If I hear "C Nurses make the best nurses" one more time I will scream!

smk1, LPN · Feb 16, 2004

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!" :rolleyes: 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. :)

Catma63 · Feb 16, 2004

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.

iliel · Feb 16, 2004

The only people who don't think high grades matter are those who don't get them.

Nope, not true...not true at all. Grades don't matter to me, it dosn't mean I want to fail but I don't put a lot of value into a letter. Oh, and I do get very high grades (A's sometimes B's) and I will support someone who gets a C...because I really don't care what everyones letter grades are. I bet you can't even tell the difference between a C nurse and a B nurse on the floor after X many years can you?

smk1, LPN · Feb 16, 2004

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.

wonderful post ! :) :kiss

jaimealmostRN · Feb 16, 2004

I am a solid B student, of course I try my best and would be happy with straight 100%, but I think I pretty much know my stuff while making 85's. I have a few extremely intellegent classmates who consistantly make Cs (failing is anything below 75%). These people know just as much as me in clinical, about physiology of disease processes, etc. Just for whatever reason (actually because our tests are rediculously hard) they get C's. Just becuase I know they'll be excellent nurses and because I don't want them to see themselves negatively, I will happily exclaim: A=nurse, B=nurse, C=nurse! As long as you have common sense (and a liscense) you can be my nurse anytime.

Sheri257 · Feb 16, 2004

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....(?)

I'm confused. The quote you cited was actually LPN2Be2004's. Or, were you referring to something else I said? If you can point that out, then I can answer the question.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2004

NCLEX is what makes or breaks a nurse because ultimately you have to pass NCLEX to legally even apply to call yourself a nurse. It doesnt matter how many programs you go through or what grades you get, C or above allows you to sit for NCLEX and apply for a license after passing NCLEX(dont slam me,, im not saying if you dont pass NCLEX the first time you cant be a good nurse). Good nurse or bad, that and the state board is where the decision is made about who legally calls themselves a nurse. Whether one is good or bad is a matter of opinion and those that arent will be shown for what they are, and the board will deal with them as needed. Bigger powers than i have that responsibility. I'm sure we all have areas we have less competance in than others, thats why we dont work those areas.

Ortho_RN · Feb 16, 2004

meownsmile. I agree 100%....

Whoever earlier said that most C students fail their boards.. That is a crock.. I know A students have failed boards, B students also, and yes even some C students...

Grades DO NOT determine what type of nurse you are gonna be.. :rolleyes:

nekhismom · Feb 16, 2004

Oh, i was SOOOO sick of hearing that in school!!! My best friend and I always had very high grades, usually the highest in the class, and we studied together. Other students got jealous of us and actually accused us of "making" them fail because we "wouldn't let" the others study with us. How ridiculous!!!!!

Personally, I know a few students who got C's who were terrible in clinical and should not have passed. I also know quite a few C students who were great in clinicals and deserved to pass. I plan to be an advanced practice nurse within the next 10 years or so, and grades were important to me. I made my share of A's and a few B's. I made a C on a grand total of 5 tests throughout nursing school, and everytime I did it was because I didn't know the material very well and I didn't put in enough study time. I'm not saying that was the case for all the C students, but that was it for me. I think you just do your best, and if a C is your best, then great, you get to continue and become an RN. But if you can make better grades, then do it. Doing your best is the most important thing. So long as you don't get angry at other students who make better grades than you do, and you don't try to throw up the "C students make better nurses" in their faces everytime you start to feel inadequate or when jobs are discussed. That is disrespectful, rude, and down right uncalled for.

Catma63 · Feb 16, 2004

I'm confused. The quote you cited was actually LPN2Be2004's. Or, were you referring to something else I said? If you can point that out, then I can answer the question.

I was referring to these lines in your first post on this subject, Lizz. "I think it comes from people who feel bad about getting C's and want to make themselves feel better. " and this one "Chances are it's jealousy."

Sheri257 · Feb 16, 2004

I was referring to these lines in your first post on this subject, Lizz. "I think it comes from people who feel bad about getting C's and want to make themselves feel better. " and this one "Chances are it's jealousy."

What can I say? That's been my experience. I've seen some C students go around asking people what their grade is, then proceed to make all of these excuses for their lower grade, including the "C means I'll be a better nurse" claim.

If some C students are really happy with their grade, I don't think they'd make a big deal out of who got what grades, or always try to find out who blew the curve. And as I mentioned in another post, I've experienced a lot of nasty remarks from C students.

Does this happen with all C students? No. Of course not. But the students who tend to say and do these things also tend to have lower grades. Or, at least, that's been my experience.

Quite frankly, I don't care about their grades, and I don't ask. I don't know why they care about mine. I can only assume it comes from jealousy and competition.

And the reason I don't tell them anymore is because I don't want to hear or deal with the nasty remarks which inevitably follow. And I can only assume that the nasty remarks are, once again, a product of jealousy and competition.

Ortho_RN · Feb 16, 2004

In the end.. Everyone who graduates and passes the NCLEX will be RNs... Who gives a flip whether they were a A or C student... I can tell you one thing.. The hospitals don't ask what your GPA was... They don't care...

I understand that if you are trying to go to CRNA school or NP school, grades are a lil more important.. But geesh, a C is NOT the end of the world...

I ended up as a B student, I got several Cs but I didn't whine and moan about it... I know my stuff and I know I am gonna be a good nurse regardless of what my GPA is.

And for everyone who is just doing Pre-Reqs.. Nursing school is MUCH different from those other courses.. Nursing classes make Chemistry seem like baby stuff... So if you DO make a C on a test, don't beat yourself up. It doesn't mean you don't know the information. Nursing tests are just different, and are much much much harder than any Pre-Req course could EVER be...