Catma63

As an RN student working as an NA, I can easily say that some nurses have attitudes and don't want to work either. ;-)

You so said it....One of the things that has helped me the most was remembering that I, in my new status of failed student, will not be the first and I won't be the last. I recall my nursing instructor telling us (this was the first year instructor) that she would rather have a former "C" nurse who knew her stuff and knew how to see patients as people than the "A" nurse who treated people as textbook examples. And no, I in no way think a 70 is low but I would be lying if I wasn't sitting here yearning and wishing that was what our passing grade had to be. I feel I worked so hard...I lost precious time with my family, was always afraid to enjoy a movie, never went out except to go to school or the grocers or church....diligently studied, typed notes...I tried so hard yet failed. Your reply goes to show that even with helping students there is a good success rate with the NCLEX and again makes me feel....dare I say it?.....that we were robbed.

Congratulations on passing!! You are so blessed, too. I look at the requirements to pass in your course and am so envious. Were I where you are, I would have passed...(still moaning and groaning in Virginia....*shrugs*) We had to have an 80 to pass and my final grade was a 79. Students who have graduated from your school....How have they done on the state boards? I ask because that's the reason my instructors gave for taking away points that were afforded to last year's graduating class (even though only one student from that class had to resit for the boards but passed on the second take). Congratulations again!!

I've known all of my life that I wanted to be a nurse.....just didn't think the option was open for me. I'm a 41 year old and feel blessed to have the opportunity. I'm now in my second year (eight months to go....again, God willing) and though it's been incredibly hard (emotionally, physically, financially) I'm reminded everytime I do a clinical and see a patient needing care why I've wanted this. I've so often heard that grand ole reminder, "If He leads you to it, He'll lead you through it." I don't suppose anyone can tell if this is something you, personally, want to do. I reckon that's something you have to search for from within yourself to know. I think, should you decide to continue. you'll find it worth it, though. Something led you to it in the first place, right?

80 and over is passing at my school. Anything under is failing. An 80 is, of course, a C. You must make a C to pass the course.

I've gotten where I just go for concealer, foundation, powder, a tiny bit of blush, and a tad of mascara for clinicals. I save the lipstick, eyeliner, and eye shadow for class days and "I want to look less like a haglet days." May I suggest....Mary Kay? That's the only makeup I (and several of my classmates) have discovered will look just as fresh after a clinical shift as when you first arrived.

I haven't read through any of the other replies yet...Just figured I'd interject my own thoughts first. I wear makeup every day. I fix my hair every day. I don't see the point in letting nursing school stress appear obvious...haha. And good grooming is a plus. Think about it: I truly feel a patient would much prefer looking at a nurse who is wearing a little makeup to brighten her features than a nurse's face demonstrating fatigue and all that....Makeup just gives a little lift. No, doesn't take a whole lot. A little dab'll will do ya; but it will do wonders for the patient (and you!) And don't forget....At this time, being in nursing school, you do NOT want to start neglecting yourself or your needs.

Well, I've done lots of baths already (several on male patients) and I've yet to have one get "excited". Let's face it, most folks who are in the hospital have had medical hands placed on them so much they get used to it....They'd be no more titillated by a genital washing than a baby. Doesn't phase me either. I've raised two sons and am raising my two youngest..I figure if you've seen one nekkid bum, you've seen 'em all. Bathing's not hard. Just remember to only expose the body part that is immediately being washed. Dry and recover as you move down. End with the bottom last. Concerning foleys though and male patients...If the man still has an intact foreskin remember to pull it back so you can cleanse it thoroughly and of course the area where the foley enters the urethra. One girl last semester was so turned off by the idea of actually having to touch her male patient in order to do this actually lifted his member by grabbing the tubing of his foley! I gasped, she dropped it. Anyhoo, she's no longer in our class; not sure if she's planning on returning. Like I said, just bathe and cover as you go. If the patient CAN do it, by all means! After all, we're to promote self-care, right? Sometimes the patient wants assistance with the body bath but wants to wash their own perineum. I simply hand them the washcloth. Also, don't forget that this is the perfect time to assess. Check symmetry, scars, lesions, color....anything you can see. No problem, really. You'll see.

Sounds like stress is getting to your classmates in a big way. I've seen classmates cry too after failing a test and I can feel nothing but compassion for them. I always try and think, "There but for the Grace of God go I." A lot of times the students feel they know the material but are sabotaged by test anxiety and don't know how to fix it. We can't know what other underlying factors in their lives are playing into their anxiety. It could be they study more than you or I do but cannot manage high-anxiety nursing tests because they're thinking their car may be repossessed or some other kind of worry. Thus, they mess up again and exhibit it in ways like you've seen, frustrated beyong coping. Fact is, failure could happen to any of us....Nothing is a given. Praying for your classmates.

I agree, it really did get a bit blown out of proportion. I understood what the original poster was complaining about and I understand her frustration over being criticized or receiving ugly comments for her As. It's horrid to think she's has such experiences from obviously immature folks. Thing is, folks who get Cs don't want to be criticized either. I've never once heard that C nurses make better nurses (I've heard C=RN!) but I've also never heard that A nurses make better nurses either. You can have all the book smarts in the world, make the bestest grades in nursing school. However, if you don't get out there and be the best possible nurse in hands-on that you can be, what good is that A, B, OR C letter grade? It's what you do with what you've learned that's important.

EXACTLY!!! Congrats on your achievement! :balloons:

Oh my Heavens! You broke out the big guns! A Bart t-shirt! Noooo! Nottt Bart! Thing is, Hellllllo Nurse, I don't think that anyone's saying necessarily that good grades don't make a difference but rather....being a C student does not make a person a failure......or an underachiever. If the grade I have at the end of my studies is a C and I'm that nurse by the bedside who manages to relax that patient for surgery or helps a patient breathe easier, will I be an underachiever then? Any nursing student out there who is making As. Shoot, of course you should be proud of them! You worked hard for them! It's a wonderful accomplishment! However, don't look down on the student who came out with a C or assume he/she didn't try as hard. Fact is, they should be proud too. There's no shame in a passing grade, no matter what it is.

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

Kewlness! Another Virginian! Excellent Post!

Ahhhhhhh, I see. Yeah,they came to a different conclusion but does a better nursing student mean the same thing as a better nurse? Just pondering out loud here. I DO think it was wrong for those instructors to say that C students make better nurses. It also would have been wrong for them to say that A students make better nurses. Looove your emoticon, btw.

Yeah, I DO know me more than anyone else does. I suppose it's knowing that I've still so much to learn in the arena of critical thinking for all diseases and illnesses that their point to work med-surg for a year makes sense to me. Like I said in my original, it would provide the chance to hone my skills, improve my confidence in those skills, etc. Thanks for the best wishes!

Way Kewl information, Lizz! Now may I ask....What's your point? Not being sarcastic or mean; just asking.

I hear ya. Thing is, I wouldn't do med-surg simply because my instructors and/or others tell me to but rather, because I agree with them that med-surg for a year would be the best route for a beginning nurse to take. I look at it this way: These are seasoned nurses. My instructor has been a nurse for almost 30 years. The head instructor has been a nurse even longer. One of the clinical instructors has been a nurse for 42 years. All of these nurses hold their BSN. My main instructor holds her BSN/MSN. The head instructor has her BSN, MSN, and APRN. Now, going by their education level PLUS the fact that they've been nurses for such a long time, I'm akin to thinking that they're going to know a heck of a lot more (as to what unit is best to start working in) than a new or recently graduated nurse (and of course, I don't mean anyone here...I've no idea how long some of you have been graduated) and certainly more than a nursing student. How could I not respect that they know enough not to steer me (or others) wrong in their advice?

If it appears I was reading too much into it, my apologies. Truthfully, I have yet to read anything into it at all. What I've done is merely seeking to clarify what you meant by asking you. I made no conclusions. That, in itself (concluding), is hard to do without knowing exactly what the poster means, isn't it?

Well, naturally, the ones who claim a "C" grade means they'll be a better nurse or misinformed. The ones who accept their "C" grade after striving to do their best have it goin' on. Not everyone who makes the same grades feels the same way. And I agree! If you've given it all you've got and you get a "C", then pat yourself on the back. If you've attained an "A", Likewise! However, one "C" student is a totally different individual from another "C" student. Don't we owe it to everyone to see them as such and not judge them by the actions or comments of others? See, that's what I mean. Fact is, is DOESN'T happen with all "C" students so they can hardly be categorized. There are just those people in life, no matter WHAT they're doing, who want to pass the blame onto others or are not willing to accept responsibility. There are mature "C" students and there are immature "C" students. There are mature "A" students and there are immature "A" students.....eh? I've learned to be careful about assuming anything about anybody. Until I've been given the ability to look and read into the soul and mind of a person......Yeah, okay, I hardly think God's going to hand that one to me or anyone else. And I don't blame you. If you've come across people who really ARE that immature, then you owe it to yourself to avoid them, stay positive, and continue just as you've been doing. No one needs petty nonsense.

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."

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.

Very well said!

And I think that's an incorrect and unfair assumption on your part.

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....(?)