Better nurse

Neither.

Its the one who is compassionate about nursing, who knows when to ask questions, who realizes what is best for the patient, who monitors their patient and calls the MD if something just looks a little wrong, its the nurse who respects everyone, and is helpful. Its the one who furthers their education even though they dont have to, by reading articles, or researching their patients condition instead of saying 'not really sure what it is but oh well'...

That is what makes a good nurse. Not grades.

i never believed that grades are the determinants whether or not one will become a good nurse because attitude plays a very vital role as well... im a nurse-educator and honestly,, i always tell my students that the students who get the high marks dont always become the good nurses. its still the students who have the heart and attitude for nursing who will be the better nurses over all

simply put book smarts does not equal common sense.

you can be a brilliant person but lack the compassion and empathy it takes to be a nurse.

The nurse that knows that he/she is not perfect, is willing to keep learning and own up to their mistakes. Anyone can read, study, and do well on paper. It's the actions that determine how good you are. I remember nursing school and everyone was so cutthroat regarding grades. This may be one of the reasons so many nurses eat their young, it actually is behavior that starts in the school. Honestly, perspective employers don't look at your grades. They hire you based on what your potential might be, not on how good your grades were. It is up to you to prove yourself on the floor by listening and continually learning.

Grades have nothing to do with what type of nurse you are.

We had a student come to us for her pre-grad. She was an A+ student but a terrible nurse. Half way through her stay with us, she still could only manage an assignement of 1 patient. She ended up leaving and having to repeat her final semester before trying pre-grad again.

Its how you apply your knowledge that counts, and how you interact with your patients, not how many questions you got right on an exam.

I've always been told the C student is usually the better nurse.

I think it depends on what you mean by "better". Who would you rather have take care of you/your mom/your sibling/your child? Someone who just squeaked by and doesn't really remember the pathophysiology or the medication calculation formulas? Or, someone who knows his/her stuff but maybe is a little rough in the social skills category?? I am not advocating for rude behavior or disrespect/disregard for interpersonal skills, but come on... having the academic background and the knowledge base for critical thinking is imperative in today's work environment. Isn't that part of the push for the BSN entry to practice argument?

I tend to agree with the above. Grades are an indication of how well a person can take a test, not necessarily their knowledge level. I personally have difficulty with learning from books - I'm a visual learner. Show me something once, and I've got it; read it to me, not so much. I have to be able to "picture" something to fully grasp the concept, which often doesn't happen for me until I see it. A friend of mine is one of the smartest nurses you'll ever meet, made straight A's through undergrad and much of grad thus far, but is having difficulty answering the questions on a test this semester. It's nothing to do with her brains, just her test taking ability.

You've got to look at the entire picture, not just the grades. :)

Once you graduate, every day will be a clinical day. Different skills are required in the practice of nursing.

I don't think one or the other will be better. Personally, I've always been an A student. Now in nursing school, I'm a B+ (I know, big deal.. but I was always a GPA wh**e.) The tests in nursing school are a lot harder than your usual math or english test. It's in the clinical setting that you can really tell who is going to be a "better" nurse. And keep in mind, some patients may have differing opinions of what a "better" nurse does or is.

A nurse with who passes boards usually knows enough to get by. I think a better nurse is one that has found a good fit in their unit of choice and who is comfortable there and who feels safe working in that conditions. I dont care how smart you are, if you are giving unrealistic assignments your care will suffer. I am in ICU, and while I feel I kicked butt in nsg school, a lot of those who did really well and graduated with honors have troubles accepting that they can't be supernurse and do everything perfectly like they could in school. It makes them extremely slow trying to do everything perfectly and taking care of even a stable double is a stretch for them. This can happen to anyone but I see this happening more in people who did really well and have unrealistic expectations of themselves outside of school. I find the BEST nurse (in most cases) right out of school had some other experience such as CNA, in school. I wish I would have done something like that so it wouldn't have been as much of a shock, esp if I could have done it in the unit I started working in!