I'm posting this because I am alarmed to see this attitude so often in nursing school.
I don't think people realize that they are limiting their future options, often permanently.
I fully acknowledge that nursing school is VERY difficult, that the grading scale is jacked up and it is very difficult or sometimes impossible to get a high grade. I also realize that everyone has tough semesters ( nursing school is very taxing on all aspects of our lives) and sometimes just passing is the best anyone can do.
But this does not mean we shouldn't strive for higher grades.
Unless you are 100% that you never want to go on to be an NP or get a masters in nursing, Grades DO matter very much. Every MSN program I have ever looked in has GPA requirements of usually 3.0- one I looked at will not even consider you unless you have at least a B- in every nursing class.
Additionally, in very competitive job markets, such as here in Minneapolis/St Paul, employers are starting to ask about GPA- I have filled out two applications that have requested my GPA.
We all know a high GPA doesn't automatically equal a superior nurse, but frankly with such a glut of new nurses every year in many job markets this trend is not likely to go away but increase- and yes, you may believe there is a zero percent chance you ever want to got back to school for a higher degree, but can anyone really say 100% how they will feel about their career 10 or 20 years down the road?
SO please, I'm not trying to stress out those of you still in school, but I'm pleading that you try for the higher grades if you can. DO the extra reading and extra time in lab, stay on top of your assignments, never miss class/clinical, and so on.........
I agree. There are some classes I got a B in that I got more out of, and feel like I learned more in, than in some classes I got an A in. I've seen many people cram for tests, memorize everything, get an A, and not remember anything about it a week later. I think grades are important, but it has gotten to the point where some people seem to think unless you have straight A's all through school you are going to be a horrible nurse.
There are many nursing programs where if you don't have at least a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA in your pre-reqs you have no chance of getting into the nursing program. I just think it sucks for those students with a 3.6 or 3.5 GPA (which is still an A- average, at least where I am) who are made to feel like they aren't smart enough to be a nurse, while there are people with 3.3 and 3.4 GPA's easily getting into med school
I agree. There are some classes I got a B in that I got more out of, and feel like I learned more in, than in some classes I got an A in. I've seen many people cram for tests, memorize everything, get an A, and not remember anything about it a week later. I think grades are important, but it has gotten to the point where some people seem to think unless you have straight A's all through school you are going to be a horrible nurse.
There are many nursing programs where if you don't have at least a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA in your pre-reqs you have no chance of getting into the nursing program. I just think it sucks for those students with a 3.6 or 3.5 GPA (which is still an A- average, at least where I am) who are made to feel like they aren't smart enough to be a nurse, while there are people with 3.3 and 3.4 GPA's easily getting into med school
Let's be fair though, med students aren't only taking a year of pre-reqs for that 3.3 or 3.4. They're usually taking a full year of general chemistry, a full year of organic chemistry, biochemistry, and a full year of physics with calculus all as part of their bachelors degree. Not really comparable with a year of A&P and human lifespan development...
This is true, many pre-med students do take more classes. However my university is a full 2 year of pre-reqs including two semesters of A&P, one semester of general chem, one semester of bio chem/organic chem and a semester of physics, and many people end up having to take classes in the summer in order to fit in all the gen ed requirements needed before you apply to the program, but yeah I understand many programs may have less pre-reqs and pre-med students definitely take more classes and more advanced math and science classes most of the time
This is true, many pre-med students do take more classes. However my university is a full 2 year of pre-reqs including two semesters of A&P, one semester of general chem, one semester of bio chem/organic chem and a semester of physics, but yeah I understand many programs may have less pre-reqs
They don't just take more classes, they get a degree that includes more classes. Even two years of pre-reqs aren't close to equivalent to a bachelors degree that includes the pre-med classes.
I'm not saying that some nursing programs don't require some of the same classes pre-med students take....but the overall requirements for med school and nursing school aren't close.
Sorry, not meaning to belabor the point....I just hear that whole "med students only need a 3.3 - 3.4" far to often.
I think nursing has become so competitive to get into everyone is becoming quite a bit extreme. Personally, I would rather understand the material and pass the class with a B then memorize facts short term to get that A.
While I agree with you on this 100%, the unfortunate reality is that many nursing school admission committees don't have time to assess whether your earned B is a higher functioning grade than someone else's I-memorized-and-regurgitated-A. Sometimes, it all comes down to numbers at some schools. This is why I believe that anyone who is not a 4.0 student should pursue programs that require recommendation letters and essays. This way there is more opportunity to offer a better profile in the decision process. At schools where there is a strict GPA cutoff not requiring recommendations or essays, the highest 60 students get into a program, and the GPAs with the most A's win.
Don't know yet how this plays out in terms of getting into graduate nursing programs or getting a job (considering employers are increasingly requiring transcripts along with resumes), but I would have to think that more than a couple of C's would not look good to someone who does not know you off-paper. As far as what the quality of nurse one will be as compared to their grades, I believe we should not be so superficial to think that this matters greatly. Once you pass NCLEX, every nurse is square one.
Don't know if I am making much sense, but I gather you know where I am going with this. In the real world, we don't have much opportunity to speak beyond what is presented on paper.
Another thing is that some people have test anxiety that leads to those "Awful" C grades. I have a friend who is extremely smart and excels in clinical. She knows how to break down any concept using the nursing process and critical thinking. However, when it comes to taking tests... she is poor at it. She has terrible test anxiety. Her test grades do not reflect her knowledge base it just shows she is anxiety.She also studied many hours a day ( I know because we studied together... hours a day at home or either via skype) Many people do bad on nursing exams but pass NCLEX with flying colors. Not that nclex is easier but they have a more controlled environment with little to no distraction. So sometimes its not that a C student isn't studying enough or have too many other obligations, some people just have test anxiety that unfortunately interferes with their grades.
To those who really try to say that pre-med is equivalent to nursing shcool...WOW. How wrong you are. I'm not belittling anyone, but some people have to quit their jobs to pass A&P, or Micro? Most nursing schools don't even require general chemistry, students come on in with psychology classes, exercise and walking classes to flufftheir GPA, or english 2. Come on...Go take some pre-med Biochem, Physics 2, Bio 2, etc. etc. then get back to me. And it's not the ones who try hard and get a C that's the problem, it's the ones who just say "I wanna pass, C=RN, C gets a degree".
I don't care if grades do or don't matter. I do it for myself because I just can't NOT do my very best, under any circumstances. I enjoy the feeling of a job well done, whether it be school or my professional life.
While I agree with you on this 100%, the unfortunate reality is that many nursing school admission committees don't have time to assess whether your earned B is a higher functioning grade than someone else's I-memorized-and-regurgitated-A. Sometimes, it all comes down to numbers at some schools. This is why I believe that anyone who is not a 4.0 student should pursue programs that require recommendation letters and essays. This way there is more opportunity to offer a better profile in the decision process. At schools where there is a strict GPA cutoff not requiring recommendations or essays, the highest 60 students get into a program, and the GPAs with the most A's win.
Don't know yet how this plays out in terms of getting into graduate nursing programs or getting a job (considering employers are increasingly requiring transcripts along with resumes), but I would have to think that more than a couple of C's would not look good to someone who does not know you off-paper. As far as what the quality of nurse one will be as compared to their grades, I believe we should not be so superficial to think that this matters greatly. Once you pass NCLEX, every nurse is square one.
Don't know if I am making much sense, but I gather you know where I am going with this. In the real world, we don't have much opportunity to speak beyond what is presented on paper.
I agree and thats why I got straight A's for my pre-nursing so I did get accepted into the BSN program of my choice on my first try. My point though is that I am finishing my first semester of nursing school and at my University the nursing school has it's own grading scale that is pretty tough, so.... As the semester was ongoing I passed but got a B- on my first exam in one of my nursing classes and cried!!! It stressed me out so much and finally I just thought this is soo stupid to be so stressed out because I was borderline A and B in the class, I obviously got scored higher on my exams thereafter. Anyhow I just thought this is stupid and not worth the stress, I am over it and do not care that I will not have straight A's this semester..although I will still be on the dean's list :) ANd yes I passed and truthfully I am happy about that :)
I'm posting this because I am alarmed to see this attitude so often in nursing school.
I don't think people realize that they are limiting their future options, often permanently.
I fully acknowledge that nursing school is VERY difficult, that the grading scale is jacked up and it is very difficult or sometimes impossible to get a high grade. I also realize that everyone has tough semesters ( nursing school is very taxing on all aspects of our lives) and sometimes just passing is the best anyone can do.
But this does not mean we shouldn't strive for higher grades.
Unless you are 100% that you never want to go on to be an NP or get a masters in nursing, Grades DO matter very much. Every MSN program I have ever looked in has GPA requirements of usually 3.0- one I looked at will not even consider you unless you have at least a B- in every nursing class.
Additionally, in very competitive job markets, such as here in Minneapolis/St Paul, employers are starting to ask about GPA- I have filled out two applications that have requested my GPA.
We all know a high GPA doesn't automatically equal a superior nurse, but frankly with such a glut of new nurses every year in many job markets this trend is not likely to go away but increase- and yes, you may believe there is a zero percent chance you ever want to got back to school for a higher degree, but can anyone really say 100% how they will feel about their career 10 or 20 years down the road?
SO please, I'm not trying to stress out those of you still in school, but I'm pleading that you try for the higher grades if you can. DO the extra reading and extra time in lab, stay on top of your assignments, never miss class/clinical, and so on.........
I generally agree with what you're saying but there is a whole other side to it. From what I've seen in my nursing school, the "C's get degrees" attitude is just a coping mechanism for most students. It doesn't mean that people don't try to get A's and B's. They try, but at the same time they realize that sometimes their marks will not reflect the amount of effort they put into studying. Adopting an aloof attitude about grades is just a way of telling ourselves that it's not the end of the world if we don't do great on some subjects. Another point- nursing school is cut throat and some people want to make it seem like they don't really care about the grades and then boast about how they do amazing without putting too much effort in. Bottom line is, I'm pretty sure that most people truly try their best to get good grades but they may not always show it on the outside. I'm only basing my opinion on my nursing school and the situation might be different elsewhere but this is just my two cents.
I know that this is a really old thread but I am really concerned. I go to a four year BSN program.
I have received As and one B+ in all my nursing classes. However, I have received one C- in med-surg and would have to retake the course. I have also received 3Ws in the nursing program because of medical reasons. I have to retake one non-nursing biomedical research course as well. Lastly, I am graduating in six years besides the usually four. How will these situations impact me when applying for jobs and grad school. I really want to work at CHLA, CHOC, or a University of California medical center and always wanted to go a very good grad school.
I just read my original post from almost 4 years ago, written just before starting nursing school ... wow lol.
I have since graduated with honors and have been a nurse for almost 3 years. Earned mostly A's in nursing school, but got two B's and a B- ... that B- being in pharmacology, and you better believe I am damn proud of that grade!! :)
Now as a nurse, patients couldn't care less how I did in school. If I decide later to return for an MSN, at least I know I'll be competitive.
soxgirl2008
382 Posts
I agree. There are some classes I got a B in that I got more out of, and feel like I learned more in, than in some classes I got an A in. I've seen many people cram for tests, memorize everything, get an A, and not remember anything about it a week later. I think grades are important, but it has gotten to the point where some people seem to think unless you have straight A's all through school you are going to be a horrible nurse.
There are many nursing programs where if you don't have at least a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA in your pre-reqs you have no chance of getting into the nursing program. I just think it sucks for those students with a 3.6 or 3.5 GPA (which is still an A- average, at least where I am) who are made to feel like they aren't smart enough to be a nurse, while there are people with 3.3 and 3.4 GPA's easily getting into med school