How often (if ever) did you doubt you'd receive your license while in nursing school?
Also, did your grades every border on failing??
If you didn't already suspect, I am a second semester nursing student and I feel very stressed (shockerrrr) and a bit saddened at my academic performance right now.. To pass, we have to have an 80 in the class, and in two classes I have an 80, while in the third I have a 76.. I plan on bringing these up, but worry that I can't/won't... I love clinicals and the prospect of nursing, and feel pretty upset when I consider the "what if"s.... What if I don't make it? Are my grades too low??
UGH.
Has any of you been here and come out on the other side??
One of my classmates barely passed her nursing courses and our passing grade was 77. She failed the maximum number of attempts on the HESI Exit exam. Somehow she graduated and almost 2 years post graduation she got her RN. I think it depends on how lenient your school is.
Good luck. Learn what's not working in your study habits and put in the extra work needed.
I started out overzealous. Always a straight A student. I’ve said many times before. Nursing school isn’t hard because of the material that you have to learn, but how much you have to cover. I always felt like it was a time issue. Nursing school was eating my quality time away. I let this happen for a while and it stressed so many areas of my life. We only needed a 75% in each class to pass it. I went from stressed to the max to giving just enough of a damn to pass and never looked back. I didn’t blow class off or anything. I just reduced the time I gave to school outside of class. I think it saved me from going completely bald haha. I didn’t read the text books. I would look over notes and stuff from class if I had free time. I never scored higher than an 88% on an exam the rest of my schooling, but I never got less than a 74%. I always went into my finals only needing about a 45% to pass the class. The amount of stress reduction was worth it. I think the people who care about the A are entitled to if that’s their dream. I’d much rather have my sanity and a social life and a C.
I think a lot of these nurses suggesting that grades matter during the hiring process have been in a position for a long period of time or just work in an area congested with RN's. My mother is a nurse, two of my uncles are nurses, and two of my best friends are nurses who work at the highest rated hospital in my state according to the U.S. News & World Report circa whatever year they got it (doesn't really matter it was recent). None of them have ever been asked for a transcript. Inevitably as a nurse, your two biggest factors in your hiring is your license and your resume. As a new grad, you will have a disadvantage with the resume aspect but most hospitals only care if you are licensed and will take into consideration your preceptor as a reference and any volunteer work you may have done while you were in school. Also for grad school realistically unless we are talking Ivy league screw the 3.0 GPA. Has no one ever heard of the GRE? Grad entrance exams still exist and unless you are going to a private college that is all "prestigious" and full of mommy and daddy money you will be fine and be able to achieve whatever degree or credential you want as long as you work for it and don't give up. Just do whatever you can to pass your classes and get your degree so you can get your license. That's what will get you the experience you want.
Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
13 hours ago, Flylik3abr1 said:
I think a lot of these nurses suggesting that grades matter during the hiring process have been in a position for a long period of time or just work in an area congested with RN's. My mother is a nurse, two of my uncles are nurses, and two of my best friends are nurses who work at the highest rated hospital in my state according to the U.S. News & World Report circa whatever year they got it (doesn't really matter it was recent). None of them have ever been asked for a transcript. Inevitably as a nurse, your two biggest factors in your hiring is your license and your resume. As a new grad, you will have a disadvantage with the resume aspect but most hospitals only care if you are licensed and will take into consideration your preceptor as a reference and any volunteer work you may have done while you were in school. Also for grad school realistically unless we are talking Ivy league screw the 3.0 GPA. Has no one ever heard of the GRE? Grad entrance exams still exist and unless you are going to a private college that is all "prestigious" and full of mommy and daddy money you will be fine and be able to achieve whatever degree or credential you want as long as you work for it and don't give up. Just do whatever you can to pass your classes and get your degree so you can get your license. That's what will get you the experience you want.
Respectfully, your post is not in line with current conditions.
With regard to a new grad RN, I went to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. I did apply for RN jobs in the Baltimore area and they all requested a copy of my resume, wanted to know my GPA, and requested a copy of my transcript. This is because the employer wants to confirm the prospective hire actually went to the nursing school that is on their resume. In addition, the better hospitals have onboarding training programs for new grad RNs that can last several months. In San Diego, which is my permanent home, there is fierce competition to get one of those slots. While not all employers request a transcript of a new grad RN, some do, so it is irresponsible to tell a nursing student their grades don't matter. They may very well matter. Some areas have an RN shortage, but other areas have an RN surplus. This forum is full of posts from recent RN grads crying that they can't find a job. My nursing preceptors, most of whom were involved in hiring RNs, always said they liked to see at least a 3.0 GPA. However, if an applicant was outstanding in other ways, they would hire a new grad with a 2.0 GPA. The point is to maximize one's options and employability as a new grad RN.
As for grad school, ALL reputable NP programs require a minimum 3.0 undergrad GPA. That is because 3.0 is considered the bare minimum to pass in grad school and someone who can't do that in undergrad is highly unlikely to be able to do better in grad school.
As for the GRE, fewer and fewer NP programs ask for it now, because study after study has shown that the only thing the GRE tests is how well one can take the GRE. It is irrelevant for a future NP.
It is competitive to get into a good grad school, public or private.
As for the GRE, fewer and fewer NP programs ask for it now, because study after study has shown that the only thing the GRE tests is how well one can take the GRE. It is irrelevant for a future NP.
It is competitive to get into a good grad school, public or private.
I won't say much for the first part of your response since I already stated in my first post that it mainly is boiled down to the RN population in your area and what type of position you are applying for as a new grad. However I will say that living near one of the best hospitals in the country (UAB medicine) and knowing people within their graduate school programs, I am not implying that they are not hard to get into. Sure maintaining a good grade point average is a benefit to ones prospects of entering an advanced degree program but to put more pressure than neccessary on someone to achieve something that for most is impossible is irresponsible. You say that you applied to John Hopkins medicine within a competitive job market. For your individual circumstance and situation it makes sense for those employers to be pickier in hiring new grads due to a lack of experience since John Hopkins is a nationally renowned institution and I'm sure the surrounding hospitals want to pull the best from the surplus not being hired from within the best hospital in the area. For your circumstance I understand your mentality. And this may also apply to the original posters circumstance too. However I don't see the point in pressuring yourself to achieve something that will inevitably become irrelevant in your working future. The reason I said to include volunteer work is that any competent employer will see this as a benefit to the experience of the applicant.
On the topic of the GRE I am unaware of schools outside of the southern states as that is mainly where I reside but I have yet to hear of a program no longer accepting the GRE. It usually boils down to a 3.0 gpa or a certain GRE score alongside certain experience for the program you are getting into. Sure if you are mainly looking at CRNA programs then they are extremely picky with applicants and having a high GPA whilst in nursing school will help guarantee one a position. However if we are talking nursing education, leadership, or NP school I have yet to see a program that absolutely will not accept a GRE score. I wasn't meaning to imply that grades don't matter. But for the average nurse who works in a setting where there isn't a huge surplus which at this point seems to be the national norm, there is no reason to put so much pressure on a student to achieve perfect scores when the average is usually B at the best. Getting your degree and passing the NClex is ultimately what's most important. Beyond that unless you have majorly high aspirations there's no reason to add more stress. I may come across as naive in my sentiments but I do have surrounding expertise to validate my claims for the area I reside in. I see your point and I don't mean to dismiss it just that the original posters should take into consideration who's point relates more to their circumstance. In my area not getting the position you originally wanted is normal but not finding a job period as an RN is unheard of.
Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
1 hour ago, Flylik3abr1 said:
I won't say much for the first part of your response since I already stated in my first post that it mainly is boiled down to the RN population in your area and what type of position you are applying for as a new grad. However I will say that living near one of the best hospitals in the country (UAB medicine) and knowing people within their graduate school programs, I am not implying that they are not hard to get into. Sure maintaining a good grade point average is a benefit to ones prospects of entering an advanced degree program but to put more pressure than neccessary on someone to achieve something that for most is impossible is irresponsible. You say that you applied to John Hopkins medicine within a competitive job market. For your individual circumstance and situation it makes sense for those employers to be pickier in hiring new grads due to a lack of experience since John Hopkins is a nationally renowned institution and I'm sure the surrounding hospitals want to pull the best from the surplus not being hired from within the best hospital in the area. For your circumstance I understand your mentality. And this may also apply to the original posters circumstance too. However I don't see the point in pressuring yourself to achieve something that will inevitably become irrelevant in your working future. The reason I said to include volunteer work is that any competent employer will see this as a benefit to the experience of the applicant.
On the topic of the GRE I am unaware of schools outside of the southern states as that is mainly where I reside but I have yet to hear of a program no longer accepting the GRE. It usually boils down to a 3.0 gpa or a certain GRE score alongside certain experience for the program you are getting into. Sure if you are mainly looking at CRNA programs then they are extremely picky with applicants and having a high GPA whilst in nursing school will help guarantee one a position. However if we are talking nursing education, leadership, or NP school I have yet to see a program that absolutely will not accept a GRE score. I wasn't meaning to imply that grades don't matter. But for the average nurse who works in a setting where there isn't a huge surplus which at this point seems to be the national norm, there is no reason to put so much pressure on a student to achieve perfect scores when the average is usually B at the best. Getting your degree and passing the NClex is ultimately what's most important. Beyond that unless you have majorly high aspirations there's no reason to add more stress. I may come across as naive in my sentiments but I do have surrounding expertise to validate my claims for the area I reside in. I see your point and I don't mean to dismiss it just that the original posters should take into consideration who's point relates more to their circumstance. In my area not getting the position you originally wanted is normal but not finding a job period as an RN is unheard of.
I have yet to see a reputable NP program that will accept an undergrad nursing GPA less 3.0 unless the candidate is exceptional in other ways. Just check the admissions requirements for any reputable school and all them say minimum 3.0 GPA in undergrad nursing. Yes, there are crappy for-profit schools that will take anyone, but I am not counting those.
Johns Hopkins recommends the GRE but does not require it. I also obtained my AGPCNP MSN from Hopkins and did not take the GRE. UCLA does not require the GRE. As I said, the GRE just tests whether or not one can do well on the GRE. And it is also discriminatory, since doing well on it requires a lot of time and money in studying for it.
Grad school is HARD and the best predictor of one's future academic performance is past academic performance. Someone who did poorly in undergrad because they didn't know how to study is not going to magically know how to study should they decide to go to grad school.
If the OP knows they want to be an RN for their entire lives, fine, just pass. But for anyone who thinks they may want to go on to grad school in the future, then grades do matter. And in highly competitive job markets, a good GPA will be an advantage.
Honestly, if an organization has an opening for a new grad RN and 2 applicants both present very well during interviewing and shadowing, good personalities, both have equivalent volunteer experience etc., and one has 2.0 GPA and the other has 3.5 GPA, who do you think is going to get hired?
I'm in California, and I have never been asked to show my grades for nursing jobs. I have been on several interview panels and grades never factored into the hiring process.
Poliwag - In addition to the advice already given, you might benefit from getting a study group together. It's the only way I survived.
I'm in California and at my hospital, grades are used as part of a point system to rank applicants for new grad residency.
I'm in California and at my hospital, grades are used as part of a point system to rank applicants for new grad residency.
That is good to know! At the last hospital system in which I worked, there was a small new grad program and I don't know if grades were considered for admission to that program. Unfortunately, the program was small-ish and some new grads were hired outside of the new grad program (where grades were not considered). They unfortunately did not get all of the support that those in the new grad program received.
umbdude, MSN, APRN
1,228 Posts
One of my classmates barely passed her nursing courses and our passing grade was 77. She failed the maximum number of attempts on the HESI Exit exam. Somehow she graduated and almost 2 years post graduation she got her RN. I think it depends on how lenient your school is.
Good luck. Learn what's not working in your study habits and put in the extra work needed.