Do grades mean much?

[Zooey72]

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?

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Also, another thing I have noticed is that new grads will care so much about where they went to school. No one really cares where one person went.

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

From what I've seen/experienced, grades only matter in regards to passing and moving onto the next class and then eventually get your degree which will allow you to take your NCLEX. Do grades matter in the working world? Nope. I haven't heard of any of my former classmates that their hospital(s) in the IE of SoCal looked at grades in regards to the hiring process. Graduating with honors and showing that on your resume may help a tad, but I wouldn't say it's a must have/need. Maybe a magnet hospital would look at that? I wouldn't know, I don't know of any new grad that went to one.

Motto in my program, C = RN. Of course that didn't necessarily mean do the bare minimum to pass

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Do grades matter in the working world? Nope. I haven't heard of any of my former classmates that their hospital(s) in the IE of SoCal looked at grades in regards to the hiring process.

Motto in my program, C = RN. Of course that didn't necessarily mean do the bare minimum to pass

Well, many examples have been given showing that grades can mean a great deal.

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

Well, many examples have been given showing that grades can mean a great deal.

Depends on what you are referring grades to. If you are a pre-nursing student, then yes, grades mean the world. Aim for 4.0's so you can get into ADN/BSN programs right away. As I mentioned, in the hiring process it could mean something, but from what I've looked around, not really much. More importantly it's how you present yourself in your interview and how you can sell yourself to the interviewer (in addition to your personally/work experiences...etc, the whole shabang). If you are talking about intelligence in general or as an RN, well it's up to you to decide on that. 4.0 students are smart on paper, but it doesn't mean they are clinically smart. And we all know RN's need to be well-rounded and RN's come from all types of "intelligence."

I don't want to get on a tangent here, but I still stand by what I said in regards to how much grades mean in the working world. Not much as far as I can tell.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Depends on what you are referring grades to. If you are a pre-nursing student, then yes, grades mean the world. Aim for 4.0's so you can get into ADN/BSN programs right away. As I mentioned, in the hiring process it could mean something, but from what I've looked around, not really much. More importantly it's how you present yourself in your interview and how you can sell yourself to the interviewer (in addition to your personally/work experiences...etc, the whole shabang). If you are talking about intelligence in general or as an RN, well it's up to you to decide on that. 4.0 students are smart on paper, but it doesn't mean they are clinically smart. And we all know RN's need to be well-rounded and RN's come from all types of "intelligence."

I don't want to get on a tangent here, but I still stand by what I said in regards to how much grades mean in the working world. Not much as far as I can tell.

It's been stated numerous times that grades can be important in the working world:

In new grad residency programs that give new nurses a new job in a desired specialty. These residency programs are highly sought by new grads. They can be very competitive, and grades can be a critical factor in determining who is offered a spot (i.e., a "job").

Advance practice education: If you want to be a CRNA or go to grad school, those grades will take on significant importance, even years after graduation, which will very surely affect one in "the working world."

[aprilj90, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

If you plan on stopping at your RN then getting good grades will benefit you for preparing for the NCLEX and understanding clinical knowledge. No employer asks what you're GPA was in school. To be honest you can graduate with a 4.0 and still not understand how to be a nurse. That is normal and expected. If you plan to go to graduate school, many of them have undergraduate GPA requirements. Not all of them, but a lot of them do. Hope this helps.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

If you plan on stopping at your RN then getting good grades will benefit you for preparing for the NCLEX and understanding clinical knowledge. No employer asks what you're GPA was in school. To be honest you can graduate with a 4.0 and still not understand how to be a nurse. That is normal and expected. If you plan to go to graduate school, many of them have undergraduate GPA requirements. Not all of them, but a lot of them do. Hope this helps.

NOT TRUE. Many new grad residency programs most certainly want to see your GPA and will ask for an official transcript to boot. Not *all* employers ask about GPA, and certainly not after a nurse has practical experience, but for that first job, the GPA may very well have to be given up.

[Ackeem, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Depends on your long term goals, for me i just wanted to always be over 3.0.

[Lightning90]

In my opinion grades do not mean much if you are already in a nursing program, UNLESS you plan on furthering your education by being a np, etc.