Grades don't matter!

[MissKitty21]

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."

[bekindtokittens]

I don't think the OP was talking about those students who try their hardest and get a C. I think she was talking about the ones who give the minimal required to make the C.

Yes, to me, grades matter. No, my pride isn't wrapped up in my GPA, but c'mon...if grades truly didn't matter, would our work in nursing school be graded? There has to be some system of measurement in place to show how well a person grasps the material. An A student or a C student both could make either good or bad nurses, but neither of them will ever find out if they don't get into and graduate from nursing school, and that means making the grade.

I strive for A's on every test, not for the glory of the A, but for the BUFFER the A gives me. Who knows when I might completely bomb a test and need a really good grade to balance it out?

[leslie :-D]

Where I live (MA) it is mandatory to hand in a transcript before you can begin your first RN position now.

really???

i too, live in ma.

are you talking about a specific employer or all employers require this?

respectfully, i am seriously questioning this.

leslie

[hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN]

Not all students are good 'test takers,' but some of these same students will be fabulous clinicians. Good grades are not the only measure of how one will perform as a professional nurse in the future.

Great thread!

Best,

Diane

The students I referred to (the ones I think will make average to poor nurses) not only get C's and D's (and F's!) on lecture exams, but also do poorly in clinical evaluations and lab practicals. Their barely C average is based on that.

Some of my other peers I believe will be stellar nurses and the ones that do poor on lecture tests work hard to pull As in lab and clinicals.

[myhalo]

Ah-hah...There is a huge difference in our schools grading systems!!! Our clinical experience is stricly pass/no pass, and you pass unless you are unsafe basically. We are graded on multiple choice tests taken from lecture and reading, and papers in some classes.

I do see where you are coming from about not trying, I have just not seen that in the program I am in. I have heard of other programs that let everyone in who applies and meets the minimum requirement then "weeds" ppl out. Other programs you really have to work just to get in and in that case most people do put in an effort, IMO.

[leslie :-D]

Yes, to me, grades matter. No, my pride isn't wrapped up in my GPA, but c'mon...if grades truly didn't matter, would our work in nursing school be graded? There has to be some system of measurement in place to show how well a person grasps the material. An A student or a C student both could make either good or bad nurses, but neither of them will ever find out if they don't get into and graduate from nursing school, and that means making the grade.

i agree that grades are important if continuing your education.

i also did academically well in school, but never felt it measured my potential as a nurse.

as stated, students can rock in the classroom but perform miserably in clinical.

grades are merely 1 measurable component.

there are too many other considerations and variables involved, and so, in the absence of furthering your education, grades inevitably mean very little.

i also remember a couple of students who flunked out of school and maintain, they would have made wonderful nurses.

actually, one of them did wonderfully in didactic, but flunked in her clinicals.

grades are only 1 piece of the puzzle.

to insist they are so meaningful, is being short sighted and pretentious.

yes, it is meaningful to relentlessly study and be rewarded with an A.

definitely agree w/that.

but to imply that A's make one a better nurse, is far from being true.

until i became a nurse, i never realized how many talents we had to excel in.:)

leslie

[Atheos]

Grades are not a good measure of work ethic or intelligence. They never are. The smartest and some of the richest people almost always have bad grades.

That being said, good grades may be needed. It makes you competitive for a job (sometimes), will help if you want to continue past an ADN or BSN. Also, if you are paying thousands of dollars for school don't you want good grades?

Sure, I coasted in high and through my various excursions into college. Who cared? My parents funded them. When I got a taste of paying for my own tuition it was 4.0s from then on.

If I am paying that much I want something to show for it. Period. I want to be able to walk to any job or any university and say look. I may be a new nurse. I may have struggled on the NCLEX, it may have taken me 5 years to get a 2 year degree. So what. I am a good worker. I have good references and my grades are perfect. Take a chance on me...

Odds are that they will... That's what I am really paying all that money for. A chance...

[myhalo]

The truth is a C is "good enough", and there are many people in many situations that knowing they can get a C helps them deal with other things in their lives like test anxiety or their family situation. Like another poster says she says it before a test, it helps to know you can afford to get a C on one test you may not feel prepared for and still become a nurse. I prefer C=degree, over C=RN (makes it sound like we all get only C's and no-one tries!

We should not judge people until we have walked in their shoes, myself included. You never know what someone else is going through. IMO most people are trying, it is a small percentage of people who try to "just skate by", but they are every where and we will never get away from them.

I will be more understanding of those people who get A+++, and I ask you to more forgiving of those who can only manage a C! :heartbeat

[angel337, MSN, RN]

you have to take it with a grain of salt. grades matter, but once you are in the work place it is a totally different world. you can apply what you learn whether you get a C or an A, the question is did you understand the material and can you translate it into real patient care. when i work, i don't know what nurses were the best in school... you can't tell. i worked with a wonderful, very smart nurse that failed her boards twice, but you would never know it because that girl had the knowledge of a physician and worked like an experienced 20 year nurse. trust me your opinion will change once you are working.

[nessajune21]

Grades are not a good measure of work ethic or intelligence. They never are. The smartest and some of the richest people almost always have bad grades.

????

I guess I'm going to start flunking all my classes now so that I can make those big bucks!

[Atheos]

????

I guess I'm going to start flunking all my classes now so that I can make those big bucks!

All sarcasm aside.

Bill Gates dropped out of college.

George W. Bush = C student. (I should have included most powerful too)

Albert Einstein = Horrible student.

I could continue...

[GOMER42]

In regard to "poor test takers":

If the stress of taking a test is so bad that a person performs poorly, how are they going to perform when facing a patient coding!?!

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

In regard to "poor test takers":

If the stress of taking a test is so bad that a person performs poorly, how are they going to perform when facing a patient coding!?!

I never mentioned stress in relation to poor test takers.

Not sure of the correlation.

How in the world could you compare the stress of a life and death situation to a person taking a Med/Surg exam? No comparison, seriously.

Not sure where you are coming from on this one.