Can an "C" average student make it in the nursing world? Help Please

Sweet charm, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2013

Honestly, if I was in your situation I would kiss butt to the dean of the nursing program. Let's just say it works from people I have spoken to that have been in your situation. :ninja:

Edit:I do however agree with the posters that you need to have the book smart AND the passion for nursing

x_factor · Jan 17, 2013

Honestly, if I was in your situation I would kiss butt to the dean of the nursing program. Let's just say it works from people I have spoken to that have been in your situation.

Why would it be acceptable for a student with barely passing grades to be allowed into a program and take away a spot from a student that worked hard to obtain a very competitive GPA, all because they "kissed butt" to the dean? That is absurd, sad, and pathetic on very many levels and I find it sad that you would not only recommend doing this, but even admit that you yourself would do it.

Seriously people, what happened to working hard for something and actually earning it.

SYNTIA · Jan 17, 2013

I believe that we can and will be able to succed in our endevours. However, it matters how much we are contributing.

My gpa was 3.8 when I applied to nursing school. I graduated nursing school with a C!

It did not matter that in kept scoring above 80% in every test, what mattered was that I very seldomly scored above an 84%.

The grading was

A=92-100%

B=84-91%

C=76-83%

My recommendations are:

1- retake/replace your anatomy, physiology, microbiology, the last math class you took.

2- take a couple of medical terminology classes

Depending in how your college structures classes, these classes should only take you this spring semester and the summer sessions.

Therefore, you should be ready to apply for the Fall semester with greater confidence and better prepared.

:-)

thelittledoe · Jan 17, 2013

I have three pieces of advice:

1. Retake those courses for higher grades if you can. If you have no other courses left to take then you'll have a lesser courseload and you will be able to fully focus on those courses you need higher grades in. It will cost more and it might set you back another semester or year, but at least it won't be time wasted.

2. Take your TEAS and see how you do. If you can't pass TEAS, I honestly wouldn't want you to be my nurse and do dosage calculations and IV sticks on me.

3. If you really wanna see what nursing is like, I suggest you get your CNA certification and work in a hospital for a while. While nursing clinicals teach you SOME of what you need to be doing, once you're in the workforce its a whole different ballgame. Just read the dozens of posts about first year nurses who are ready to quit because their clinicals didn't prepare them.

Now that I've mentioned clinicals, I'm curious to know which ones you've taken considering you stated you just finished your pre-reqs? Simply because most programs I've heard of, you take lectures and labs for pre-reqs and THEN after taking TEAS and being acccepted are you admitted to the program in order to take clinicals. I'm just very confused how you are clinically smart if you haven't even started clinicals. Please explain, and good luck to you!

procrastinator911, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2013

Okay this is my last semester, i did 6 semester in all, my science and graduation prereqs are all done now it's just applying to the program.Only thing is that I have a 2.87 GPA due to few C's in my math and science courses. next week I'm taking teas test i'm so scared that I will barely past with the 60 passing grade. My heart is in nursing I have the experience in clincals I cant think nothing else, but nursing, so I'm asking can an "C" average student that is book dumb and clincal smart and making good descision make it through nursing school and become a RN. Thanks.

I did all my prereqs for nursing at a community college as well and yes the reguirements in sciences are C+ or better. I maintained B's and B+ in my sciences. My point is never do the bare minimal. I went into the BSN nursing program with a 3.5 gpa and now I have a 2.96 (in my nursing classes not cumulative) b/c of 3 C+ during my first 2 semesters of nursing school basically my critical thinking skills hadn't kicked in yet and due to the stress of pathophysiology and med-surg classes. Now I'm back on track with nothing less than B in my classes (and my school does B minuses) and preparing to graduate in May . Nursing school is a completely different way of studying and understanding. If ur a person who continues to memorize content w/o understanding u will have a very hard time in nursing school. I say that because that's how we were all taught to learn, but in nursing school yes there is memorization but u need to by able to apply it. I would recommend taking some sciences over. I wish I could go back and take A & P over and take them time to learn and understand it, cause I definitely didn't. I'm telling u this to help u, cause no one told me and I learned the hard way getting 3 C+ (which is the minimal u can get to pass). GOOD LUCK!!!!

Still Standing · Jan 17, 2013

Hey, don't be discouraged about your grades and don't talk down about yourself! What God has for you he has for you, he knows your heart. I am a witness to that, I was accepted at a school that was known for only looking at you if you had a 4.0 gpa and at least an 80 on your Teas Test. There were people that I knew that had better scores than I did on the Teas and didn't get in. But you know what I did my best I made a few mistakes in my past right after HS that really hurt my GPA I had to work 2 to sometimes 3 jobs to help out and just life happened but I know what I'm capable of. I retook courses and got better grades but just in time for me to apply I brought it up to barely above the minimum of 2.5, I had a 2.6. I prayed over that application in particular because that's where I wanted to be although I filled out 2 other applications to different schools. But it had to be that one they are one of the best in this area. And I didn't have an 80 on my Teas either but guess what I Got IN!!!!!!!

Did I have a hard time of course I did and so did everyone else, One thing that they stressed was the fact of how people think that just because they make straight A's in Pre Reqs that they will in NS or they will do better then someone who doesn't well thats not true! Our instructors even told us that they would rather work along side a C student than an A student, because what they find is that a C student could most of the time run circles around an A student in clinicals. Point is some people think that just because they make an A then there better than people who don't. And they were easily put back to reality really quick.

Don't compare yourself to other people and how well they are doing. You don't know what they have going on at home and they don't know what you have going on. Some people have a hard time testing, anxiety, second guessing themselves, reading too much into questions etc. I struggled with some of these things, but it wasn't the fact that I didn't know the material because I could explain it to you and the why and how and why wouldn't it be this answer or that and why was it this. Just because you don't make an A or B on a test doesn't mean you're dumb and don't know anything or can't learn it, Some people in my class now are single parents with at least 3 or 4 kids and still have to work full time and plus hours and going through death in their family, illnesses, all type of things and are in full time Nursing courses and we all cried together everyone when we made it to the next semester, it wasn't about how high did you get it was just about passing!

We had to have a 75 or above to pass our NS classes and we were all praying to even get a 74.5 on our tests, C and A students. What your grades were goes out the window once in the program, its completely different from Pre' Reqs. Our saying was "C = LPN or RN!"

It's not about your grade you can end up making an A on your tests but the question they would ask us is "Do we understand it"? Because you have to understand it to be able to apply it and build to it and not just memorizing it to get a good grade.

Now to everyone who are making A's and B's I'm not bashing you or trying to say that you aren't doing well in the Program in all aspects of it, I'm just giving the people who aren't A and B students encouragement that they can do it to and just as good or even better!

And I think it's a shame that It's put into our minds that they can't do it or possibly won't make it. And it goes both ways, Instructors experiences clinical wise that C students do better than others and are able to apply it but the school and state board wants you to have atleast a 2.5 GPA or better to pass, or get scholarships, or supplemental aide, workstudy, or to get into an bridge program or BSN, MSN, so if we need those things or want to further or eduacation we have to have those A's and B's.

Still Standing · Jan 17, 2013

I have three pieces of advice:
1.Take your TEAS and see how you do. If you can't pass TEAS, I honestly wouldn't want you to be my nurse and do dosage calculations and IV sticks on me.

True story- New Grad BSN who had the type of attitude> I make all A's and I know everything attitude in NS, looked down on us LPN students> She goes in and Nurse Supervisor asks if she knew what Z Track was and how to give it, She said yes, so she asked her if she would prepare it and administer it to the Pt. so she goes in to the Pt's room and administer's Iron SQ in the abdomen! Instead of just saying she didn't know and ask for help.

I guess she was trying to prove a point.

And the Teas Test isn't a Dosage Calculations exam or an Medication administration exam, it's a test to see what level or learning you are on to see on a national level if you are capable of learning the material, with minimum, or a maximum amount of remediation or study assistance.

SycamoreGuy · Jan 17, 2013

A C students biggest hurdle will be getting accepted into a program.

queserasera, RN · Jan 17, 2013

From a very real place a 2.7 gpa doesn't show that you had a strong handle on the material in your pre reqs. If you just barely scraped by on the easiest part of your education, it make hurt you. But hopefully you get in.

Topher53 · Jan 17, 2013

To the OP... No.

Sweet charm, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2013

Why would it be acceptable for a student with barely passing grades to be allowed into a program and take away a spot from a student that worked hard to obtain a very competitive GPA, all because they "kissed butt" to the dean? That is absurd, sad, and pathetic on very many levels and I find it sad that you would not only recommend doing this, but even admit that you yourself would do it.
Seriously people, what happened to working hard for something and actually earning it.

I appreciate your reply, however I don't know the criteria for the school(s) OP is applying for and I know most nursing schools have more than one criteria that's looked at for selection. I am assuming OP knows that her chances for selection are low if GPA is heavily weighted upon. If she wants this as badly as she says she does, she will try to retake classes and get to know the dean personally and like I said earlier do whatever she can to get a a spot. When people really want a coveted spot they will do what's necessary, it happens a lot and I know that doesn't make it right. I personally don't see anything absurd, sad or pathetic about that unless you're hurting someone. I haven't started my pre reqs yet, but I have already personally met with the dean/ program manager for the nursing schools I am hoping to apply to, they have my name and phone number and know how passionate I am about nursing and I have been told by some of them to call when I eventually put my application through. I will not be "taking a spot away" from someone else. If op communicates her problems with her pre reqs correctly to whoever is in charge, I don't think she would be either.

Beautifulvirgo · Jan 17, 2013

I was a medical assistant working in hospitals and clinics for 2 years, Cna for 2 years and volunteer work along the sides of a RN for 18 months now. so I know what to do in situations. a doctor told me to get into nursing since i been in the healthcare for 5 years. just not getting the in depth science like cells, mitosis an etc.

Math 118=B

English 101=B

Chemisty=B

Bio 121=C

Bio 226= C

Bio 227=C

Pharm= B