1st Med-Surg Test

Cfitz · Feb 12, 2008

We have a saying in my nursing class: "C = RN". Now, I understand your discouragement because I have always been an A student. I had close to a 4.0 going into nursing school. The only A I've made so far in the nursing program was in Pharm, 1st semester. All my other grades have been Bs - and most of them I missed the A by a tiny percentage. At first I was very disappointed. Now I'm over it. It is just not going to matter in the grand scheme of things if you made As or Bs (or even Cs for that matter). If you are a conscientious person, and you fully educate yourself for what you need to know, you will make a great nurse. And isn't that what all this is for anyway?

pinkiepie_RN · Feb 12, 2008

If you've never gotten a B before, it can be a shock. It's not the end of the world and hell, it's still passing. That being said, if you're an "A" student, then I suggest you set your standards higher and study harder for the next progressive exams. If you made stupid mistakes, go back and check your answers before you turn in your exam. Don't change answers and always guess if you can't narrow it down any further. I will shamefully admit that I'm a B/B- student and am terrified that I won't get into grad school. I know it's going to be really hard to get my GPA up before I graduate in another 2 semesters after this one, but it's taken alot of Cs and Bs to get me into this hole. I'm trying my hardest in nursing school and working on my studying technique. If you don't let yourself get down by getting a B and make the changes necessary, it shouldn't be a problem, but a learning experience. If all else fails, ask the prof for help or what she/he thinks would be a good studying or test taking technique for the given material.

Hope this helps!

amybethf · Feb 12, 2008

We have a saying in my nursing class: "C = RN". Now, I understand your discouragement because I have always been an A student. I had close to a 4.0 going into nursing school. The only A I've made so far in the nursing program was in Pharm, 1st semester. All my other grades have been B's. quote]
This is true: C = RN, but it's not a good feeling to be sitting on a 'just' passing grade when going into the final exam. If you do not do as well as you thought, well, now you failed and you had the chance to drop. It's VERY hard to get an A in M/S!!! Just do your best and get a decent % above passing so you have room to breathe during the final! Those cumulative gosh darn finals! Good Luck!

Cfitz · Feb 12, 2008

We have a saying in my nursing class: "C = RN". Now, I understand your discouragement because I have always been an A student. I had close to a 4.0 going into nursing school. The only A I've made so far in the nursing program was in Pharm, 1st semester. All my other grades have been B's. quote]
This is true: C = RN, but it's not a good feeling to be sitting on a 'just' passing grade when going into the final exam. If you do not do as well as you thought, well, now you failed and you had the chance to drop. It's VERY hard to get an A in M/S!!! Just do your best and get a decent % above passing so you have room to breathe during the final! Those cumulative gosh darn finals! Good Luck!
I agree - sitting on a just-passing grade does not leave enough wiggle room. I do think that she might be overworrying it a bit though. She says she's always been an A student. Cranking it up a notch will likely be all she needs to pull her grades up. Also, apparently in the OPs program an 82 is a B. In my program it is a C. So they must have a 10-pt grading scale. That will help some too.

cyncopia · Feb 13, 2008

Sorry to hear about your B (even though it is still good) I borke down the other day because I had to accept that I cannot be a perfectionist and sometimes you will get lower than expected. The questions on the exams are not easy-- more or less critical thinking. I guess its not like classes before nursing school, it is so much different now. But try to be happy, maybe relieved you got a passing grade.. But do not compare yourself to others because every one has their own expectations.

BxLibra, MSN, NP · Feb 13, 2008

thanks for the replies...I'm in an ADN program so 78 is passing (a C) and the 80's is B and 90's = A there are no B- C+ A- etc at the school i'm attending. I guess its just that i'm so used getting A's from basic nursing that like I expected it in Med-Surg but I'm not going to let it discourage me anymore. thanks so much for the advice :specs:

lizzyberry · Feb 13, 2008

Sometimes you have to suck it up and know that these nursing test are not always going to be in your hands. I too was a 4.0 until nursing school and out of like 50 students no one got an A in fundamentals last semester. Youll get over that A thing quick and start worrying about actually understanding nursing than just grades.

APBT mom, LPN, RN · Feb 13, 2008

Nursing school can be tough. I had high grades throughout until med/surg came around M/S I I ended up with a B (off from an A by 1pt) and M/S II with a C (off from an B by 2 pts). Yeah it brought my GPA down to a 3.4 but I was still in the program and on the 6th I'll be done.

It is a little nerve racking getting a grade that you don't normally receive for the first time but at least you passed. There could be a few people in your class that didn't and they would be more than happy to take your B. The further you go in the program while you'll still be trying the best you can you'll stop worrying about the grades that you're getting as long as you're passing.

Good luck on the next one.

ally21 · Feb 13, 2008

Stay positive and I'm sure your grades will keep going up. You learn a little something from each test you take. I know I do! When we go over the test and figure out why I got an answer wrong, the correct answer will be jammed in my memory. I'm notorious for getting easier questions wrong. But anyway, I've learned to accept that 80s aren't so bad. A lot of people would kill to have grades in the 80s since some are on the verge of getting kicked out of the program. My grades last semester could've been better, but I learned some critical thinking techniques so my grades have been improving. I still have to learn not to change answers around because chances are I'm changing the right answer to a wrong one. Good luck with the rest of your exams.

Esther2007 · Feb 13, 2008

We have a saying in my nursing class: "C = RN". Now, I understand your discouragement because I have always been an A student. I had close to a 4.0 going into nursing school. The only A I've made so far in the nursing program was in Pharm, 1st semester. All my other grades have been B's. quote]
This is true: C = RN, but it's not a good feeling to be sitting on a 'just' passing grade when going into the final exam. If you do not do as well as you thought, well, now you failed and you had the chance to drop. It's VERY hard to get an A in M/S!!! Just do your best and get a decent % above passing so you have room to breathe during the final! Those cumulative gosh darn finals! Good Luck!
Unfortunately at my school a C=to failing.