"C" Students

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i have an instructor for nutrition who is a nun, rn, bsn, msn and she stated today that some of her best students have been "c" students.

because the "c" students try harder she said.

i've heard this before and just wondering if there is some truth to it.

are there any nurses out there who got mostly "c"s and were told they are excellent nurses? maybe this topic has come up before.

I don't want to turn this thing into a heated debate, but I couldn't sit back without addressing the comment about C students being lazy. I know I have gotten a few Cs in my day as well as many A's and B's. I don't believe that the classes I got the C's in proved me to be "lazy". There are so many reasons why people make the grades that they make and for anyone to be judged soley on the basis of a grade it utterly ridiculous.

I'm working on a second degree and often work 40+ hours a week and take on average 10 credits a semester. Yes, I will admit that there are times that I could devote an extra hour or two to studying, but I have other things to do with my life too. When I was 18 and working on my BA, I lived at home, worked 10 hours a week and had no other responsibilities whatsoever. I made A's and B's with an occasional C thrown in. Yes, I know that everyone's circumstance is different, but I try not to make any assumptions about people based on the grade they earn.

On the flip side, there are people who make straight A's, but have no frigging common sense to save their lives and THOSE are the ones that I wouldn't want tending to me in the hospital setting. Just thought that I would add my two cents (again). No offense to anyone...none taken. :)

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What difference does your grade in school make anyway. You know what they call the person with the lowest passing score on NCLEX-RN? ...... Nurse. Grades don't matter so long as you pass.

Just my opinion, of course everyone's got their own.

:chuckle

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Specializes in LTC, ER, ICU,.
originally posted by mkue

i had a ph.d for an elective course who didn't care if you showed up, worked your butt off, participated in class, went the extra mile on papers, if you weren't a "male" you were lucky to get a "c".

he was not only a ph.d, he was also the "chair" of that particular department so basically he told us all upfront the first day of class that all complaints would be addressed to him. none of the males ever complained. finally the nursing dept. asked students not to take his course, to take another instructor after many complaints, but not by any males.

if i did "c" work then i deserve a "c" but i will not tolerate the gender bias thing and it does exist in higher education, as with many other prejudices. just because there is a ph.d behind the name, doesn't mean jack.....

sorry to go off on a tangent... one bad apple shouldn't spoil the whole bunch !

is he still there? my stars!
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oooboy! A lot of generalizations here. Get a grip! This lady just asked an inocent question.

Do you have no more confidence in yourself than to feel threatened everytime someone expresses an oponion. Is it really necessary to twist this into something it was never meant to be.

I would not trust the valdictorian of my class to nurse my dog. Why? Because Basic nursing care ie. baths, toileting, ADL's, picking up after herself are beneith her. She looks down on those who had less than an A agerage or said school was hard.

If she has so little understanding of her fellow student, CNA's etc then where does she place the patient? Apparently she never heard of primary nursing nor wil she ever experience the sheer joy of tenderly laying hands.

Yea, some c students are lazy, some A students are too, some A students are great nurses so are C students. ETC.

I think this teacher was saying that it is not an acedemic grades that makes you a good nurse. If the only good nurses were A students do you think the standards would be where they are? A c student in nursing school is not the same as a C student in any other field. We have very high standards. C is not = sub standard nor failure. C is average. Sorry to disappoint anyone, but the majority of people, nurses included, fall in the category of Average. Do you not understand a bell curve? Average is not bad. For all you Mensa types (or those who fancy themselves as such) There is such a thing as an educated fool. shees!

The fact that you may not have the highest grades in school is not a bearing on what you will do with that out of school. You will continue to grow and learn all through your career. It is this that will make you great. Perhaps, she meant that C students understood that they have much to learn, better than those to whom acedemics came easily at first.

It took me 30 years to get though nursing school. Why? because there were other things that I had to learn first before I could learn what I needed to be a good nurse. I finally graduated with an A in all my nursing classes but one. Did that make be a brilliant nurse? No, I am still learning. I know some great nurses who were A, B, and C students in school. I also know some in every category that I would not trust with a broom and dust scoop.

School is just a start. It is not a measure of who you will become. Enjoy your accomplishments A, B or C. It is not the be all, end all. It is just one step in the process of becomming. We all learn different things at different rates in different order, in different ways. :kiss The question is not what is your grade. But what have you learned and what have you learned lately.

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Originally posted by MsPurp

This topic has been brought up here before.

At the risk of being flamed :angryfire my feeling is that this is said to make substandard students feel better about themselves.

Sorry, but its my opinion. I don't feel like a C student is more capable of taking care of a person than an A student, and I don't appreciate being made to feel that my clinical capabilities are less because I happen to have an A average.

Certainly there are students who excel in one area over the other, that being classroom or clinical, but overall I think the critical thinking necessary to becoming a good nurse is gleaned both from academics and clinical experience.

No one can make you feel anything. You compliment folks when you give them credit for having that kind of power over you.

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Originally posted by CATHYW

In my opinion ( and I am NOT throwing flames here) MOST C students are lazy.

Oh, really! no flames!:eek:

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Originally posted by Agnus

No one can make you feel anything. You compliment folks when you give them credit for having that kind of power over you.

I'm sorry, did I sign up for a free daily self-help cliche? I don't remember doing so.

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MsPurp, to quote you, "Sorry, it's just my opinion."

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Except I believe I spelled opinion correctly.

But perhaps I am merely fancying myself a Mensa type.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

My, my, my.....HOW THE THREAD TURNED! :rotfl:

Think I'll steer clear of the flaming heads, and go to bed now while I've got a reasonably clear head....free of flames, and nice things to say about everybody. Sweet dreams everyone! See ya TA - MARR - EE!!! :kiss :lol2:

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I humble myself to you. You are just too clever for me!

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If you read the next sentence, it would say, "because I was a "C" student in high school."

Been there, done it the lazy way, know that "most" C students (exactly as I worded it) could do better. I WAS one, once, and I've gone to school with a lot of them.

Did I hit a nerve, or something?;)

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