Is it normal to go from straight As in prereqs to b- grades in nursing classes

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I don't know if I am just not myself regarding studying (which I think I am) or if it is normal to go from getting straight A's in prerequisites to B Grades in actual nursing classes. I got high 90s and even 100s on my anatomy tests and now (only 2 tests in) I am getting 85s and 80s... I am really nervous that this indicates that nursing isn't gonna work out for me ... I am asking pretty much is this drop normal? Or is it just something you need to get used to ... I feel like I have no idea what to actually study they are going over so much material ... I am trying really hard I am just really getting discouraged.. ... any tips appreciated

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Specializes in L&D.

Yes it is normal. A&P is simple memorization. Nursing School? It is more choosing the right answer out of a whole bunch of right answers, prioritization, a bit of memory to know the disease process, etc. It's definitely a different type of party!

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Supervisory, HEDIS, IT.
Yes it is normal. A&P is simple memorization. Nursing School? It is more choosing the right answer out of a whole bunch of right answers, prioritization, a bit of memory to know the disease process, etc. It's definitely a different type of party!

This is exactly what I was going to say!!

TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!

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Thank you guys ... at least I know I am not getting dumber I just have to step up my game and adjust to the different type of learning that nursing school calls for :)

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Specializes in ER.

I hope so, because that's exactly what happened to me. Straight A's in all of my pre-reqs (98% overall in A&P!) and now I'm barely squeaking by in NS with an 85%. I don't know what to do to bring my grades up! I study night and day, and then I sit down with the exams and draw a blank. We just have to do our best and hope it's enough.

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Specializes in L&D.

Totally normal.

You have to think differently for those pesky nursing tests! :p

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That is what is what happened to me too. I did great in the pre req's but in nursing I was actually happy if I passed. One of my instructors told me to let go of the wanting straight a's and just learn the material. Its a whole new ball game. Very humbling.

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This is a complex issue..... I mean it is normal to have grades drop.....and hey, you're still getting in the low to mid 80s?.....thats phenominal by Nursing School standards....you really just need to understand things about Nursing....

It's not necessarily that A+P is simple memorization, and Nursing is superior in all ways.

A+P is not simple, ....and you dont want to downplay the difficulty of it. Of course, I have 400 and 500 level bio and anatomy course work under my belt, so I have a great respect for A+P, and the Biological Sciences, and my A+P came at a 4 year school and was a 300 level course, where many 2 yr colleges its a 100 level, and its a lot easier.

You also need to understand that Nursing truely is its own art, and its own subject....its unique not just from Anatomy, but even other medical professions.

And Nursing doesnt really require being good in A+P....to me A+P was uselsess when I started LPN School. You really only need the tip of the iceberg info ...and many of my classmates agreed....whats more important in Nursing is critical thinking and problem solving, and understanding the fundamentals of Nursing Theory.

A lot of people simply dont get what Nursing Theory is all about, and what it's assessing on exams?!

What your doing is ultimately managing the patients response to illness and taking into account the entire holistic picture, the psychosocial and all, which is Nursing's most distinguishing feature a.k.a "the Nursing model", which is a real m'fer if you ask me....I prefer the medical model myself.

For me LPN School was very frustrating because of the type of NCLEX-PN style questions that have more than 1 right answer, sometimes 2 or 3 right answers and this is where you are constantly using that Nursing Process "...

That Nursing Process is key....a lot of students never realize that you are ALWAYS being assesed on the nursing process.

That ADPIE, Assessing, Documenting, Planning, Implementing, and Evaluation,.....and your remembering your ABC's and Maslow or Orem, or whatever theroist your school abides by....and of the 2 or 3 right answers, you have to pick the better one according to those concepts. It can be frustrating because you always feel like you can argue things with those questions, but many times, people dont get why they are wrong.

I always criticzed this method of questioning because truthfully, ...you'll never really know if a student was right or not because you'll never know the rationale on why the student arrived there....and of course the same applies to RN school except a little harder.

I went to RT School, there was only one answer for a majority of the questions, and we were assessed from a different prospective than Nurses were....we had NBRC style questions which are also critical thinking as all health care fields were, but instead we were assesed on treating and managing our patient. ....Personally I found the medical model much easier, and RT in general, mainly because I was better in the physical sciences, and RT is much more science orientated. Plus with Nursing, you have to know so much more such as, charting and documentation, and the psychosocial and family issues.

I hate that Nursing Model lol

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This is a complex issue..... I mean it is normal to have grades drop.....and hey, you're still getting in the low to mid 80s?.....thats phenominal by Nursing School standards....you really just need to understand things about Nursing....

It's not necessarily that A+P is simple memorization, and Nursing is superior in all ways.

A+P is not simple, ....and you dont want to downplay the difficulty of it. Of course, I have 400 and 500 level bio and anatomy course work under my belt, so I have a great respect for A+P, and the Biological Sciences, and my A+P came at a 4 year school and was a 300 level course, where many 2 yr colleges its a 100 level, and its a lot easier.

You also need to understand that Nursing truely is its own art, and its own subject....its unique not just from Anatomy, but even other medical professions.

And Nursing doesnt really require being good in A+P....to me A+P was uselsess when I started LPN School. You really only need the tip of the iceberg info ...and many of my classmates agreed....whats more important in Nursing is critical thinking and problem solving, and understanding the fundamentals of Nursing Theory.

A lot of people simply dont get what Nursing Theory is all about, and what it's assessing on exams?!

What your doing is ultimately managing the patients response to illness and taking into account the entire holistic picture, the psychosocial and all, which is Nursing's most distinguishing feature a.k.a "the Nursing model", which is a real m'fer if you ask me....I prefer the medical model myself.

For me LPN School was very frustrating because of the type of NCLEX-PN style questions that have more than 1 right answer, sometimes 2 or 3 right answers and this is where you are constantly using that Nursing Process "...

That Nursing Process is key....a lot of students never realize that you are ALWAYS being assesed on the nursing process.

That ADPIE, Assessing, Documenting, Planning, Implementing, and Evaluation,.....and your remembering your ABC's and Maslow or Orem, or whatever theroist your school abides by....and of the 2 or 3 right answers, you have to pick the better one according to those concepts. It can be frustrating because you always feel like you can argue things with those questions, but many times, people dont get why they are wrong.

I always criticzed this method of questioning because truthfully, ...you'll never really know if a student was right or not because you'll never know the rationale on why the student arrived there....and of course the same applies to RN school except a little harder.

I went to RT School, there was only one answer for a majority of the questions, and we were assessed from a different prospective than Nurses were....we had NBRC style questions which are also critical thinking as all health care fields were, but instead we were assesed on treating and managing our patient. ....Personally I found the medical model much easier, and RT in general, mainly because I was better in the physical sciences, and RT is much more science orientated. Plus with Nursing, you have to know so much more such as, charting and documentation, and the psychosocial and family issues.

I hate that Nursing Model lol

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Yes that is definitely the feeling.. Humbling...

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Any score that is not failing is a good score in nursing school.

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I'd say it is quite normal. An average science prerequisite isn't all that difficult. Nursing school is taking ALL the info you ever learned in science classes and requiring you to take it even further (critical thinking). It takes a lot more studying and retaining info to get an A in the nursing program...but it's always possible. :)

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