I'm in my first quarter of nursing school and I keep hearing "C Nurses make the best nurses". It makes me absolutely crazy. I'm the first to admit that being book smart does not mean that you have a lot of common sense, but I don't think that A nurses are destined to be bad nurses.
Our school has a tough grading scale, anything below 80 is failing, and I understand that makes it tougher to get really good grades. However, every time I hear that little manta, it feels like a put down, even though I don't discuss my grades.
I work extremely hard to get good grades-- I think it is important for obvious reasons and because I'd eventually like to attend CRNA school. I made the decision to be poor for two years and live on student loans so I could spend a lot of time studying. It is only the first quarter and I'm already tired of being made to feel like I won't be a great nurse because I dared to overachieve!
Does anyone else feel this way too? Thanks for letting me vent.
The only people who don't think high grades matter are those who don't get them.
Yep, I think so, too. It goes back to my theory of it being "sour grapes." I plan to be a NP someday and I intend to get good grades, period. I am an "A" student, and while I don't discuss my grades with anyone someone always figures it out anyhow. "Oh, that was you that ruined the curve?! I knew it." I DON'T think that getting C's makes anyone a better anything. It's fine, it's passing in most cases, but for me, I will make sure that I am doing the best I can and right now the best I can is an "A". At this point in my schooling, if I were to get a "C" on a test I would figure I didn't know the material very well. JMO.
I disagree. It's nursing itself that makes or breaks a nurse.
I disagree as well. I'm not trying to bring up a sore subject, but this is one of the reasons California no longer allows certain distance learning programs.
People were passing the NCLEX, but they didn't have enough clinical training. The NCLEX is not always the ultimate indicator of nursing ability.
I disagree as well. I'm not trying to bring up a sore subject, but this is one of the reasons California no longer allows certain distance learning programs.
People were passing the NCLEX, but they didn't have enough clinical training. The NCLEX is not always the ultimate indicator of nursing ability.
I personally thought the NCLEX-RN was easy when compared to the exams we has in school. Nursing itself, however, is very difficult.
I am an "A" student, and while I don't discuss my grades with anyone someone always figures it out anyhow. "Oh, that was you that ruined the curve?! I knew it."
Boy can I relate to this. I NEVER discuss my grades, but people are always asking. Especially if you blow the curve. One girl kept insisting I tell her and when I refused, she really got on my case about it. It was ridiculous.
To me the "C nurses make the best nurses" line is no better than someone saying "A students pay a lot of attention to detail". Plenty of C students pay attention to detail, and plenty of A students are good nurses, DESPITE what what people think about either GPA. There is no legitimate research that proves that the best nurses on the planet made Cs or As in school. How come? It's a stereotype, that's why, because:
THE BEST NURSES MADE A VARIETY OF GRADES. GRADES DO NOT DETERMINE WHO THE BEST NURSE IS.
People need to spend less time trying to glorify grade point averages and work on, and instead working on maintaining the one THEY want!!!
Ditto. I agree. I've made As, I've made Bs, and I've made Cs. I've been proud of every single passing grade. I myself live by the C=RN motto. Why? Because I like reminding myself that it's not about the letter grade. It's about being a good nurse once I've graduated and am practicing.
Lizz, I've always enjoyed your posts up until this one. Did you really mean it to sound so la-de-da? I've never seen it before in any of your other posts....(?)
lol, never heard that one before. That's crap. All the nursing teachers know you have to pull A's to get into CRNA school! And a lot of other grad programs. Who cares what a dumb professor said. I mean, hello?, common sense here.
Yep, I think so, too. It goes back to my theory of it being "sour grapes." I plan to be a NP someday and I intend to get good grades, period. I am an "A" student, and while I don't discuss my grades with anyone someone always figures it out anyhow. "Oh, that was you that ruined the curve?! I knew it." I DON'T think that getting C's makes anyone a better anything. It's fine, it's passing in most cases, but for me, I will make sure that I am doing the best I can and right now the best I can is an "A". At this point in my schooling, if I were to get a "C" on a test I would figure I didn't know the material very well. JMO.
I agree about trying as hard asyou can in school. and if you only get C's but you know your stuff then great. I think grades can be a great indication of knowledge and motivation and i want my best to translate to an A that doesn't make me a bad person for blowing the curve and in fact my "curve blowing" caused many people to pass interpersonal comm. last semester. I always had the highest test grade and the test would start from my score so many people got free points ( i did too but it wouldn't have bumped me down to a b) that enabled them to get to a 'C'. The lesson is do the best that you can. That's all you can do anyway, but always try your best and give your best! others will respect you for it ad more importantly you will respect and feel good about your honest effort..
I agree about trying as hard asyou can in school. and if you only get C's but you know your stuff then great. I think grades can be a great indication of knowledge and motivation and i want my best to translate to an A that doesn't make me a bad person for blowing the curve and in fact my "curve blowing" caused many people to pass interpersonal comm. last semester. I always had the highest test grade and the test would start from my score so many people got free points ( i did too but it wouldn't have bumped me down to a b) that enabled them to get to a 'C'. The lesson is do the best that you can. That's all you can do anyway, but always try your best and give your best! others will respect you for it ad more importantly you will respect and feel good about your honest effort..
Ditto. I agree. I've made As, I've made Bs, and I've made Cs. I've been proud of every single passing grade. I myself live by the C=RN motto. Why? Because I like reminding myself that it's not about the letter grade. It's about being a good nurse once I've graduated and am practicing.
Lizz, I've always enjoyed your posts up until this one. Did you really mean it to sound so la-de-da? I've never seen it before in any of your other posts....(?)
catma im not speaking for Lizz as she has her own voice which i respect, but i agree with her and lisa about the attitudes of others about "blowing" the curve. Not everyone would get upset, but some would harrass you until they found out your grade, or you couldn't express pleasure at your hard earned grade of "a" because others thought you were being stuck up. I learned to quietly slip my papers in my notebook and not have a visible reaction. but that doesn't work sometimes. Last semester i actually had a girl shout from ACROSS THE ROOM "shannon did you get the highest grade AGAIN!" Or last weeks Algebra test the teacher actually wanted to call out grades rather than pass back papers! so much for privacy. In essence what my rambling is trying to say is that some of us place more importance on grades than others do and try to acheive the goal that we have set. We shouldn't get crap from other students for that. Everyone should be proud to acheive their goals. I certainly don't think i am any better than anyone else but I may have different expectations of myself than they do and that is fine. :)
catma im not speaking for Lizz as she has her own voice which i respect, but i agree with her and lisa about the attitudes of others about "blowing" the curve. Not everyone would get upset, but some would harrass you until they found out your grade, or you couldn't express pleasure at your hard earned grade of "a" because others thought you were being stuck up. I learned to quietly slip my papers in my notebook and not have a visible reaction. but that doesn't work sometimes. Last semester i actually had a girl shout from ACROSS THE ROOM "shannon did you get the highest grade AGAIN!" Or last weeks Algebra test the teacher actually wanted to call out grades rather than pass back papers! so much for privacy. In essence what my rambling is trying to say is that some of us place more importance on grades than others do and try to acheive the goal that we have set. We shouldn't get crap from other students for that. Everyone should be proud to acheive their goals. I certainly don't think i am any better than anyone else but I may have different expectations of myself than they do and that is fine. :)
Oh, I agree! I fully think it's wrong (not to mention embarassing) to think there are those out there who harass students who make higher grades. Everyone should be proud of their accomplishments. I thought what you said so eloquently in your post (about giving it all you've got, doing your best) is what each and every individual student should do. It's wrong for C students to speak unkindly about A students but, on the same hand, it's wrong for A students to assume that just because someone lives by the motto C=RN means something more than what it's supposed to mean....I think reading that students who get Cs are jealous got to me a bit. It doesn't mean settling for what you get...it means giving it all you've got at that given time. There but for the grace of God, I always say. I would never belittle anyone's grades, be they great or small. I can't see that others have the right to do that either.
Or last weeks Algebra test the teacher actually wanted to call out grades rather than pass back papers! so much for privacy. In essence what my rambling is trying to say is that some of us place more importance on grades than others do and try to acheive the goal that we have set. We shouldn't get crap from other students for that. Everyone should be proud to acheive their goals. I certainly don't think i am any better than anyone else but I may have different expectations of myself than they do and that is fine. :)
Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN
2 Articles; 3,563 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by meownsmile
"The NCLEX is what makes or breaks a nurse."
I disagree. It's nursing itself that makes or breaks a nurse.