Do grades determine how good you will as a nurse

Brownms46 · Apr 25, 2002

Grades DO NOT ...I repeat DO NOT make a good nurse!! I have come across nurses whom I wouldn't let handle a rag doll let alone a love one! BUT....they had all the book knowledge in their heads...but that didn't equate with them being good nurses...sadly...they were just the opposite!

As for how to remember all of the things you need to...you have to really work at it...and find little tricks to help your memory. There are many different exercises you can do to improve your memory...just have to find what works for you!

I'm always amazed at how much knowledge the human brain can hold! But many times...everyone needs a refresher course on this that or the other...and very few people remember everything they have been taught over the years. Somethings I just do automatically ...as somethings become second nature.

Check out this helpful books on increasing memory....but I'm sure there is a lot more ways ...just do some research...and I'm sure you will come up with something that works for you!

http://www.powells.com/subsection/SelfHelpMemoryandThinkingSkills.html

Good Luck...and DON"T give up!!! :cool:

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2002

Brown pretty much summed it all up. I have seen those with straight A's and book smart fail clinicals. They just did not have it together when it came to clinicals. I am not a straight A student. At the end of this semester my GPA should be a 3.1 However, I am really good in clinicals (No, not yet really good) but I have pretty good knowledge and I know of some girls with straight A's or close to it who are just amazed. You can have the straight A nurse who is also good in clinicals, you can have the straight A nursing student who is good in the books but do not know it in the clinical area and then you can have the student in clinicals who know it in clinicals but will not make it in the book knowledge area.

True story, I have seen a straight A nurse who has passed through everything including clinicals who have book knowledge but there is no way in this world I would ever want her for a nurse. There was also this girl who I would love to have for a nurse by 0.5% but was good in clinicals. She has test anxiety she needs to learn to deal with. Which is important for boards as well. She is really dedicated and wants to be a nurse, she has took courses on test anxiety and she will come back next year to finish the program with the class that is graduating in 2004. She was suppose to graduate in 2003. I know once she gets her test anxiety under control she will be fine.

So no, grades do not determine how good of a nurse anyone will be. It is not based soley on grades. If it was I would have not gotten in to nursing school and that would have been a true shame.

fergus51 · Apr 25, 2002

Obviously you will need to pass the courses to be an RN, but I agree with others that grades are not the final deciding factor of what type of nurse you will be. Does you college have a student services department that offers help? Someplaces will offer study tips, counselling, time management classes, etc. that might help you out a lot.

crnasomeday · Apr 26, 2002

Everyone is right to say that grades are not all that matters, however, and this may sound awful, caring and compassion and understanding are not all that matters either. The most caring and loving person with the best bedside manner is not necessarily going to be a good nurse. For that you need a mixture of the appropriate knowledge and the appropriate attitude of caring.

duckie · Apr 26, 2002

I totally agree that making the grades do not make you a nurse, or any other professional for that matter. Much of what you learn in class will not stick until you start applying it to what you do on a daily basis. Then depending on which area of nursing you choose, you'll forget a lot of what you learned in school. I am a geriatrics nurse. Ask me something about peds and I'm lost. But in what I do, I know a lot, but am always willing to learn everyday and you do keep learning. You never know it all, although I have met some nurses that think they do. Strive to get the best grades you can but you will not remember it all and if you have the heart of a nurse, you will be a good one. I'll send good thoughts your way and you just study, study, study and you'll do fine!!!!

jschut, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2002

NO!!!! Grades DO NOT make a good nurse! A good nurse is compassionate, caring and all those things, but you do need a basic knowledge of "how things work".

Jut make better use of studying, get passing grades, and you'll do great...:)

peaceful2100, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2002

CRNA, I don't think what you said was awful at all. I don't want it to seem like grades were NOT Important. IF I thought that I would not being busting my rear end off for A's. I know you was not directing at me I am just saying. This semester is the first semester I have earned A's in almost all of my classes the only class I have anything less than an A is the class I have an 85% in and I busted my tail for that. I think nursing students should be expected to learn and know a certain level of knowledge, that is why we have tests, that is why there are grading scales.

JillR · Apr 27, 2002

The grades do not make the nurse. You will want to do the best you can, but I have never been asked my GPA at an interview. How well you did in chemistry will not matter in the long run.

GPA will matter if you decide to go on to a higher level of education, but one C is not going to make that big of a difference in your GPA, you will find out.

However, I worked with a RN that was very caring and compassionate, the elderly ladies especially loved this guy, but he scared the heck out of me. There had to be a happy medium somewhere. So, I agree with crnasomeday, in that respect.

I watched a student in my class struggle with grades throughout the whole time. I liked, she was a very nice person, but honestly did not think she was going to graduate. I watched her blossom into an excellent student nurse in clinicals the last semester. She did not have th best GPA, but she did retain her knowledge, and I would not have a problems having her as a nurse for me or any of my family now.

I have found that sometimes the people that have to work the hardest to retain the information, even if they get C's, seem to retain the information better.

Don't get discouraged, you will do fine.

OC_An Khe · Apr 27, 2002

Grades do not make a good anyhting, including an RN. However they are important and you can not enter the profession without them. On a deeper note, grades can be a reflection on self discipline and desire to obtain your goal. Nursing is also a profession of constant learning as it does change rapidly. If you don't show the ability as a student to master newsubjects you may find the profession difficult to keep current on.