Reading alot of posts discussing "A" nursing students vs "C" nursing students

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 23, 2009

Meriwhen.......Why don't you post your suggestions in the Wish List/Think Tank Forum.

I didn't know we had a forum for that--thanks for the heads-up :)

Though I'll add that my suggestion was just as much from lack of sleep as from as the "oh, not THIS debate again" feeling. So let me nap first.

allnurses Guide · May 23, 2009

Really, all you can expect is that you have done the best that you can do. If you have, then be proud of your grade. You don't need to compare it with other people, but with your own potential. If you know you could have done more, but didn't want to, then that's your choice. If you did all you can do, and got a C, then you can stand proud.

madnurse2b · May 23, 2009

Ug. I didn't want to get involved. I guess I dont' have to, but I have a question.
Those who have said they consider a C failing: Can I assume then, if you were to get a C you would withdraw yourself of your own volition and re-enter to strive for what you would consider a passing grade?

No - but then I won't be getting a C. However I did have an instructor tell me about the B- he got in an MSN program that meant that he had to repeat the course. B or above was passing for progression in the program.

If I don't do well on a test, I actually redouble my efforts to improve my next grade. I have seen people struggle with NCLEX style questions - and I have lost some very good friends from progression. Most of them have reapplied to continue and are just stubborn enough to try to learn new ways of understanding the NCLEX questions. Some of these people had very good GPA's coming into our program, the NCLEX style questions just kicked their booty.

Does this mean they won't be a good nurse - not at all. I've had several people that will be incredible nurses fail out. However, if they cannot pass the NCLEX - they won't be nurses at all! I know that my program focuses on this style of questioning for a reason, and this is why a lot of people have a problem. But if they can't pass those tests in school how will they pass them when it is high stakes testing?

Now that the poor horse is beat and mothridden - I'm good thanks.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · May 23, 2009

But we are also not interested in any new grad who has the "C=RN" mentality. People who don't care about trying to do their best will not be hired by us either. We are looking for the strong student (Consistent A's or B's) who ALSO has a great attitude.

This is what I am talking about. There is a huge difference between the C student that tries their best and is happy with his/her C because he/she worked hard for it...and the C student that says, "Well, C's make degrees" or "What do they call a med school graduate with a C average? Doctor"...either these people just don't care and will do the minimum and are the type of people I do not want to work next to (the marginal working is very possible a past marginal student) or can not humble themselves that they are simply a C student. I especially get irked when people get a C or low B on a test and say "Oh, well if I studied I would have gotten an A" EXCUSES! I don't think people should strive to be the best in their class but...ALWAYS do your best!

C is the AVERAGE....not everyone can get A's...if everyone got As there would be no average. There is an average for everything; just as there will always be lower middle and upper class. It just is.

dblpn · May 23, 2009

I still want to voice my opinion. Lately, I've been reading alot of post discussing "A" nursing students verses "C" nursing students. It breaks my heart that there are students that are so hung up on grades that they rather want an "A" nurse taking care of them over a "C" nurse. Come on now ! When was the last time a patient asked you what your GPA was ? When was the last time as a patient yourself you asked your nurse what her GPA was ? Nursing school is stressful enough and while I strive everyday to make A's on exams I don't. I started out with A's and now I'm hanging around with high C's. Don't me wrong, I take NS and my grades very seriously... the only difference is that I don't let my grades whether A's or C's determine what kind of nurse I'll be. I graduate in a few weeks and I'm not sure if I'll still have my above 3.0 average, but I tell you one thing I'm still going to hold my head up high and take care of patients to the best of my ability . I'll still be a nurse and no less of a nurse then my classmates that got A's through nursing school. These are nursing exams, the real test starts when you start working and providing competent care to patients. So I'm saying enough is enough ! To you students who are A students I want to give you a big :clphnds: I know you deserve your A and worked hard for it. For you students who are " C " students I want to give you a big :clphnds: as well and you also worked hard for you grade as well. No one goes into nursing school wanting to make C's all the time, however it happens. I haven't met one student that said" I'm studying my butt off for that C. Students now days are so caught up in grades instead of the true meaning of nursing. :crying2:When my pt. comes in with cardiac arrest and is in alot of pain he won't care what grades I got, he cares about my compassionate and me providing good quality care. Come on A and C students can't we all get back to what nursing really is about.A nurse is a nurse . Once you pass that nclex you are a nurse:nurse:
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. I'm done you all can yell at me now. :sofahider

i understand how you feel but i have to disagree. i'm in lpn school right now and maintaing a's & b's on my exams. i did recieve a "c" on one of my A&P exams which i was very disappointed with. i did study but not enough i could've done more. me getting that "c" let me retained enough information to just get by with passing the exam. i say i failed the exam because there was sooo much info that i needed to know. so during luch break i went into the library and reread the chapters and my notes...now i understand the material, i've retained the information in my long-term memory and could easily recall it.

nursing school is intense no doubt about that but if you're just barely passing exams with c's you're not retaining important key material that you need when you get that job. you will find yourself asking other nurses or looking up things that you should know. one of my instructor told us that a BSN nurse had a patient whose blood sugar was low and the family members in the room with him looked like he was about to go into a coma or something. she didn't know what to do. this nurse comes outta the room walks the hall until she found another nurse and told her that my pts blood sugar is 52 and doesn't look right, you wanna come and check him out"? omg! this was a new grad. totally incompetent. i think she said the other nurse gave him D5 through his iv and after awhile he was ok.

during the time she was telling us this story i'm thinking to myself that she must've been a 'C" nurse, one who just barely passed in nursing school. i worked my buns off for the A's and B's i do get and it makes me so mad when some of my classmates say that C=nurse bullcrap. trust me, you will know those nurses who just barely passed nursing school with a C when you work with them. i've worked with plenty of them who didn't know didly squat about anything from school.

jollydogg_RN, ADN, BSN · May 23, 2009

i understand how you feel but i have to disagree. i'm in lpn school right now and maintaing a's & b's on my exams. i did recieve a "c" on one of my A&P exams which i was very disappointed with. i did study but not enough i could've done more. me getting that "c" let me retained enough information to just get by with passing the exam. i say i failed the exam because there was sooo much info that i needed to know. so during luch break i went into the library and reread the chapters and my notes...now i understand the material, i've retained the information in my long-term memory and could easily recall it.
nursing school is intense no doubt about that but if you're just barely passing exams with c's you're not retaining important key material that you need when you get that job. you will find yourself asking other nurses or looking up things that you should know. one of my instructor told us that a BSN nurse had a patient whose blood sugar was low and the family members in the room with him looked like he was about to go into a coma or something. she didn't know what to do. this nurse comes outta the room walks the hall until she found another nurse and told her that my pts blood sugar is 52 and doesn't look right, you wanna come and check him out"? omg! this was a new grad. totally incompetent. i think she said the other nurse gave him D5 through his iv and after awhile he was ok.
during the time she was telling us this story i'm thinking to myself that she must've been a 'C" nurse, one who just barely passed in nursing school. i worked my buns off for the A's and B's i do get and it makes me so mad when some of my classmates say that C=nurse bullcrap. trust me, you will know those nurses who just barely passed nursing school with a C when you work with them. i've worked with plenty of them who didn't know didly squat about anything from school.

so you're still in school, yet you're assuming this must have been a "C" nurse.

this is the type of attitude that fuels this whole debate. its great that you accept nothing less than As or Bs.

good for you. however, if youre just going to ASSUME that this nurse was a C nurse, then youre in the wrong.

im sure being a new grad can be an anxious and nerve racking experience, especially if you're on a unit with mostly seasoned nurses. you have to look at all of the details leading up to the event and why that bsn new grad might have blanked out. not only are you retaining information from nursing school, but youre adding TONS MORE at a rapid pace of instruction, learning how to REALLY deal with patients and family in the real world, NOT just how they teach you in school.

go ahead, i dare you to tell someone whos crying and depressed "go ahead, its ok to cry, i'll just sit by you while you do".... lol, yeah right. i wont ever say THAT again...

i

Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN · May 23, 2009

If Cs are that bad then why is it even considered a passing grade? Maybe A and Bs should only be the criteria to pass.

dblpn · May 23, 2009

C- students are more likely to struggle through and fail out of nursing school.

C-students are more likely to be those last minute studyers and poor test takers.

C-students are more likely to cram for exams.

C-students are more likely to have excuses for why they don't get higher grades.

C-students are less likely to retain information into their long term memory.

C-students are less likely to be able to connect the dots of how one thing in the body can influence another.

C-students are more likely to argue with the instructor over test questions.

C-students are less likely to want to understand the rationale behind the right answer on exams. hey, as long as you passed it right?

C-students are more likely to rely on other nurses knowledge and not know what to do if an emergency arises with their patients. response time to the patients needs will be delayed.

C-students don't have good critical thinking skills which is why they got c's in the first place.

C-students are more likely to repeat NCLEX. they will have doubts, doubts, and more doubts about their chances of passing the NCLEX exam.

Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN · May 23, 2009

C- students are more likely to fail out of nursing school.
C-students are more likely to be those last minute studyers and poor test takers.
C-students are more likely to cram for exams.
C-students are more likely to have excuses for why they don't get higher grades.
C-students are less likely to retain information into their long term memory.
C-students are less likely to be able to connect the dots of how one thing in the body can influence another.
C-students are more likely to argue with the instructor over test questions.
C-students are less likely to want to understand the rationale behind the right answer on exams. hey, as long as you passed it right?
C-students are more likely to rely on other nurses knowledge and not know what to do if an emergency arises with their patients. response time to the patients needs will be delayed.
C-students don't have good critical thinking skills which is why they got c's in the first place.
C-students are more likely to repeat NCLEX. they will have doubts, doubts, and more doubts about their chances of passing the NCLEX exam.

how credible is this list? where did you get this from? link please..

At first this forum seemed like a great place to get support,

but lately it's appearing that a lot of ppl are becoming very judgemental and looking down on others...in another forum someone was saying how its unacceptable for somebody to retake a class to get a higher grade..there is just a lot of snobbery going on around here

If you get a C in a class, you can always go back and build up on what you may have missed..like continue to study the subject until you finally get it. Not everyone learns at the same pace. I know when I have gotten Cs in classes, I have dug up my old quizzes/exams and taught myself how to answer or solve the problem so I can understand it better for the future. Just because someone got a C, doesn't make them hopeless intellectually.

dblpn · May 23, 2009

how credible is this list? where did you get this from? link please..
At first this forum seemed like a great place to get support,
but lately it's appearing that a lot of ppl are becoming very judgemental and looking down on others...in another forum someone was saying how its unacceptable for somebody to retake a class to get a higher grade..there is just a lot of snobbery going on around here
If you get a C in a class, you can always go back and build up on what you may have missed..like continue to study the subject until you finally get it. Not everyone learns at the same pace. I know when I have gotten Cs in classes, I have dug up my old quizzes/exams and taught myself how to answer or solve the problem so I can understand it better for the future. Just because someone got a C, doesn't make them hopeless intellectually.

actually that list applied to me a few yrs. ago when i was in rn school. some but not all that is on there.

not all students do like you and i do if we dont get the grade we hoped to get. even if i get an a by missing a couple of questions, i wanna know why i missed the question. it's important for me, as well as my future patients that will be under my care, for me to know what im supposed to know.

vashtee, RN · May 23, 2009

i think she said the other nurse gave him D5 through his iv and after awhile he was ok.

In my hospital, we give D50.

dblpn · May 23, 2009

In my hospital, we give D50.

that could've been what the patient got i dont know. the instructor said d5 or maybe d50 cant remember exactly.