Grades don't matter!

pattymac · Aug 8, 2008

I totally agree with you, and I am proud of the grades I made (way back when) but I suspect you may get some flack for this.

Anyway, keep up the good work....you only have to beat your own best in life!

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

I agree with you entirely, MissKitty.

Of course, no matter what the cutoff is, you'll statistically always have somebody at the bottom of your class passing.

One of the good things about nursing school is that the grades are from multiple different learning methods to give a rounded view of a nurse candidate- we have clinical evaluations, lab practicals, and lecture exams in addition to the HESI test which must be passed before we can even take the NCLEX. That and the fact a 3.5+ was required to even get into most programs should hopefully weed out those not fully committed to the profession. Even still, like I said- no matter where you set the bar, you'll find someone barely coasting by their way to a license. The same is true in any profession- you know what they call the person that graduates last in their class in medical school? Doctor.

lilo2010 · Aug 8, 2008

I agree grades do matter! But I have also known some straight A nurses who had no clue in the real world! You have to be able to apply what you learn & have a good bedside manner! By the way, in my CC we must have a B in nursing courses!

salr · Aug 8, 2008

Of course, good grades matter!! (IMHO)

Me too, I am giving it all hoping to get as many A's as possible to get into the RN program. Doing everything to the best of our ability, whether in our studies or anything we do, is part and parcel of having a positive attitude. It helps us and others too. When we become a nurse, the patients will benefit for we will be making a difference in their life. In the nursing profession, I believe this cannot be compromised for we are dealing with people who need us and our service to them will help them recover faster, feel better, motivate them, console them, encourage them, strengthen them and many more ... it will definitely affect them in one way or another.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." :redbeathe

shoegalRN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

I agree as well. Grades do matter. I strive to be the best I can be. I expect it in my 12 year old son, and I lead by example.

Dinith88 · Aug 8, 2008

C=RN
That irks me to no end! I've read so many posts on here where people state that "your grades don't matter!" Are you kidding me?
I bust my butt to get A's. I think my grades reflect my work ethic and my willingness to learn. I am not content etching by as average. I do not want an average nurse caring for me. I do not want to be an average nurse caring for others. I want to be the best nurse that I can be, and I hope that others that currently don't think likewise drop the mantra that a C is good enough. Even if an employer may not look at your transcript, those grades should still "matter."

Sorry misskitty...grades dont matter. Or...i should say that A-students DONT translate into great nurses. NUrsing-schools are rigorous enough so that anyone who passes them and passed boards has proven they're up to an educational challenge...even if they're not top 5%.

There're too many other variables/things/traits that make a 'great' nurse that A+'s kinda fall by the wayside...after you graduate of course.

-are you compassionate?

-do you work well with peers?

-can you work under extreme pressure/stress?

-can you handle patients in crisis?

-can you handle families in crisis?

-do you have common sense?

-can you translate medical jargon to lay-people?

-are you technically inclined?

-are you a good communicator?

-etc.

-i can add a ton of other things here...as can most other nurses...and these things dont get 'graded'.

Frankly, your post sounds like the spoutings of a smart student trying to impress or otherwise declare yourself a better 'nurse-to-be' than your co-students who are doomed to being 'average nurses'. (in your words)

Congrats on your excellent grades and work-habits...

But...whether you beleive me or not, in a few years you'll have a different opinion/appreciation of what makes a 'great nurse'.

casi, ASN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

I'm one of the students that chants "C=RN" before tests. Does this mean I get all C's? Nope, I'm actually a very good student.

Then why do I stick by C=RN? Well I'm going to try my hardest to do my best and if my hardest and best ends up being a C I'm not going to be disappointed. Expecting myself to get top grades is too much stress on myself.

myhalo · Aug 8, 2008

I have one semester left in nursing school (BSN), and I have found that there are two kinds of "A" students, the ones that just get it and are good in clinical and get good grades without killing themselves to get the grade. Then there are those straight "A's" that really have to memorize the material and do not really get it, they struggle in clinical because they are trying to be perfect, always comparing themselves to others and saying the only "good nurses" are the ones who got straight A's.

I have watched the latter straight A student struggle time after time and I think it takes them a lot longer to orient and be comfortable once they become nurses, I would take a C student who just has poor test taking skills than one of these perfectionists!!

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2008

Sorry misskitty...grades dont matter. Or...i should say that A-students DONT translate into great nurses. NUrsing-schools are rigorous enough so that anyone who passes them and passed boards has proven they're up to an educational challenge...even if they're not top 5%.
There're too many other variables/things/traits that make a 'great' nurse that A+'s kinda fall by the wayside...after you graduate of course.
-are you compassionate?
-do you work well with peers?
-can you work under extreme pressure/stress?
-can you handle patients in crisis?
-can you handle families in crisis?
-do you have common sense?
-can you translate medical jargon to lay-people?
-are you technically inclined?
-are you a good communicator?
-etc.
-i can add a ton of other things here...as can most other nurses...and these things dont get 'graded'.
Frankly, your post sounds like the spoutings of a smart student trying to impress or otherwise declare yourself a better 'nurse-to-be' than your co-students who are doomed to being 'average nurses'. (in your words)
Congrats on your excellent grades and work-habits...
But...whether you beleive me or not, in a few years you'll have a different opinion/appreciation of what makes a 'great nurse'.

If the qualities you listed above were all that is required to be a good nurse, we would be replaced with volunteers who took a medical terminology course.

The fact is that critical thinking, understanding of physiology, disease and treatment, and skills competency are equally as important if not more so than a sparkling personality, decent people skills, and a friendly smile.

I will quite honestly say that some of my fellow students are doomed to be average nurses if they even pass the NCLEX. Their inability to grasp some basic concepts or express true understanding while just coasting by with a low C makes me doubt they will suddenly "get it" once an RN is attached to their name and patients' lives are at stake.

Rabid Response · Aug 8, 2008

I used to feel the same way! I used to resent the fact that graduating from nursing school with mediocre grades and merely PASSING the NCLEX (I didn't find the exam at all difficult) was enough for someone to be hired as an RN. That attitude lasted for about one week after I started actually working as a nurse. There is so much more to the job than what you were tested on in school. Excelling academically requires a certain skill set (and natural aptitude), and that's great, but you need so much more than that to actually do the job:

organizational skills, time management, speed, mechanical ability, spatial relations, meticulous attention to detail, honesty, dependability, industriousness, level-headedness (especially during crises), the ability to work as part of a team, the ability to deal with difficult personalities, and (do I even need to mention it?) compassion.

Bully for you for being such a good student! I imagine, though, that academic excellence comes more easily to you than it does to others. Some people have to work very hard to make average grades. One day, in the real world of nursing, you may find yourself in the position of having to work very hard at something that others master easily. I can tell you from personal experience that it is quite humbling.

When I first read your post, my immediate impulse was to respond with something to the effect of "Get over yourself." I am confident, however, that this will happen for you eventually--the real world will disabuse you of your superior attitude in no time.

myhalo · Aug 8, 2008

Being fair to the OP, the NS I go to is very hard to get in and the 24 of us in the program each semester worked very hard to get in, everyone had straight A's at some point just to get in. People do not drop out of our program very often, nor do they fail.

The people who get an occasional C are students who study much harder than I do and I get mostly A's. We do not have C students who just get by so maybe I can not relate to how you are feeling. If I had to watch someone not trying and not caring while everyone else is working hard I would be frustrated too.

But the A students who think they are better than others because of their grades bother me just as much!! Hope that is not you OP! There is so much more to it than the actual grade. So try not to judge those students that really do try but maybe they read to much into the test questions or just pick the wrong answer from the two that look right. I don't know about you but sometimes I feel lucky to have "guessed" the correct answer on a test!

There are so many areas of nursing and we will all find the area that we love and are very good at, even the people who get C's. Some one has to work in those areas you probably consider not challenging or exciting enough!!