what is an okay GPA to put on your resume?

Nurses General Nursing

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just wondering if I should be putting a 3.3 gpa on my new grad resume. It's average, not great, not bad. do u think it will automatically look less appealing against other applicant with higher gpa?

Specializes in ICU.

One hospital I looked int asked for your GPA on the application for the grad nurse positions.

I didn't list GPA on my resume but did put Deans list and Honor Society down on it.

I've been advised to list gpa/honors by several NMs. This does not require much space, LOL. If you did well you deserve any edge it might bring you in this competitive new grad job market, unless the facility your looking at isn't interested in continuing ed/advancement for it's nursing staff -- red flag. You gotta use a little street smarts! Those students who just did the minimum to skate by (we all know a few) usually will try to tell you not to list on your resume. Afterall, all of you will be giving resumes to the same facilities...it's easy to see why.

If your GPA is not 3.9 or 4.0 or you don't have a national honor society membership, I would not put it on. The employer is more interested in your work history. Space taken up with anything else detracts.

Specializes in progressive care telemetry.

Just went to a resume writing seminar for new grads given by nurse recruiters at a large hospital with a great reputation, they said to include it. They also said they are using it to pick the best candidates since they are hiring so few new nurses. So maybe if it's not so hot (or you're not a new grad) leave it off.

Just went to a resume writing seminar for new grads given by nurse recruiters at a large hospital with a great reputation, they said to include it. They also said they are using it to pick the best candidates since they are hiring so few new nurses. So maybe if it's not so hot (or you're not a new grad) leave it off.

i too thought it should be left off.

maybe it is us experienced nurses who are assessing it to be unnecessary, knowing how irrelevant it really is in the real world of nursing.

leslie

Frankly, nobody cares (well, maybe except for your mom, LOL...) about a GPA. The only thing that really matters is, do you have a valid license (no conditions, no criminal background), what experience do you have, and are you a US citizen.

I would not put a GPA on a resume. If you had graduated with honors, or had been inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma Theta Tau international), then that may be a bit more meaningful.

I beg to differ. Once I went to a career fair and inquire about nuring positions and the recruiter who represented the hospital automatically asked me what my gpa like...then he WROTE in down on my resume...My gpa wasnt 4.0 so I never heard back from him,also I was trying to get into a new grad program in another state--one of the first questions the recruiter asked me on the phone was about my gpa,instead scheduling an interview with the floor manager as was promised,I have received rejection letter,even before the interview itself..so there are places where they do care about gpas especially if you are trying to get into a new grad program.And frankly the song "all you need is your license etc" is not valid anymore well at least during the ecomic crisis.

I beg to differ. Once I went to a career fair and inquire about nuring positions and the recruiter who represented the hospital automatically asked me what my gpa like...then he WROTE in down on my resume...My gpa wasnt 4.0 so I never heard back from him,also I was trying to get into a new grad program in another state--one of the first questions the recruiter asked me on the phone was about my gpa,instead scheduling an interview with the floor manager as was promised,I have received rejection letter,even before the interview itself..so there are places where they do care about gpas especially if you are trying to get into a new grad program.And frankly the song "all you need is your license etc" is not valid anymore well at least during the ecomic crisis.

thank you guys for the reply. Its interesting to see that most of the experienced nurses responses are different from the new grad. the job market is very tight right now and i can see how a GPA can be used to pick the "cream of the crop", or even eliminate those with avg GPAs. i'mma take your advice and leave it out for now. although i do like how someone commented that nobody cares about GPAs anymore in the real world when you're experienced. :D

It is really sad that they send rejection letters when the gpa is not to their standards. a nursing student that gets good grades in theory is not necessarily the best at clinicals. Oh well what you gonna do. They are the ones hiring so I guess we have to keep them grades up

Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

I wouldn't consider putting my GPA on unless it was a 4.0 and you had other things to list with it, like honor societies or whatever.

I have just been interviewing for jobs and have only been asked once for my GPA..it was 3.2 and I still got offered the job. The school I went to was more of an influence than the GPA - from what I've been told. Our school has a great reputation for prepared graduate nurses.

I don't list my GPA. If they want to know what it is, they will ask.

It is really sad that they send rejection letters when the gpa is not to their standards. a nursing student that gets good grades in theory is not necessarily the best at clinicals. Oh well what you gonna do. They are the ones hiring so I guess we have to keep them grades up

My grades include my clinical (55% clinical, 45% theory). If we don't do well at both theory and clinical, we don't do well in the program and our grade reflects that.

... the only thing that really matters is, do you have a valid license (no conditions, no criminal background), what experience do you have, and are you a us citizen...

not wanting to hijack this thread, but now you have me worried. when looking for work as a new rn, is it important to be a us citizen? i have lived here in massachusetts for 13 years but have not yet gone for citizenship (green card holder). i'm going to do it, as i won't have to give up my british citizenship and can actually hold both, but not until after nursing school. my reason for delaying might seem crazy, but i have already been called for jury duty four times! obviously i can't do it, but as a us citizen i could/would have to. i don't want to risk missing days, or possibly longer, of school should i get called again, so i'm waiting. plus they have just put the cost up, and it's not just chump change any more. anyway, i know that to work at a va hospital i would need citizenship, but anywhere else? :eek:

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