Clinical grading

[deviousI]

Hi everyone and thanks in advance for your response. I am quite bumped about the way clinicals are handled in my school. Even though clinicals are supposed to be pass/fail; we still get a grade based on a written assignment. This assignment is worth 25% of our final grade. What is upsetting me is that the grade you get is based more on the instructor rather than the essay itself. In my group the highest grade was an 88 and after that everyone else got 76-84. However, other groups got 93-99. To me this is ridiculous that there is such a big difference of grades specially since its such a big chunk of the final grade. In our group we also got deducted 5 points for not including a complete rubric where as other groups did not get any points deducted. Is there anything that can be done about this? I find this to be very unfair because it prevents certain people from getting an A. Thanks again.

[Stcroix, ASN, PhD, RN]

Nature of the beast. Teachers are all individuals. It is unfair that they don't grade the same but it's just the way it is. I look at it as the luck of the draw. I see many students preoccupied with with issues like this, and lose sight of the real goal. Nursing school is like so many other 'tests' in life, a series of hurdles to clear to reach the finish line and move on to the next thing. Yes, it peeves me too, but I am running for the finish line and it takes all of my time and attention. I hope you get your share of the 'breaks' along with the handicaps! Good luck.

[Moogie]

I had an instructor like that in my ADN program. She told us at the very beginning that she didn't believe in giving A's. Students in other clinical groups did less than we did and got A's but we all got B's. Part of the course was our classroom work and even though I got an A in theory, I still got a B because of this particular instructor.

It was unfair and made us angry but 30 years later, it really doesn't matter what grade I got in that course. I made some of the dearest friends ever in that course and we still laugh about how irritating that instructor was.

[deviousI]

Thanks everyone, I'm really trying not to let it bother me... Its just hard because it seems I keep on getting the strict instructors and I feel very lucky cause I have learned so much and I have no problems with the material. However, I was so determined to become a CRNA and it just feels like it slipping away from me.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I think you learn more with a strict instructor because you challenge yourself more to get the better grade.

I dislike getting an A when I know everyone got an A because the instructor is an easy grader.

[Student InNJ]

Interesting. Our clinicals are pass/fail. While they're not part of the final grade, you do need to pass to move onto the next semester.

[EMTCali]

I found the whole clinical aspect of nursing school to be very subjective. Therefore the more brown nosing you do the higher the grades. Plus you need 2 letters of rec for most new grad programs so give your clinical instructor a thank you card and ask for letter of rec.

[tokidokifantasy]

yup, clinical is indeed very subjective. We have tough and easy instructors in our program, I was stressed out to find my instructor more challenging and tough compare to other instructors, but in the end I find it very helpful and beneficial to have a hard instructor. You learn faster and keeps you on the toes. Of course, grading system is a bit different for every instructor. But I can live with a B and knowing I learned a great amount compare to getting an A from an easy teacher that I learned nothing from. LOL!!