Do grades mean much?

Nursing Students General Students

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I am a first year nursing student and I am starting to come to the conclusion that as long as you pass, grades really are not that important.

Don't get me wrong, I know they are important as far as being competent at your job; and I am going to get the best grades I can get, but I have yet to hear a compelling argument why passing with a 100 is any better than passing with a 78.

I had a high A average getting into nursing school, and I know for sure that helped me get in but now from how other people have talked (including my prof) it seems like although we do receive a grade the whole thing is almost like it is pass/fail.

I, like many people flubbed my first test. The second test I did well on, and I think I know now what it is they want from me now so I am not stressing about it as much. It was depressing after my first test because I had grown accustomed to getting A's, and that test pretty much made sure I was not going to get an A this semester. But upon talking to everyone nobody really thinks it's a big deal.

I think graduating with honors might look good on a resume, but other than that I don't know where good grades are going to benefit me. From what I understand getting into a bridge all they care about "did you pass the NCLEX". If I want to go further than that they just want to know if I have my 4 year.

Is there something I am missing?

It makes a difference if you're planning on attending grad school or applying for scholarships.. Other than that, as long as you're passing, it only matters to the individual.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Some places have a GPA requirement of their new grads if you are looking to get into a new grad program.
I concur. In 2010 I submitted an online employment application to a new grad program at a prestigious state-owned teaching hospital.

The recruiter telephoned to request that I email her a copy of my official nursing school transcript. She only granted interviews to people whose grade point averages were greater than a 3.0 since the new grad program was inundated with applications from new grads.

I was granted the interview, but did not get the job. Oh, well...it is all water under the bridge at this point in my career.

I am going to do the best I can as far as grades go, but it seems like the weight of what the grades mean is not as heavy as it was getting into nursing school.

I am kind of up in the air as far as how far I want to go. Where I live a BSN doesn't mean much according to every nurse where I do clinicals (most have their BSN, and most say it doesn't mean much). The big pay off is going for your masters but that is a heck of a commitment. I would hate to finish my BSN and get burned out and not go for a masters. It would be like the bridge program was a waste of time as far as furthering my career goes. From what I understand (and do not yell at me if I am not correct), the bridge program pretty much teaches you paperwork, and I doubt many people become nurses to do paperwork better.

I have close to a 4.0 GPA right now, and although I flubbed my first test I think I know what is expected of me now. My 'realistic' grade will probably be a 'B', and if I do really well a 'B+'. So at this point no matter what, my GPA is going to go down after this semester.

Thanks for the info, I do appreciate it.

I pulled Bs throughout nursing school and was thrilled. I had to enter my grades into the computer system to get into my BSN program but I don't think it mattered as long as they weren't all Cs. As far a job...my GPA wasn't on my resume and no one asked. Just master the material and work hard in clinicals. I work with a super book smart RN but I wouldn't trust her with any of my family members. BP 99/60 pulse 62 and you give them the BP meds post op and can't figure out why their BP is in the 70s...but their pulse was above 60. 😳

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I realize that not all employers do so, but my organization and most others in this neck of the woods uses cumulative GPA as a screen for new grad hires - they also restrict new grad hires to BSN.

The BSN-only movement in acute care is gaining momentum. It is all based on a very strong evidence base... that became a national IOM recommendation in 2010. Hospitals with >80% of RNs with BSN have much better patient outcomes. As far as I know, the study(ies) have not yet been replicated in non-acute care settings, so the recommendation is limited to acute care. Pressure to meet this standard is increasing not only from consumer groups, but also from companies that insure hospitals.

OP is correct - the hardest educational move is from RN - BSN because there really isn't much incentive to do so if employers are not 'BSN only' in your area... salaries are pretty much the same.

Why get a B when you can get an A? Also, scholarships look at grades.

My critical care new grad residency most certainly looked at GPA. So many people applied that year that a 3.8 was the minimum GPA required in order to be offered a spot. Only one in my residency class lacked experience (as at least a PCT or CNA) in healthcare when they applied. The ICU managers had the luxury of being very choosy that year.

Grades MAY matter very much, so don't sabotage yourself by not giving it your all.

Aim for A's, but don't become depressed or discouraged if you get B's.

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Aim for A's, but don't become depressed or discouraged if you get B's.

I strongly agree with Shrek. Try to get the best grades you can ... but don't get upset if your grades are not perfect. You don't need to be perfect, just really good.

I'm late, but the grades do matter. Aside from being competent and knowledgeable, better grades give you wiggle room. You may graze by all semester with "just passing" scores. You'll quickly come to regret it when your next exam could be the difference between passing or failing the semester. So, if nothiv motivates you, THAT should. The end of the semester will be proof... See how many are left come the next semester.

Aim for A's, but don't become depressed or discouraged if you get B's.

I had this problem when I attended nursing school in 2006. I was two years removed from high school and used to making mostly A's with the occasional B. I made an A in Pharmaocolgy, but a C in Maternity and a D (74.4) in Adult Nursing. It hurt my feelings haha. I remember there being a lot of students at the meeting of people who failed a class. I decided to switch to business, but I'm now regretting not keeping on with nursing. Thinking now about going back.

In all honestly it's really difficult to know if your GPA will matter or not... it depends if you want to apply to new grad programs, continue your education, etc. If not, then having a high GPA is really just a perk you can add to your resume (unless you apply to a facility that uses a certain GPA cut-off to screen out applicants, although I have never seen that and I live in a pretty competitive city). That being said, the knowledge required to maintain a high GPA will serve you well in your clinical rotations and career. I had classmates who followed the whole "Cs get degrees" mantra and they struggled much more in clinical, especially with pharmacology which requires a lot of studying/memorizing.

Bottom line: aim for high grades but don't feel like it's the end of the world if you aren't at the top of your class

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