A lot of people on this board (and in our programs) indicate that a C will not "cut it" for them, they "expect" more of themselves... blah blah blah. I can understand this but what I don't like is the inherent disrespect for those of us who indicate we are really quite thrilled to pass. When I was in pre-reqs I worked very hard to get A's in my classes. I just finished my first quarter in nursing school and the amount of material we had to cover and the expectations placed upon us were somewhat brutal (at least when compared with "regular" college). My attitude abruptly shifted and became: I will work hard but I will NOT beat myself up for being less than perfect and I will remember that survival is key and will be pleased to simply pass. One person in particular looked down her nose at me when I expressed that opinion and said that she expected more from herself than to merely... (snotty look inserted) pass.
I guess what annoys me about this is just because someone says they're thrilled simply to pass doesn't mean they work any less (or make any lower grades) than someone who says they expect As... To indicate that this is not a sour grapes post and to underline what I'm trying to say, I did make one of the few As in our class for the term, but my attitude remains the same: My goal (while I shoot for As) is ultimately to survive and pass. Why is that so bad??
Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.
You know, I think I've just been blindsided by how competetive this environment is. I never really expected it, I've been in college for years and just expected it to be... the same. As far as me assuming that just because people are saying "passing doesn't do it for them" that they are looking down on those of us who don't share that attitude, I think I've been influenced by the experience I had in school where someone did look down on me for that.. and have probably unfairly transferred that to others.
Your last paragraph above about oneupmanship not stopping with grades really caught me too. You're right, I've already seen that, I just haven't recognized it as such and if I let any of this get to me before I know it I'm going to be letting all of it get to me.
Bottom line, I need to just ignore it. How many times have I told my friends that "at the end of the day all that matters is that you tried your best and that you are at peace with how you conducted yourself." It's time to take my own advice and not let any of these new politics through my door.
Thanks you guys.
No worries, and don't think that I was attacking you, I wasn't. It sounds like we are much alike as students in the end.
Nursing school IS competitive. It is so because it is so difficult, and there just isn't enough support. Not enough support from each other, the faculty, and all too often not enough support at home. And because we don't get enough support, we have to try to inflate our own self worth. Some do it by striving to be at the top of the class and make sure that everyone knows it, others by announcing their martyrdom to all that will listen. Too often the result is bullying. Unfortunately from what I have seen here at allnurses, this all too often carries over into the workplace.
It is a good idea not to announce grades, but there will always be at least one person who does it, and as I have said there are many ways to make yourself feel superior at others expense. The cure has to be to not participate in the competition, and above all to be supportive to the people in your class. Understand the reason that people behave the way they do. The next time that someone brags about the grade they got on the last test, congratulate them and invite them to join your study group. If they really did get the grade, they will be a welcome addition to the group, and if they didn't do as well as they said, perhaps they need the help that YOU can offer.
Anyway, thank you for listening, and being receptive to my previous post. I was afraid that I was too harsh
I only compete with ME. I'm not trying to join Mensa or compete with an 18 high school honor student. If the best I can do is a C, than that's the grade I get. I don't care about all the competition (even though I see it ALL the time). Other people don't pay my bills or tuition and they won't be around after school is over.
I slacked off and got "C"s on tests in classes that I knew would drop my lowest grade. But, those were in the pre reqs. In RN school, I want to pass and move on. The goal is $$$ not AAA.
i hear you loud and clear, mariedoreen. i intiated a thread (you can check on 'threads started by...'), while i was knee deep in midterm papers this past semester. those who responded were a bit more blunt about it than on this thread. i work hard while in school. i'm already in grad school, so i have a career, and don't have to worry about 'getting in'. i also cannot devote 100% of my time and effort into my studies. even when i was able to (as an undergrad, single, and living off mommy and daddy), i still did not get a's.
this semester i got an a and a-, and was overjoyed!!! i got a's on both my group projects. the other group members were not nearly as excited as i (i guess they expected nothing less?). not me, i was thrilled.
and as far as grades r/t actual practice, well, i think everyone is different. i'd like to think there's no correlation (i failed nclex the first time, and i'm the best nurse in the world :chuckle )
okay I'll chime in here. Grades are important to me. I want to get straight A's, I want to graduate summa cum laude. Those are my personal goals because the first time I was in college, I screwed around and graduated with like a 2.5 GPA. Now that I have gone back to school, it's a clean slate as far as my grades go so I can shoot for A's if I want. I really don't care what anyone else makes on their tests, it's really none of my business and it doesn't affect my grade anyway.
What gets me though is that we get our grades through WebCT, it's similar to Blackboard. Now we can't see who made what exactly, but we do get a breakdown of the grades and what the high grade was and the low grade was. The next day in class is was like an inquisition trying to find out who made the highest grade and who got the lowest. I have had the high grade a couple of times and all of the comments and looks get old. I have gotten the "well you must have lots of time to study, you don't have kids" um no, I work 40 hours a week, thanks a lot. I've also been called a b*tch for my good grades, even though it was said with a laugh, it still hurt. I don't advertise my grades, but if you ask, I will tell you. If you are insecure and don't want to know, don't ask in the first place.
oh and another thing that ticks me off. I am a really fast test taker and am usually the first one done. Afterwards, I always get 1 or 2 people coming up to me saying, "man you made me feel bad during that test, I was only on Q30 when you turned yours in!" well sorry, next time I'll sit and wait 30 mins to make you feel better. whatever.
Oh and the line that A students do poorly in clinic and C students do just dandy is a load of bull. There are some A students who do fantastic, some who stink it up, there are some C students who are great and some I wouldn't let touch my dog! Each student is different in their clinical ability and to make a broad brush statement like that is just dumb.
I think the importance of a grade should be an individual thing. I study my buns off and work really hard for all my grades. Some classes I know I will get an A in.... because the subject is really interesting. I love science!
However, I was really mad at MYSELF (only) for missing a B by 2 points in political science. I ended up with a C. I was mad at myself for not studying harder to get at least a B. I may have to retake that class if I want to go for my BSN right away instead of ADN. So that grade will hurt me and I kick myself for it.
That being said, in my classes, I am the champion motivator! I share my notes ( I usually have an email list), website finds and my time with my fellow students. Everyone knows that I usually get an A. They also know that I am open to helping anyone out in any way I can. :)
When grades come out I am thrilled for what everyone got and if it's not what they expected I try to boost their spirits.
I know it is a competitive world out there, but my spirit says to do your best and share your knowledge. Be proud of your accomplishments!!!
I am proud of mine because I deserve the grades I earn..... even that darned C!
With all of the different nursing school programs in the country, some are bound to be easier than others and some may be harder than others. It's silly to compare grades with one another. What someone might lack in a certain area, she/he will excel in something else.
IMHO, grades shouldn't even be mentioned. Beyond the passing mark, they aren't important.
What is important is what is being learned and I know for a fact that I often learn the most when I make a poor grade and then get the chance to look over the test with the correct answers chosen. Just my 2...
Had to throw my 2 cents in here. There are so many people applying to Nursing School, getting in has become incredibly competitive. The school I applied to had only 40 open slots and almost 500 applicants. It was a very lengthy/stressful admission process and I was very fortunate to be among the 40 that began class this past August. The 40 of us had made it into the Program and most of us felt that the "competition" was over. From day one, we knew that it was up to us as individuals to study hard, get the best grades we could, perform to the best of our abilities in clinicals, etc. to eventually reach our goal of becoming RN's.
I've read many posts from people thinking the straight "A" students make crummy Nurses and the straight "A" students saying that's just "sour grapes" from people upset that they didn't get great grades. There are a few people in my class that think they are contestants on "Jeopardy" :chuckle . The Instructor throws out a question and before most of the class has time to process the question, the same 2 or 3 people answer it (right or wrong) they have some desire to get a word in and not give the rest of us a chance to answer - oh well.
For me at least, my only competition is with myself. My Goal is to be the Best Nurse I can be and since I began this, I push myself to keep doing better, studying harder and learning as much as I can. I keep imagining myself faced with a patient with "X" disease and using all the knowledge I have to treat them and make their life better in some way - that's what Nursing is all about to me. At the end of the day - if I can look back and know I touched someones life, made a difference, educated them about their disease or simply held their hand when they were in pain, I'll know I did my best. Sue.....
I expect the very best that I can do. I graduated with a 3.8. Did I cry because I made didn't make a 4.0? No. The 3.8 came when I was 3 points away from an A the one and only quarter I made a B in nursing. Like others I was happy to have made the B and move on.
Sometimes I might know I can do better and choose at that moment in time not to kill myself. Fatigue, burnout, or wanting to have some fun might make me say "let's just blow this one today." Then of course I might say "I could have done better, but didn't." But I don't cry over my grades.
I never really heard in school people actually strive to only make C's, but quite of bit of us where satisfied to have graduated and get on with our careers regardless of the grades.
What is getting me through nursing today is not the grades I made 20 years ago, but the experience I have and the critical thinking I've developed along the way. I smile when I look back at those grade-obsessed years. Now that I'm working on my BSN I vow to do my very best, but to keep in perspective, and not kill myself for an A.
If it helps people to keep things in perspective when they make C's, then more power to them.
I'm glad I made good grades because my school required at least an 2.5. Most graduate schools require a 2.5 as well.
I think what we have here sometimes is that people aren't respecting each other because they don't understand each others mindset. People who choose to squeak by are looked down by a few straight A students, and those straight A students are looked down by a few average students who choose other priorities for their lives. I've found there is no talking the grade obsessed into not being grade obessessed and there's no motovating those who want to pass to become straight A students. We should respect each others priorities and abilities and support each other along the way. Wouldn't that be nice?
I never really heard in school people actually strive to only make C's, but quite of bit of us where satisfied to have graduated and get on with our careers regardless of the grades.
I really don't think people strive to get C's, but there is a point in the semester, where, if things aren't going too great, a C looks like a million dollars!! (well, maybe a thousand).
What is getting me through nursing today is not the grades I made 20 years ago, but the experience I have and the critical thinking I've developed along the way. I smile when I look back at those grade-obsessed years. Now that I'm working on my BSN I vow to do my very best, but to keep in perspective, and not kill myself for an A.
Something nurses don't realize until much later. There is so much more that is learned after nursing school.
I think what we have here sometimes is that people aren't respecting each other because they don't understand each others mindset. People who choose to squeak by are looked down by a few straight A students, and those straight A students are looked down by a few average students who choose other priorities for their lives. I've found there is no talking the grade obsessed into not being grade obessessed and there's no motovating those who want to pass to become straight A students. We should respect each others priorities and abilities and support each other along the way. Wouldn't that be nice?
That would be beautiful. That should apply to ALL threads on this bb ('Christianity and Christmas' comes to mind :chuckle ).
I graduated in RN in 2000 and took my nursing boards on 9/11/2001 and passed. I continued going to school and only did home care. Employers want to immediately put me into management being that I am an RN. I would like to start out as a Staff Nurse to gain some experience as a nurse first before I manage anyone. I am wondering where a new nurse can go to get her feet wet before being thrown into a management position? How did you all start out and where can you get the best training?
Also there are pre-employment tests that consist of medication and calculations. I am not so sure what to study from for these tests since there is so many different drug names out here. Any suggestions?
I graduated in RN in 2000 and took my nursing boards on 9/11/2001 and passed. I continued going to school and only did home care. Employers want to immediately put me into management being that I am an RN. I would like to start out as a Staff Nurse to gain some experience as a nurse first before I manage anyone. I am wondering where a new nurse can go to get her feet wet before being thrown into a management position? How did you all start out and where can you get the best training?
Also there are pre-employment tests that consist of medication and calculations. I am not so sure what to study from for these tests since there is so many different drug names out here. Any suggestions?
Jennifer, that's pretty impressive, and I love the topics you open in this post.
I think it deserves its very own thread. Any chance you would start one with this post? I'll watch for it......
This reminds me of my little 89.72 final course grade in one of my classes. I kept thinking OMG if I had only gotten 2 more questions right on exam 2, or spent 10 more minutes studying for my practicum...but hey, in the end a B is a B (even though I would rather have made an 80.72 so it would make the B feel a bit better). It's ok though, cuz in my other classes I was right on the line but I was on the good side of it. :) Don't stress about it because what's done is done. Just look forward to the opportunities to do great next semester!!
Nightcrawler, BSN, RN
320 Posts
No worries, and don't think that I was attacking you, I wasn't. It sounds like we are much alike as students in the end.
Nursing school IS competitive. It is so because it is so difficult, and there just isn't enough support. Not enough support from each other, the faculty, and all too often not enough support at home. And because we don't get enough support, we have to try to inflate our own self worth. Some do it by striving to be at the top of the class and make sure that everyone knows it, others by announcing their martyrdom to all that will listen. Too often the result is bullying. Unfortunately from what I have seen here at allnurses, this all too often carries over into the workplace.
It is a good idea not to announce grades, but there will always be at least one person who does it, and as I have said there are many ways to make yourself feel superior at others expense. The cure has to be to not participate in the competition, and above all to be supportive to the people in your class. Understand the reason that people behave the way they do. The next time that someone brags about the grade they got on the last test, congratulate them and invite them to join your study group. If they really did get the grade, they will be a welcome addition to the group, and if they didn't do as well as they said, perhaps they need the help that YOU can offer.
Anyway, thank you for listening, and being receptive to my previous post. I was afraid that I was too harsh