All A's, or Great in Clinical?

Nursing Students General Students

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I hear that you are one or the other. You make great grades, (and usually brag about them,) or you are great in Clinicals. What is your experience? Is it possible to be both? Who will make a better nurse?

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Very possible to be both. I have seen students that barely pass each semester and are terrible in clinicals. I have seen students get stellar grades and do well in clinicals. Have seen people do well grade wise and suck in clinicals and people barely pass class and thrive in clinicals.

Than there is me, I get B's for the most part over all, (85%-93% in my program) with very little effort, (sorry I rather like my free time and time with my kids and husband and friends so I don't study fanatically like some) I thrive in clinicals. Not just my own opinion, every evaluation I get from very excellent instructors is very good, I have gotten along well with majority of my co-workers, so I know it's not my own self perception that I do well in clincials. :D

I think an important thing to remember in life, that is great to carry over to nursing, not everyone fits into a box, everyone is an individual.

The overall individual makes a great nurse, not any one factor.

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Certainly possible to be successful both academically and clinically. In my experience, those who performed well in a classroom carried the skills and critical thought processes they used over to the clinical arena. Those who skimmed by in class could typically survive the clinical experiences; however, they never seemed to have quite the same appreciation for the clinical experience as the other students.

Still important to realize that everyone is different. If you're dedicated to becoming a nurse, it really doesn't matter what sort of grades you make (provided they're C or higher =]). Clinical experiences, in my opinion, dictate the type of nurse that you'll eventually become. Classroom learning, however, helps to strengthen the things that you will learn in clinical.

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

I was an A student in class. In clinicals I was clumsier and not as "on the ball" as other classmates. On the other hand I generally had a better knowledge and understanding of the disease process and meds than they did. The important thing is to know your strengths and weaknesses, work as a team and complement each other.

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It's certainly possible to be both. In my experience, the people who try to make it sound like it has to be an "either-or" situation are just making excuses for their own weakness in one domain or the other.

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I think I am better at clinical, by far. And I love clinical! But when it comes to the tests...I'm horrible. I'm almost done with my second semester and am treading water to just pass. I study my butt off, and always try to do well in the semester so that there's not a lot of pressure on the final. I think with nursing school there is so much information to learn in a small window of time and you are busy with other assignments and clinical.

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This is alot like the saying "You either have book sense or common sense". If I ever get sick, I hope my nurse has both. I would prefer the whole package taking care of my family. Of course all nurses have to pass with at least a c average. I don't want a "d" pr "f" nurse taking care of me.:twocents:

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I know that this is asking for too much, but I just wish that everyone could be equally advanced in both parts of nursing school. I am usually the class average for exams. I excel in clinical. Although, I do not feel as if I am "learning" the information I am tested over. I suppose it will come with practice.

This thread originated in my head after posting to the thread, "What you wish you could tell your classmates."

I just get so aggravated with all of the people that BRAG about A's. I had a 4.0 before getting into the actual nursing program. I now have a 3.7 GPA. Which I am OH-SO-PROUD of.

The point is it doesn't matter in the long run what your stinking grades are!!! Hopefully we are all in this because we have a genuine love of people. If you do your best no matter what it takes, then I would love for you to take care of me or any of my family members!

I love all of the answers to this post. Everyone made great points. Is it just me that get's so aggravated with the people that are braggers?????:banghead: We are supposed to be a team people!!!

You must learn to deal with everyone if you are going to be a nurse. I understand this. I do not cause drama, but I just need to vent sometimes! :nurse:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I know that this is asking for too much, but I just wish that everyone could be equally advanced in both parts of nursing school. I am usually the class average for exams. I excel in clinical. Although, I do not feel as if I am "learning" the information I am tested over. I suppose it will come with practice.

This thread originated in my head after posting to the thread, "What you wish you could tell your classmates."

I just get so aggravated with all of the people that BRAG about A's. I had a 4.0 before getting into the actual nursing program. I now have a 3.7 GPA. Which I am OH-SO-PROUD of.

The point is it doesn't matter in the long run what your stinking grades are!!! Hopefully we are all in this because we have a genuine love of people. If you do your best no matter what it takes, then I would love for you to take care of me or any of my family members!

I love all of the answers to this post. Everyone made great points. Is it just me that get's so aggravated with the people that are braggers?????:banghead: We are supposed to be a team people!!!

You must learn to deal with everyone if you are going to be a nurse. I understand this. I do not cause drama, but I just need to vent sometimes! :nurse:

Keep your head up, 4th semester everything I was learning in class just seemed to click all of a sudden. Now watching TV or in the hospital, when I see a problem I start thinking about the whole process behind it, I find it facinating. Really weird, and it literally happened over night.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Very possible to be both. I have seen students that barely pass each semester and are terrible in clinicals. I have seen students get stellar grades and do well in clinicals. Have seen people do well grade wise and suck in clinicals and people barely pass class and thrive in clinicals.

This. The either/or opinions just puzzle me, as if you can't be both or neither.

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Specializes in Emergency; med-surg; mat-child.

I'm better in class, but I don't suck on the floor by any stretch. I'm just more comfortable taking tests at this point. We have such short clinical rotations and so many tests that I may just have gotten used to the latter. I know I always feel like I'm just really hitting my stride as we end a rotation. grumble

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