I'm not making A's... is that terrible?

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2016

The nursing world if full of people who passed NCLEX and didn't have straight As.

Do your absolute best, particularly if you want to apply to a new grad residency or if you hope to go to grad school (NP, CRNA, etc.) someday, because grades most certainly will be important. But if you truly do your best, and you don't make all As, you nevertheless may still pass NCLEX, like the many multitudes just like you have done.

brownbook · Jun 17, 2016

You might be giving yourself test anxiety, focusing too much on a grade, or how you compare with classmates instead of do you understand the material, even the questions you got wrong?

I find the questions I get wrong I remember why I got them wrong, what the correct answer was, better than some questions I get right.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 17, 2016

The nursing world if full of people who passed NCLEX and didn't have straight As.
Do your absolute best, particularly if you want to apply to a new grad residency or if you hope to go to grad school (NP, CRNA, etc.) someday, because grades most certainly will be important. But if you truly do your best, and you don't make all As, you nevertheless may still pass NCLEX, like the many multitudes just like you have done.

This is correct, except for one thing-I was able to enter a nurse residency with a 2.98 GPA-even though I aspired for a 3.1-and had success with passing the NCLEX the first time and a subsequent candidate for area hospitals with good national reputations; once you pass the NCLEX, it is up to the nurse to be empowered enough to be a good practitioner, desire career-long learning, and to find an aspect or aspects of pt care that they desire to be proficient about and study, educate, and mentor others on. :yes:

quazar · Jun 17, 2016

God bless nursing students, but man they were the WORST when it came to discussing and stressing about grades. I found myself getting really anxious and comparing myself negatively when I listened to the most vocal complainers about grades. Ironically enough, the ones complaining the loudest about their grades usually had either the highest or nearly highest GPAs. Anyway, I am *not* type A by any stretch of the imagination, but found myself really absorbing all of that stress from my classmates who were very type A and very grade focused. I resolved to stop listening to them, and actively made the choice to walk away (go get a drink of water, go to the bathroom, go throw something in the trash) from people having obsessive conversations about grades. If I couldn't physically get away, I trained myself to block out what they were saying and focus on something else. It brought my own stress levels WAY down.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2016

This is correct, except for one thing-I was able to enter a nurse residency with a 2.98 GPA-even though I aspired for a 3.1-and had success with passing the NCLEX the first time and a subsequent candidate for area hospitals with good national reputations; once you pass the NCLEX, it is up to the nurse to be empowered enough to be a good practitioner, desire career-long learning, and to find an aspect or aspects of pt care that they desire to be proficient about and study, educate, and mentor others on.

That's great, and I sincerely mean that. I would still advise any student to shoot for as high a GPA as possible. The very competitive ICU residency programs are generally very selective with regard to GPA. Any student who aspires to that needs to keep GPA in mind, though I don't recommend anyone destroy their health, their mental well being, and their relationships to hold onto a 4.0.

My critical care residency program had a minimum GPA requirement of 3.4; the lowest accepted was a 3.8.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Jun 24, 2016

Q: Do you know what they call the guy who graduates last in his medical school class?

A: Doctor

C's get degrees.

LunaTunaPineapple · Jun 24, 2016

Hi Becca,

My best advice is to focus on what changes need to be made to achieve the best result. Don't get caught up worrying about people's grades, it's just additional stress you don't need. Getting straight A's would be ideal, but sometimes it's just not going to happen. Personally, I never get too caught on the grades, as long as I know I'm not putting myself in a position to be on the verge of losing my position in the program, I'm fine!

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2016

Q: Do you know what they call the guy who graduates last in his medical school class?

The guy who couldn't get matched to a decent residency?