Is there anybody out there doing well in nursing school?

cassie77775 · Apr 27, 2013

I consider myself doing well. I am in my very last class and so far have made all A's and B's(my B's were almost A's). I am in crtical care right now, fairly certain I will pull a C for the first time, possibly a low B.

kaydensmom01 · Apr 27, 2013

There are alot of people in my class that were "barely passing", but fortunately I was never one of them. I didn't feel like I struggled at all in nursing school, but still ended up with high B's in most of my nursing classes and not the A's that I wanted. I had a 4.0 before beginning, I literally had a 100% in a&p, chem, and organic chem w/o any extra credit. I love science and math. When I started nursing classes I hated it b/c while it does entail science in math, it is completely different. It took me until the end to actually like nursing. I really did see most students counting the points that they need to pass, but don't fret b/c I never needed to do that and there were several other students that I know didn't need to do that either. It really depends on what kind of test taker you are in my opinion.

jarvic5 · Apr 27, 2013

Getting a good GPA through nursing school is doable! It all comes down to the amount of work you're willing to put in. I went in w a 4.0, and still had a 3.9 after. Good luck! =)

danielle11 · Apr 27, 2013

It is very possible to do well in nursing school. I am in my fourth semester and have received all A's throughout nursing school. I find the people that are barely passing are the ones that do assignments the night before, hardly study, etc. With time and effort, you can definitely maintain a good GPA throughout NS.

s.marie333, ASN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

I was a 4.0 student before nursing school. I have maintained straight B's through nursing school. I've taken Foundations of Nursing, Adult Health One and Two, Pharmacology, and Mental Health. I am about to start my fourth semester (there is a total of five in my program).

I think the most difficult part of nursing school compared to pre-requisite classes is the testing style. You can't memorize things. You must learn the concepts, understand them, and then apply them to clinical scenarios. It takes critical thinking, which takes time to develop. I don't fully agree with Danielle11. I realize that a lot of students barely pass, related to lack of studying, but some of those students try really hard and don't understand everything. People learn at different paces. Nursing school is a very short time period to learn as much as we need to know, and some students may fall behind. I think it is beneficial for those students to retake the courses, because usually a second go-round will strike "the lightbulb."

lmccrn62, MSN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

It's terrific everyone wants A's in nursing school but it means little if the knowledge you are storing makes sense and you can apply it. I did ok in my associates program 30 yrs ago. I went on to get my BSN, MSN and NP post masters certificate. I was a good student but not a A student in my early years. A patient will never ask for the nurse who had A's in school but the nurse that could truly take care of them and knew what they are doing. Stop being hard on yourselves.

s.marie333, ASN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

I agree lmccrn62! Just because you can make the grade doesn't mean you will be a good nurse. You can have a 4.0 and not have any qualities a nurse should possess (i.e. empathy, compassion, understanding, etc.).

SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

I have gotten all B's in nursing school. I consider myself doing well. Most of the B's were almost A's (would have been if we had a regular grading system where 90 and above was an A!). I don't beat myself up over my B's. I still have a pretty good GPA. And from what my instructors, other students and nurses have said, I will make an excellent nurse. I'm not worried about A's.

rubato, ASN, RN · Apr 28, 2013

I got all Bs also (unless I pull off some serious scores on my two last tests this semester). I came in with a 4.0, and, if I get this B, will end my first year with a 3.53. Yes, it's harder than prereqs. I know everyone can seem all doom and gloom here, but the fact of the matter is, prereqs were a joke compared to actual nursing school. Just be prepared, work hard, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

StayHumble11 · Apr 28, 2013

Thanks for the replies. That gave me somethings to think about.

scrlet · Apr 29, 2013

I just finished my first year of nursing last week. I have a 4.0. I was just talking with my friend the other day about how many people in our program are doing so bad. you have to have a 60% min to pass and there are a lot of people just hovering that. For one thing, common sense isn't so common and you need that. Critical thinking is huge and I just find people can't do that well. I have also noticed a lack of life experience and being able to apply it has some baring on it, but not in all cases obviously. For some reason too, when taking tests people forget their English first and just don't read the questions right or pick up on key word. So I always circle and highlight. Also, they forget your ABC's when picking the BEST possible answer. Nursing school is a lot of work and like others have said, you can't just memorize it, you have to know it and be able to apply it. Just put the work in and you wil get the results. Good Luck :)