Can stupid people pass nursing school?

guest563546 · Feb 13, 2012

EVERYBODY struggles in nursing school, I don't care how brilliant they are. And don't think of yourself as stupid. I'm sure you have your strong subjects and your weak ones, again just like everyone. Don't let failing to achieve your goal even become a possibility in your mind. If you think you can fail it becomes all to easy to do just that. Focus on what you need to work on in order to succeed. Good luck to you! :up:

bernikitty · Feb 13, 2012

first of all, if you really want to be a nurse you HAVE TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF ESTEEM! as a nurse, you will have to advocate for your patient. this means that at times you will have to follow your instinct and stand up to people who won't listen to you or will dismiss your concerns. and you have to be SMART enough to know patho and physiology well enough to back up your concerns with solid knowledge. as a nurse you will have to have the confidence to assert what your think is right. and if you don't know something, be confident and secure enough to seeking out that knowledge.

in nursing, like any other field there will be cruel mean people who can sniff out low self esteem and pounce on it like a shark you will have this stress in addition to the other inherent stress of being a nurse. this IMHO will make it very hard to thrive as a nurse.

to survive nursing school you must first have to DESIRE to succeed. then you have to be committed and with that commitment will come the discipline to learn the theory and learn how to apply it in critical thinking scenarios. your desire to learn must be greater than your fear of appearing clueless during clinicals. we are expected to be fearful due to lack of experience but don't let that stop you from asking questions. fear from lack of knowledge is easily remedied if you are willing to read and study. fear from lack of experience wil be cured with time.

no a stupid person cannot make it thru nursing school, but a person with the desire to learn, become an independent thinker and who wants to but a part of upholding this profession and the welfare of all the patients in your care CAN!!

anonymousstudent · Feb 13, 2012

Grades are not directly indicative of intelligence. Just because you get B's and C's doesn't mean you're stupid. What it probably means is that you need to take a good look at how you are studying, and get some help with time management, organization, and test taking strategy.

morte, LPN, LVN · Feb 13, 2012

Grades are not directly indicative of intelligence. Just because you get B's and C's doesn't mean you're stupid. What it probably means is that you need to take a good look at how you are studying, and get some help with time management, organization, and test taking strategy.

...and perhaps an eval for learning disabilities. Perhaps a neuropsych exam.....in other words, try to figure out why you are getting those Cs.....good luck!

ashulee89 · Feb 13, 2012

I usually make Bs and have been known to see the occasional C. I work hard and study hard. This in no way makes me stupid, but everyone is entitled to their opinions. As others have said it just means that I need to reevaluate my studying/test taking skills. An RN is an RN. Regardless of grade.

Pixiesmom, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2012

As good ol' Forrest said, "stupid is as stupid does". There are ways to improve your grades. Look at your study habits, talk to your instructor, join a study group, get a tutor, and get going.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2012

the truly stupid, the bone-deep-clueless, unable to learn an entirely new way of thinking and master a boatload of science, no, they won't pass school. or if they do, they won't pass nclex, generally.

however, they tend to be blind to their own limitations. they generally blame their failures on mean instructors (read: won't just pass you for being there and really wanting to be a nurse), ambiguous test questions (read: i didn't understand it well enough to tell the difference), and circumstances beyond their control (like, it was so totally not my fault that i turned in my paper late and it's soooo unfair that she gave me an f for it), rather than on their own limitations and shortcomings.

that said, dear, you're not saying anything that screams out "stupid!" to me here. you are at least interested in working at it, which is more than some of these airheads appear to be. good luck and let us know when we can clap you on the back and welcome you into your professional program. :nurse:

danarooo, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2012

I think your first obsticle is the way you view yourself. If you think you can, you will. If you think you can't, you won't. Stupid is subjective. I graduated with honors from nursing school, and some days I can't stop myself from saying or doing some of the most ridiculous things. I fall up, not down my own stairs...stairs I've went up and down every day for 4 years!! Once I asked my husband how many quarters were in a football game. If you asked me to save your life by doing long division you'd probably be dead before I could get a simple problem correct! If I can make it through you can do it.

You can most certainly do whatever it is you put your mind to doing. It may take time. I think your first step is to adjust the way you see yourself. Everyone struggles to one degree or another in nursing school, trust me on this. It's not something that anyone is going to breeze through. Go visit an advisor, take a good look at your grades. If you have a bit more gen eds to get through then use them to raise your GPA.

PeepnBiscuitsRN · Feb 13, 2012

If you truly think you're stupid, you shouldn't even be in college/university. That said, I don't think you are stupid or you wouldn't be where you are now.

Nursing prerequisites and and the actual nursing classes themselves are tough. They require you to critically think, and to tie all the stuff you've been learning together. One class builds on another- you can't do well in pharmacology unless you understand physiology, for example.

But to answer the core of your question, no. Stupid people can't pass nursing school, I'm not sure stupid people can pass any school.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Feb 13, 2012

According to the folks here on AN, you're only an idiot if you have to take your NCLEX more than once.

MomRN0913 · Feb 13, 2012

a B&C student is not a stupid person. That's called average. And yes, average people can become nurses.

I because a nurse with a C, actually a C was the average grade in my nursing class, and no one got an A.

Now if you are really stupid like the numb nuts in my class who would lose her car every clinical in the parking lot of the hospital, then you probably won't be a good nurse.