Does GPA matter in terms of getting a job?

Nurses General Nursing

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If I literally just pass nursing school, will I have trouble getting a job at a prestigious hospital after passing the NCLEX? I'm really worried because everyone is so competitive in my program, and I am just scraping by!

Thank you in advance.

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
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.

Thank you. Many successful nurses were good students in school. For the students with lower grades to continue to insult the more successful is just another sign of "nurses not supporting each other" -- a tendency that has kept our profession down for generations. We need to applaud the success of those who do well and support each other as we all try to do our best -- not attack the ones who succeed and try to bring them down.

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Nice to know that just because I'm book smart I won't have common knowledge. People are so full of it sometime.:banghead:

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Specializes in Pediatric ED.

Ok guys, I don't think they were trying to bash people with higher GPAs, just encourage the ones who don't have 4.0s

I know where you're coming from bc I was told throughout High School that I would flunk out of college because I was able to ace any test in HS without studying for it, therefore I must have just been "memorizing for the test"...and they were wrong. I did very well in undergrad.

BUT I also know that while I've been getting Bs pretty regularly my first semester in nursing school (my second time through undergrad), that I will make an amazing nurse because, regardless of those letter grades I do know my stuff. Very well. Tests aren't perfect measurements of what you know. And they certainly can't measure whether you'll remember anything in the midst of a crisis.

We all know plenty of people on both sides of the GPA scale (nurses and non) who we would trust with our life and plenty of people on both sides that we "wouldn't let touch us with a 10 foot pole."

So, could we just let it go? Solidarity sisters! :loveya: (and brothers, though that throws my alliteration off)

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Specializes in ER, Renal Dialysis.

No, it should matter.

Getting a job now (at least in my place) is all about you passing the boards, diploma or degree and how all that gonna translate to your pay. Plus, experience. To some extremes, with the shortage of nurses and high turnover, the management are more keen on getting people to get the job done - providing they are eligible by law or practice requirements.

GPA to me is not an accurate assessment of nursing competency. Nursing school just taught so little of what is out there.

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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...

The valedictorian of my high school class is probably one of the best pharmacists around, but the Vs of the classes before and after me - no way. I'd tell my boss to shred their resumes if they came in.

One of my former co-workers used to say, and not in jest, "What do you call a doctor who graduated last in his class? A doctor" and I told him that I would probably rather have that person than the one who got top grades because that person had to struggle to get where they were and didn't have it handed to them.

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Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

Your GPA doesn't matter, for the most part. Pass your NCLEX. That's what matters. And yes, some of the best nurses are C students. An acadamician with poor people skills or lack of common sense generally makes a poor *anything*--doctor, nurse, accountant, teacher, etc...

I do get sick of hearing how A students don't make good clinical nurses, having graduated 4 years with straight As and am known to be an excellent clinical nurse. My GPA doesn't stop me from wiping butts, dropping NGs, and relating to different people at all different levels. I have been blessed with a brain that retains knowledge. I have a knack for picking out what's important in a pile of information. I am thankful for that but it doesn't interfere with my common sense or my ability to render compassionate, knowledgeable, and intuitive nursing.

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The valedictorian of my high school class is probably one of the best pharmacists around, but the Vs of the classes before and after me - no way. I'd tell my boss to shred their resumes if they came in.

One of my former co-workers used to say, and not in jest, "What do you call a doctor who graduated last in his class? A doctor" and I told him that I would probably rather have that person than the one who got top grades because that person had to struggle to get where they were and didn't have it handed to them.

I missed the editing deadline. I meant "pharmacy school class".

oops

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Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

One of my former co-workers used to say, and not in jest, "What do you call a doctor who graduated last in his class? A doctor" and I told him that I would probably rather have that person than the one who got top grades because that person had to struggle to get where they were and didn't have it handed to them.

Well, getting top grades doesn't imply it was handed to them. I got straight As and went to nursing school with 3 year old triplets. I worked for those grades! Trust me, no one handed them to me.

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i was never asked about my gpa when interviewing.

and i never put my gpa on my resume, although it was commendable.

i guess i never put much stock in grades, knowing that nurses are so much more than that.

but, there were sev'l employers who were impressed w/the school i graduated from.

i found these reactions, very surprising, but ultimately i think, to my benefit?

leslie

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Well, getting top grades doesn't imply it was handed to them. I got straight As and went to nursing school with 3 year old triplets. I worked for those grades! Trust me, no one handed them to me.

I'm very aware that an A student earned those grades. But that alone doesn't mean they are more or less competent than someone who had to struggle to stay off academic probation (like me, for instance, and a lot of other people).

We passed, and that's what's important.

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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.

It was not trying to cause a argument at all. Sry to offend you. I was NOT trying to imply that good grades and common sense cannot coexist. I believe they can. The teacher I am refering to actually got all A's 4.0 even to her masters. but that is beside the point. I just thought that it was a interesting quote. And I have no problem with academic performance, seeing I have a 3.87. I am not trying to brag but just wanted to bring up the point that just because one student gets a good grade dont mean you have to bash another one who don't. Just because I was a top student does not I bash on students who is not.

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Thank you. Many successful nurses were good students in school. For the students with lower grades to continue to insult the more successful is just another sign of "nurses not supporting each other" -- a tendency that has kept our profession down for generations. We need to applaud the success of those who do well and support each other as we all try to do our best -- not attack the ones who succeed and try to bring them down.

I was by no means trying to insult more successful students, if i was doing that I would be bashing myself. I applaud students that do well but also students that (like the OP stated) barely getting by. As long as we pass the Nclex, your a nurse.

Sry to offend you and nata. Those were not my intentions of insulting anyone . On any job interview I have had, they have never asked what number I ranked in my class. My gpa is on my resume bc yea I am proud of it.

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