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

ItsyBitsySpider, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2004

Lighten up already!!

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2004

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?

Sometimes you can tell, sometimes it is glaringly obvious.

I did not say my statement is true of everyone, but it is generally true. The only people I've ever personally heard attacking good grades and education are those who don't have either.

I used to work w/ a nurse, who'd been an RN for over 30 years. She often did things like crush Theodur, and cut MS Contin tabs in half. She would chart that wounds had necrotic tissue, purulent drainage, etc, but would never call the doc about it. She worked days and eves, and I'd end up calling the doc on nocs for things she hadn't followed up on. She liked to "brag" about how C=nurse for her, since she was a C student. She'd spoken about barely making it through nursing school- she joked about it.

We had a pt whose dressing was to be changed on days only, but I'd often change it because she didn't get to it. She would chart that she's changed the dressing when she hadn't- I'd return from several days off and find the dressing I'd applied days before (with my initials and date) still on the pt.

One noc, I found the pt's leg to be cold, and very pale, pedal pulse absent, white, dead slough on the old dressing, the pts' leg was so pale, I could not observe cap refill. I called the doc and pt was sent to ER, was admitted and had a fem-pop bypass.

This nurse had charted CMS checks good that eve.

This nurse would also not see to it that two brittle diabetics we had to got their HS snacks. She would, however, give them their insulin. After having one of these pts have a bs of 35 @ 2400, I started having to wake them to give them the snacks on nocs.

I work w/ tech who flunked out of nursing school and has been a tech for 18 years. She is constantly saying things like "education is just a piece of paper, it doesn't mean anything." Her statements are so rediculous, and obviously motivated by jealousy.

There are exceptions to every rule. But, I believe that good grades generally = good nurse.

Common sense is a good thing, but it in no way makes up for lack of knowledge.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2004

As an "A" student, other students with lower grades would snicker and smirk at me, and other "A" students in our program. They would roll their eyes when we asked questions. They made the comments about "ruining" the grade-curve. The "C" students went to the beach or skiing on spring and winter breaks. We "A" students studied and picked up extra shifts at work.

One of the marginal students went to Las Vegas on a weekend that we were supposed to do volunteer work at a women's shelter through our student nurses' assoc.

Of course, the same "C" students had no problem calling me at home to ask for help when they got behind. :rolleyes:

In my experience (and I can only speak from my experience) grades reflect a lot more about a person than how much time they spent studying.

RedSox33RN · Feb 17, 2004

Personally, I could care less what other people's grades are, and I would take serious offense to someone asking me what mine are. Yes, I get good grades, mostly all A's, but it is my business to share, not someone's to ask. I would never dare ask someone what their grade was. I find it completely rude,and just astounding that so many of you have classmates that feel this is okay to ask.

I think it has been said that we all have our priorities. To me, A's are important. It means, to ME, that *I* know the material I've been studying. If I get a lower grade, I feel that I need to figure out what I don't know, or learned incorrectly. But that is just me. Many people are comfortable with B's and C's. That's fine. I am certainly not in any position to tell someone they shouldn't be okay with those grades. Grades are a personal thing, between you and your instructor and the school.

I also feel grading on a curve is completely unfair. Thankfully I've never had a college instructor that does this, and I would seriously question why anyone would do it. It does not teach a student anything further, and does not seem to be a good indicator of knowledge, which is what testing and quizzing is for. Personally I would be offended if someone asked me if I "screwed up the curve". Achieving your best and performing your best should never be secondary to someone else's grades.

Off my soapbox now! LOL

ItsyBitsySpider, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2004

I think your experience has obviously been limited, to put it mildly. There's a step ladder sitting next to your high horse.

I know that in my program there are approximately 1% of students that are A students. Some of you including the previous poster seem to have stereotyped "C" students as party animals then excuse this by saying this is "your experience". I know many C students that try just as hard as the A ones, study just as much if not more, and put 110% effort in all the time. If there are people who are C students who chose to live their life rather than have school live it for them then that is their choice and one I do not completely disagree with.

Cheers!

Sheri257 · Feb 17, 2004

I think your experience has obviously been limited, to put it mildly. There's a step ladder sitting next to your high horse.
I know that in my program there are approximately 1% of students that are A students. Some of you including the previous poster seem to have stereotyped "C" students as party animals then excuse this by saying this is "your experience". I know many C students that try just as hard as the A ones, study just as much if not more, and put 110% effort in all the time. If there are people who are C students who chose to live their life rather than have school live it for them then that is their choice and one I do not completely disagree with.
Cheers!

I'm getting tired of this, so the flame retardant suit is on.

If there is a stereotype that C students are party animals, it's because party animals do tend to get lower grades. That's only logical in any program at any school. Does that mean that every C student is party animal? No. But it probably means there are more C students who are party animals than A students.

Let's stop tap dancing around the issue and face some facts here. If the schools really thought that C students always make great nurses, I doubt that GPA criteria would even exist. My school's administrators always like preface their remarks with the "C students make great nurses" line because they're afraid of offending the C students. Yet, they're still pushing for higher GPA criteria which would, in fact, eliminate more C students from the pool. Actions speak louder than words.

Yes, I've seen C students who work hard and struggle, and they'll probably still be good nurses. But there are many C students who are careless and just don't take care of business, so to speak. The instructors are always expressing fears about what kind of nurses these people will be.

If Helllo Nurse thinks A students make better nurses, her opinion is valuable because she's actually a working nurse. And there are a lot of people in the educational system who agree with her. Why do you think they won't let C students become CRNA's? Let's face some facts people and quit making excuses.

Jen2 · Feb 17, 2004

Just wanted to say that one of the CRNA schools in my area looks at way more than a GPA. One of the schools looks mostly at ICU/ER experience and the character of the person. One of my instructors who now has her PHd in nursing was a C student in nursing school and was accepted into a graduate program on academic probation, however she was still accepted and made it.

Also I am in my second semester of an ADN program and in the first semester not one person in the class got an A. The class had a few B's and mostly C's. Does this mean that this class is all dummies? No! Two of our 3 instructors actually write for the NCLEX and often put questions on our exams that were on the NCLEX. Our instructors tell us that A's are great, but there are very few of us who will get A's. A grade of a C is average, which = the average person and the average nurse. If everyone made A's than wouldn't an A really be average? I was one of the few that got a B last semester. I did my best, learned what I could, and I still remember the material. I once had a psych class where the tests were usually take home or open book. I got an A in that class and didn't learn squat.

In my program C only means that you get to continue. If you do better than the average person than great. In the end it's passing the NCLEX that will determine if you can call yourself nurse. Oh and BTW my best friend made straight A's in nursing school, it took her 3 times to pass her boards.

Catma63 · Feb 17, 2004

I'm getting tired of this, so the flame retardant suit is on.
If there is a stereotype that C students are party animals, it's because party animals do tend to get lower grades. That's only logical in any program at any school. Does that mean that every C student is party animal? No. But it probably means that there are more C students who are party animals than A students.
Let's stop tap dancing around the issue and face some facts here. If the schools really thought that C students always make great nurses, I doubt that GPA criteria would even exist. My school's administrators always like preface their remarks with the "C students make great nurses" line because they're afraid of offending the C students. Yet, they're still pushing for higher GPA criteria which would, in fact, eliminate more C students from the pool. Actions speak louder than words.
Yes, I've seen C students who work hard and struggle, and they'll probably still be good nurses. But there are many C students who are careless and just don't take care of business, so to speak. The instructors are always expressing fears about what kind of nurses these people will be.
If Helllo Nurse thinks A students make better nurses, her opinion is valuable because she's actually a working nurse. And there are a lot of people in the educational system who agree with her. Why do you think they won't let C students become CRNA's? Let's face some facts people and quit making excuses.

Guys, guys, can't we all come together and remember we're all in this together? We're all going for the same goal: To be nurses and danged good ones. Everyone's got their own opinions about this and it's been danced over a humpteen million times, right? Not just in this post. Can't everyone agree to just disagree? Everyone's entitled to their own views...so be it. No skin off of anyone's back, right? C'mon, c'mon, let's kiss/hug/cuddle and make up.....c'mon, whadya say? :kiss :nurse: :kiss

JenRN_2B · Feb 17, 2004

At my school, most of the "party animals" didn't make it past the first semester. All that's left are the serious students, whether then make A's, B's, or C's. Oh and I'm not sure about the other schools out there, but at mine, the nursing program has a higher grading scale. Anything below an 85% is a C and anything below 80% is an F. So even the "average" C student in nursing is above average compared to the rest of the college.

Jen2 · Feb 17, 2004

Yes my point exactly when the "C" students would really be making A's in any other class, does this make them party animals or indicate that they are stupid or not trying?

Ortho_RN · Feb 17, 2004

OMG.. Get over it already.....

I just think once you become a nurse and start working with other nurses maybe you will realize that grades don't make a nurse.

iliel · Feb 17, 2004

Guys, guys, can't we all come together and remember we're all in this together? We're all going for the same goal: To be nurses and danged good ones. Everyone's got their own opinions about this and it's been danced over a humpteen million times, right? Not just in this post. Can't everyone agree to just disagree? Everyone's entitled to their own views...so be it. No skin off of anyone's back, right? C'mon, c'mon, let's kiss/hug/cuddle and make up.....c'mon, whadya say? :kiss :kiss

:chuckle I've been getting a kick out of this conversation personally. I'm also one of thoes "party animals" that makes A's. I've always been like that, go out, have some drinks until 3,4 in the am then go to class and take a test. I do fine. And please don't flame me and tell me I better not go in drunk to nursing school...I party, I'm not stupid.

I've always been this way, I hardly study, it just comes to me. But that's me and I would never sit here and judge anyone based on grades...thats crap plain and simple. You are always going to find someone that fits the mold...A=great nurse or C=crappy nurse...there will always be someone there to back up your claim with. I'm sure 99% of the time you have no idea how well some one did or did not do in school. I bet this conversation would be very different if the shoe was on the other foot. And if you can say honestly that you wouldn't want a prof to pass you if you worked your butt off for a C then fine.