Are you curious when other NS students don't believe in Cdn RN's d/t grading scales?

Published

I have posted a few threads on the fact (sorry to bore you guys! lol) that US schools usually have higher grading scales than our Canadian nursing schools...

Usually whenever I state that my nursing school only requires 63% to pass nursing classes and 50% to pass electives, alot of the US nursing students reply that we must not know that much, they wouldn't trust an RN that only needed 63% to pass a class to care for them in a hospital etc, we shouldn't be nurses if they only require us to know 60% or so of nursing knowledge as a bare mininum.

Now I know that not every school in Canada has the same grading scale, but several large universities (including U of T) have similar passing grades for their nursing classes.

I totally respect USA students for their hard work (believe me when I say that if I had to have 80% or 85% in each nursing class in order to graduate, I would most likely fail nursing school! lol) Now its not like I strive to get 60's in nursing school (my GPA is 3.2 right now so I am not doing too bad :X) but it is a tad annoying when others make statements like that. I always respond politely to their replies, and state that its just the way canadian nursing schools seem to do it (at least the ones that I know of but I am sure others have had higher grading scales!)

But its a free country and to each her (or his!) own :D:p:specs:

Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this? I am NOT trying to start a flamewar between us and other nursing students. I am just curious about others responses!

thanks!

Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
what do you say about people who are taking the nclex for the fourth or fifth time and still have not passed? .

my least favorite topic line is "i just failed for the eighteenth time..what should i do?:devil:"

"consider another career" always leaps to mind for me. anyone can freeze up and fail due to nerves once, but imho after that you just don't know your stuff...

btw, in my bsn program (early 1990's) an "a" was 93% and up, "b" 92-85%, "c" 84-77, after that it didn't matter because d's and f's were not counted for credit. out of 63 grads, one girl didn't pass the first time, but she cut class and cut corners a bunch. i graduated with a 3.95, and wasn't even #1 in my class!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
my least favorite topic line is "i just failed for the eighteenth time..what should i do?:devil:"

"consider another career" always leaps to mind for me. anyone can freeze up and fail due to nerves once, but imho after that you just don't know your stuff...!

preaching to the choir!

i know, i've lost count the number of times i've had to walk away from the computer before i post that!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
When it all rinses away in the wash, it's down to a Pass or Fail on the national exam. I've never met anyone who was hired for their grade in college/university. I've never even been asked if I passed on the first writing of the exam.

But the only difference I have noticed from my experience is that a lot of good potential nurses are robbed of the chance to be a nurse because they can't get through the ridiculous standard of nursing school in the US. My school had an amazing attrition rate over 50%... Don't get me started on the nursing exams which will make or break the chance to stay in a program yet those same people that fail out excel at clinical nursing...and the reverse is true. I have worked with some new grads that are amazingly good at the theory but really do pale in comparison to the demands of nursing in the real world.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, it's like the competition to get into nursing school up here. What the acceptable admission marks are in the catalogue are nothing like what's actually used for admission criteria. Many good nurses are refused entry because they don't have 85% and above in their sciences. We are seeing more and more academically bright students but with no people skills.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I went to school with one of those. Could explain down to the molecular level the physiology of CHF but could not make a pt comfortable to save her life.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
my least favorite topic line is "i just failed for the eighteenth time..what should i do?:devil:"

"consider another career" always leaps to mind for me.

:chuckle that is my thought all the time too.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.
:chuckle That is my thought all the time too.

Glad I'm not alone!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion