There is a popular train of thought associated with EC's ASN degree program: "C gets degrees". That's all I wanted when I went through it and my 'reason' was that at my age, I had no interest in going any further than obtaining an RN license. Although I received a few C's, the majority of my grades were B's. I was more than happy with that!
For all the LPN members here who are entering the LPN-ASN bridge program with hopes of continuing on for the BSN, and to those BSN students who are in the exam stages with general education requirements, lose that attitude if you have it (except for statistics only ) because there is one nursing exam for the BSN that is known to cause a lot of heartache and grief and it will completely BLOW your GPA if you fail it....I should know! Had I had more than a C-focused, as-fast-as-possible attitude during the ASN, I would not have had to literally climb out of the academic gutter when I failed that exam. One exam and I was placed on academic probation coming into the BSN nursing components!!!!! I've gotten all A's so far and boy, did I need them!! I came off probation at the end of fall 2013, but my GPA was still very weak!
With three weeks left in my BSN degree program, my plans for the MSN future are still up in the air, but I'm happy to say that my GPA is at a point (as of the end of spring 2014) where I am more than eligible to apply to those programs if I decide to. So, be careful guys. You never know when you might have a change of heart regarding even higher education. MSN or no MSN, I want it to be my choice and not that of my GPA!
May I ask what your "old rusty study habits" are? I am beginning in September and my biggest fear is trying to find out how to study... I'm a person that can follow directions or rules per say but if you ask me to "create" those directions or rules... it's all out the window for me! Thanks! =)[/quote']
I would use word association to arrive to the correct answer. I would look for odd letters within the answer and try to match it with just one key word that you know will be apart of the question (and vice versa). This is the technique that I used for the situations that I was absolutely clueless on. It didn't fail me then and the only problem that I encountered after many years of not studying was trying to remember what that odd letter is . The other method is that I would highlight key terms in a specific color that instantly brings me back to the answer. For example, anything regarding cancer, I would highlight the answer in pink (pink ribbons), or anything pertaining to clotting, I would highlight in blue (PT/INR collected in the blue top tubes), etc. My study notes for each exam looked like a coloring book by the time I had taken the exams. But hey, it worked for me....
For what it's worth, by the time students make it to the NCLEX, the true test of what they have learned, or not, will be revealed. This is where the weeding begins. Those who were in it ONLY for the bare minimum of the C will more than likely be the first to go. Those who actually learned from the exams will be successful. Now, this is not to say that others who have learned will pass. Some people have testing issues that cause them to fail. Others have personal distractions. So, this is not all inclusive. My NCLEX exam was so similar to the EC exams that I thought the lady at Pearson Vue had mistakenly opened the wrong test for me...until I read the heading at the top of the screen. I was in and out with a pass in exactly one hour....that's to the exams at Excelsior....even the ones in which I landed a C on.
C is not good enough for a nursing degree IMHO. When dealing with people's lives, I want to know that at least I understood almost everything they taught us! Even doing well in school, clinicals can be daunting.
We never know what grade our nurses and doctors made in school or how many times they sat for the board exam unless they told us, or we expended the effort to research their program of choice. The standards are set by each institution and/or BON. Some say a C is passing, others (like with Chamberlain (BSN) or DeVry: I took one nursing and one algebra course with them) say you must have a B in order to pass the course. I was fortunate enough to an A in the course, but EC accepted it as a Pass only. So, even if I had gotten a C, it would have made no difference except in my personal learning of the material.
My point is that there has got to be a cut-off somewhere. We see a lot of nurses who were A students in school but cannot cut it as nurses. In fact, since most nursing programs are so darned competitive, I believe that most of them are A students just so they can make it into the program. I got a B in the algebra course but I still suck at it because it is not something that I have to do everyday, especially given the fact that modern technology has taken care of the majority of the calculations in nursing for us.
Putting aside the people with testing issues, or those going through personal struggles that affect their grades, it is about learning the material. If I found myself or my loved one in a critical care situation, and was offered the choice between the nurse who just scratched by with C's and the nurse who had A's, who would I choose? That's a tough one. Yes, please, give me the one who understood 70% of what they were taught. Maybe not a popular opinion, but it's mine.
Now, if I had the same choice with someone who has been a nurse for 20 years (with C's), or 20 months (with A's), my feelings on the matter may change. If the 20 year nurse is still a nurse in critical care after all those years, then I would assume she has not killed anyone and has learned a lot along the way.
I've seen a very skilled and knowledgeable nurse kill a patient. I've seen doctors do it, GPA is rarely the cause. In several years in the critical care medic role I learned that competence is hard to predict in new grads. I've seen great students wash out and I've seen poor students thrive in the field. On the flip side, one of my paramedic class mates was a great student and a phenomenal medic. He recently graduated at the top of his class in med school.
Here's a sad story to illustrate what I'm talking about. I once had a level 1 trauma center ER director ask me to hold off on any possible intubations (if I could) on one particular day due to a new resident being in the ER. I didn't really like it but in medic vs. doctor the medic loses just about every time. A couple hours later I got a COPD'er going down the drain and I wanted to RSI but being fifteen minutes from the ER I held off per the doctors request. The pt crashed as the resident used his mouth like a pumpkin on halloween. The resident had a broader knowledge base then me, he understood more about the pt's condition than me, as a graduate of medical school he was much more qualified than me. When it came time to perform, he wasn't able to get it done.
Competence in care is what should separate the wheat from the chaff. I personally believe academic performance is a good indicator but it's definitely not a definitive predictor of competence.
But, we never know who got what grade or where they got it from . Unless there is written proof for our patients to see, I doubt anyone will admit to receiving the lesser grades to those depending upon us for care. My point is for those who are currently studying. If you do the very best that you can and strive for higher understanding that produces higher grades, then a falter shouldn't be as detrimental to recovery when/if it happens.
Experience is a wonderful thing. I had 24 years of it going into the program, 28 years when I failed my first-ever nursing exam. But, just as textbook theories and broadened knowledge lost out to experience in medic85907's scenario, so did experience in my CFN theory exam. The key is having a system, cushion, or back-up (whatever you choose to call it) in place to help soften the blow when we have our 5 minutes of failure, whether it is theory-based or, Heaven forbids, real-world.
I think the original poster's point is not about the competence of those who make certain grades. Everyone can debate the book knowledge versus real world knowledge. I think her point is to recognize that though you might not know your goals now, some day you may want to go further. If you have "slid by" in previous work, those avenues will be limited or closed to you. Word to the wise.
I think the original poster's point is not about the competence of those who make certain grades. Everyone can debate the book knowledge versus real world knowledge. I think her point is to recognize that though you might not know your goals now, some day you may want to go further. If you have "slid by" in previous work, those avenues will be limited or closed to you. Word to the wise.
That was pretty much how I read the post too. While C's (or the program's minimum grade) will get you a degree, the low GPA that the practice of getting just the minimum to graduate can make furthering your education later much more difficult.
What makes things even more interesting is that some higher education institutions only look at the last 60 units of coursework. Because of a bit of a twist of fate, I basically did 57.5 units in my program alone, leading to a 3.19 GPA. If you add up all my coursework that I've taken after my Bachelors, the unit totals are much higher as is my GPA, with a total GPA of 3.37, which is not too shabby, if I do say so myself! Going into the program, my postgrad GPA was a 4.0 and when you remember that "A" students often become "B" students in Nursing School... I'm right along that same trend. I doubt I've foreclosed many, if any, higher education options down the road.
The point is simple: even if you simply desire to get "just" the degree to get the license, do that much more to keep your future options open or you'll have a much more difficult and expensive time earning a higher degree.
What do you call the person who graduates at the bottom of their class in medical school?
Doctor.
That aside, I would want the nurse who takes care of me or my loved one the best.
An "A" nurse, "B" nurse or "C" nurse does not really matter to me.
I have had horrible nurses take care of family and great nurses also. No idea what their GPA was.
I work with some great nurses and some OK nurses, again, no idea what their GPA was.
And in all truthfulness, what new grad nurse feels that they know anything after their first week at work?
I agree with your post. But all it takes for that C (2.0) student to NOT make it out of nursing school, as great as he or she may be with the patients, is ONE failure. Again, I'm referring to students. If RN-BSN students need to graduate with a BSN or else, lose that ASN job, a C (2.0) student with that one failure will pay dearly. The same goes for an LPN, Medic, or RT who needs an ASN for a particular job. I'm sure the GPA minimum is much higher with the MSN.
) because there is one nursing exam for the BSN that is known to cause a lot of heartache and grief and it will completely BLOW your GPA if you fail it....I should know! Had I had more than a C-focused, as-fast-as-possible attitude during the ASN, I would not have had to literally climb out of the academic gutter when I failed that exam. One exam and I was placed on academic probation coming into the BSN nursing components!!!!! I've gotten all A's so far and boy, did I need them!! I came off probation at the end of fall 2013, but my GPA was still very weak!
. Unless there is written proof for our patients to see, I doubt anyone will admit to receiving the lesser grades to those depending upon us for care. My point is for those who are currently studying. If you do the very best that you can and strive for higher understanding that produces higher grades, then a falter shouldn't be as detrimental to recovery when/if it happens. 
NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN
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