I have one more semester to go......lost a good portion of my student classmates along the way, and now we just hope to pass each time.

The good grades get you into the nursing program, but from then on......as long as you pass, I suspect A's are not all that important.:uhoh3::uhoh3:

Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

As are important to me because I intend to go to graduate school. Other than that, it's far more important to me that I learn what I need to know in order to be a good nurse. One of my pet peeves is when a classmate pipes up in lecture to ask "Is this going to be on the exam?". Who care if it's going to be on the exam; it's obviously something important enough for us to know, whether we will be tested on it or not.

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