Does GPA matter in terms of getting a job?

mcs1505 · Jun 28, 2008

Well, it depends on how many people apply for the job you want, obviously, and also what dept you want to work in. I believe the high acuity areas (ER, ICU etc) are more likely to have GPA requirements, spoken or unspoken.

My number one choice doesn't stipulate a certain GPA but the people I've talked to all had 3.5s or higher and another job flat out says you have to have a 3.0 or higher to apply (But I want Pedes ER or ICU at a big hospital so I'm sure that has something to do with it)

I would think after you have some experience, though, your GPA will become less and less important and your performance record will have a heavier impact on hiring decisions.

Just do your best, that's all anyone can ask of you!

mpccrn, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2008

i haven't ever been asked about my GPA in any job interview. what is important is having your license....the end!

BinkieRN, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2008

i haven't ever been asked about my GPA in any job interview. what is important is having your license....the end!

I totally agree!

rph3664 · Jun 28, 2008

i haven't ever been asked about my GPA in any job interview. what is important is having your license....the end!

Mega-dittos! (and I can't stand Rush Limburger)

With some exceptions, the only thing an employer wants to look at are your credentials - where you went to school, your license and if it's in good standing, that kind of thing. I did have one employer ask for a transcript but found out that they had been burned by someone (not a pharmacist) with falsified credentials.

Drysolong · Jun 28, 2008

i haven't ever been asked about my GPA in any job interview. what is important is having your license....the end!

I also agree. I had a high GPA, but a "D" (my assessment) in experience & skill when I first graduated from LPN school.

4.0 + NCLEX = Nurse

3.0 + NCLEX = Nurse

2.0 + NCLEX = Nurse

4x4country · Jun 28, 2008

another fancy bulletin on the resume.

Personally I will never forget a saying the strict teacher (that students literally feared) once told me in clinicals, " I personally like the "C" or "B" students better b/c they have more common nursing knowledge." She went on to say," They are not just memorizing the powerpoints and taking the test. They are the students that narrow it down to two answers and think with nursing logic. They bring up the 'what if this is going on or that". I will NEVER forget that b/c whenener I do bad on a test that always brings up my spirits.

MikeyJ, RN · Jun 28, 2008

I also agree. I had a high GPA, but a "D" (my assessment) in experience & skill when I first graduated from LPN school.
4.0 + NCLEX = Nurse
3.0 + NCLEX = Nurse
2.0 + NCLEX = Nurse

I would hope to god that a nursing school would not pass a student who maintained a 2.0 GPA. There should definitely be a cut-off GPA when it comes down to health professionals.

At my school you fail if you get less than a 75% in a class (that 75% must come from exams), or if you fall below a 2.75, you fail the program.

But back to the OP question, I don't think many hospitals would look at your GPA. Last year when I interviewed for my nurse apprentice position, my manager did ask me what my GPA was. And I know some big name hospitals will require a transcript. There is a children's hospital in another state I was looking at that not only required a GPA of 3.5 and an official transcript, but it also required 2 letters of references from past clinical instructors! :eek:

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jun 28, 2008

another fancy bulletin on the resume.
Personally I will never forget a saying the strict teacher (that students literally feared) once told me in clinicals, " I personally like the "C" or "B" students better b/c they have more common nursing knowledge." She went on to say," They are not just memorizing the powerpoints and taking the test. They are the students that narrow it down to two answers and think with nursing logic. They bring up the 'what if this is going on or that". I will NEVER forget that b/c whenener I do bad on a test that always brings up my spirits.

I had a professor state that, also. She also said that she found that the C and B students were the ones that usually passed NCLEX the first time around. No one has asked thus far what my GPA was. I was a 3.8 by graduation, but there was never an occasion for me to share such news.

stephlucasrn2008 · Jun 28, 2008

Just as a note... The valedictorian and 3 other straight-A students nurses I graduated with would not be allowed within a 100-foot radius of me if I was ill... I have a friends that got all A's, A's and B's, and B's and C's that are excellent nurses... I know one of the best nurses I work with claims she barely graduated because she was a horrible test taker but has awesome clinical skills and a godsent bedside manner... As I always say, do what makes you happy and reach for the stars... I got all B's but an A in ICU and that's where I started... Do what you are good at and feels right... Don't ever let any "standards" or "requirements" detour your path...

vashtee, RN · Jun 28, 2008

another fancy bulletin on the resume.
Personally I will never forget a saying the strict teacher (that students literally feared) once told me in clinicals, " I personally like the "C" or "B" students better b/c they have more common nursing knowledge." She went on to say," They are not just memorizing the powerpoints and taking the test. They are the students that narrow it down to two answers and think with nursing logic. They bring up the 'what if this is going on or that". I will NEVER forget that b/c whenener I do bad on a test that always brings up my spirits.

Oh, god. Not that ridiculous argument, again! To imply that good grades and common sense cannot coexist is offensive. It sounds like your strict teacher was a C student just trying to justify him/herself, which is probably unnecessary, BTW, because I rarely/never hear the top students comment about the academic performance of the C students.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 28, 2008

Just because you have never been asked about your GPA doesn't mean that a hiring manager was not positively impressed by someone else who offered their GPA because it was high.

As indicated by the previous contributers to this thread, the extent to which GPA figures into your job prospects varies -- with the individual hiring, the competition for the particular job you want, the reputation of your school, etc. There is no one right answer to the original question.

When you are applying for jobs, your goal is to make a positive impression on the people doing the hiring. Anything that you can do to make a more positive impression can (and often does) help. Anything that you do to make a negative impression can (and often does) hurt. But the specific details vary from case to case.