I have heard many people say this, particularly instructors. It all has to do with the balancing act... Studying enough to do well, but not destroying ourselves in the process to get A's. I understand that Nursing students with C's are still nurses, and that the student who recieved the A wont necessarily be a "better nurse"... But doesnt it seem like they would be?
I am mainly asking this because at clinical, I sometimes feel stupid! And I know its mostly nerves... and inexperience, of course. I know I can (and will.... !) be a good nurse, but I am thinking of one girl inparticular who just seems to have it all together at clinical all the time.. Who gets the best grades in our class... Always knows the answers. Does this mean she will be a better nurse than I will? Sometimes, I feel inadequate. Not all the time. I know I am capable of being a nurse, but.... :imbar
So, I know that "nursing students with C's are still nurses"---But does that mean they will be mediocre compared to the A students?
So you're assumption here is that "A" students are thorough but slow and "C" students are fast and nimble? I think the "A" students here just got dissed again.
I would probably think that students that understand concepts thoroughly enough to do well on tests would TEND to be able to more quickly understand, assess, and deal with a situation. I would think that the "C" student would TEND to have the need to look it up. If you don't know it well enough to answer correctly in the comfort of a classroom with 150 seconds per question, how can you make the assumption that they would do better in the crucible of a clinical emergency? Notice...I said TEND TO, not an absolute statement. It is NOT TRUE for everybody.
Please, please, please, stop insulting your "A" students just so that you can make yourself, or the "C" students feel better. There is no reason for anyone to put down or pull anyone down just to make ourselves feel better.
I was not putting anyone down or trying to make myself feel better about anything. The point was.....In my OPINION...your gpa in nursing school has little to do with how good of a nurse you are! (or are not). There are many nurses out there that are very "book smart" and some that are very "street smart" (for lack of a better term) and some that have both!! My dtr for one is extremely book smart. Never have seen her study for any test and she just aces them! Common sense?????Heck no! She has none!
In my experience.....every nurse has their strengths and weaknesses. I for one after 10 yrs of "working" experience could probably not do well on written test of half of the things we tested on in nursing school. We all know that there is the way you learned to do something in school and then how you do it in real life! (sometimes very different!) Nursing school teaches basics and foundations. What you do with that info and how much you expand on it is up to you.
Back to the origination of this thread......C students can make excellent nurses just as well as A students making s*^#!y ones!!!
I think that reacting to an emergency situation comes with experience, and I don't mean the recognizing of the deteriorating condition...I believe, right or wrong (I'm sure someone here will tell me if I'm wrong ) that a grad student or basic EMT should be able to recognize a life-threatening condition (i.e. altered mental status varying from baseline and whacky-acky vital signs, etc.) The process of 'reacting' to it, though, would include (to me) fast thinking, calm demeanor, the ability to be confident in conveying to the doc what you believe to be wrong, and to instill confidence in your pt that you know what you're doing.
I don't know how in the world anyone can think (or how we got to the point in this discussion) that reacting to an emergency is related to grades.
In all my clinicals as a medic would you believe I never got to see a grand mal seizure? Ever? Plenty of postictal pts...but never a seizure. On my very first day I had one. I'll be honest and say it scared me to death! I did what I was supposed to do and everything turned out fine. On my third day as a medic, I delivered a 25-week premie in the back of my ambulance. I was shaking, sweating, and telling the BRAND NEW firefighter EMT what to do on the way to the hospital. I managed mom (who was hypotensive and in and out of consciousness) and baby (HR of 72, agonal respers - survived, but brain damaged), but was terrified, and after I left the hospital I spent a good bit of time at the station kneeling to the porcelain god, belittling myself that I should have done better, more...shoulda, coulda, woulda, etc.
But the point is, reacting to an emergency is a learned skill (I believe) and one that comes with time, experience, and can depend on the personality of the caregiver. Now, I can go to a code, drowning, MI, CVA call, etc. and not even get butterflies in my stomach. But, I've got 4,000+ hours of experience behind me now. Yes, I was an A student in medic school, too. But, I could not tell you if I had done better or worse than any other grad student, no matter what their grade was, in that situation. And to think that managing that situation had anything to do with 'doing research' and 'writing a paper' and going to Google? Are you kidding me? Oh my goodness
Oh my goodness????My point was that no matter if you are or were an A or B or C student, makes no difference in some clinical situations. I would not choose my nurse or doctor based on their GPA from school that could have been 2 or 20 or 30 yrs ago. I choose to believe that as a B student in nursing school , I grew and matured into an excellent OR nurse. Having said that, I have worked with plenty of nurses that seem to have gotten their license from a cracker jack box and I have no idea what their gpa in school was.
Livingthedream...thought this (quote) was you attempting to prove your point. While I understand what you were trying to say (and during this discussion I have not disagreed with you or anyone who held this position), perhaps this was not the best way to illustrate it?
.....If I have a condition in which my nurse has time to research, write a paper, and present that info to the persons caring for me, get me the A student. If I am about to die or suffer long term effects if my condition is not treated rapidly...give me the C student that can deal with the situation immediately, not after she goes to Google!
I appreciate what you have contributed to the discussion and thanks for all you do for your pts!
So, now that my 3.92 GPA is blown all to hell in back, I can honestly say (at least in my program) that "C" students are the majority and the "A" students well, they are great test takers that do not have other obligations or spend all of their time studying; they tend to neglect their other responsibilities. Personally, I've quit worrying about other people's grades. I've got enough on my plate.
Students who've quit worrying about other people's grades don't denigrate other people's A performances in order to justify their own.
Specializes in LTC and all the floors at the hospital.
As someone else said, I think there are a lot of variables that negate the A = good nurse, C = adequate nurse, philosophy. Thus far, classwork seems to reflect how much time you invest and how well your study techniques work. I have a B average. I study my tail off when I can, but I also have 3 kids (one I homeschool) and I work 20 hours a week as well. Another student has scraped by with an 80 average, has no responsibilities other than nursing, but doesn't do all of her reading/prep work until the weekend before the exam. Another student gets fantastic grades (the teacher chided her for not studying when she got an 89), but has a job as a night clerk where she basically studies her entire shift unless someone comes to check in to her hotel.
As for clinicals... I think again there are a lot of variables that can be ironed out. We only get a U or an S for clinicals (two U's in any one area or three Us over all means you fail) Nerves play a big part of function, as well as the benefit of prior experience for some, and the obvious negligence of others (throwing dirty linens on the floor, not remembering to glove up or take gloves off before leaving the room, ect) I did terrible at first, but I found that once I have calmed down and gotten comfortable, my brain has started working much better, lol. Perhaps that will be the same for you.
I know plenty of people I work with (RNs and CNAs), myself included, that forget to not throw dirty linen on the floor when we're in a hurry! That's definitely something I'm going to have to stop doing ASAP to get out of the habit before I even START nursing school. :imbar
This is the craziest post I have ever read. It seems that all I get out of it is "'Oh I am an "A" student, blah, blah, blah." Alright already. After you learn all that theory in school which is a multitude of stuff, you will forget it once you're on the floor, unless you have a photographic memory or Asperheimers disease.
The stuff you do learn, is on the floor,and is the stuff you do a daily basis. Good news about your "A", but it is no indication that you will be a good nurse.
Been there done that and seen too many "A" students quit because of the stress, whereas a "B" or "C" students have the grit to withstand the onslaught.
Grades are a miniscule part of nursing. Once you pass the NCLEX, you're good to go.
I would think that all of that "theory" could only help you on the floor.........if you don't know it to begin with, how can you apply it in the clinical situation or pass the NCLEX? Yes, what you learn on the floor is important, but what you bring to the situation is also important. If you don't understand the theory, you won't be able to apply it..........which lots of people on this thread seem to feel is what is most important in a good nurse. Just my opinion..........
I can't believe this has gone on for 14 pages.... around and around in circles....
So the summary is that A students can be good or bad nurses, B or C students can be good or bad nurses. A's don't necessarily mean you are more intelligent, although they may. They may also show that you were prepared to work a lot harder than other people.
It reminds me of a quote: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”
Interesting how a nursing student is going to try to lecture to me
Up to this point, although the arguments have gone on and on, many of which have been repetitive have at least remained mostly civil and on point. The one thing I like about this discussion board is that we can argue without it degenerating into the spelling, and grammar wars.
Unfortunately the statement above makes no contribution to the argument, except to make the contributor feel superior, others feel inferior, and cut off a good flow of conversation. Perhaps the contributor has been so long out of nursing school that he/she has forgotten the rules of therapeutic communication? Oh, wait...maybe they didn't teach it wayyyyy back then. On the other hand a nurse is supposed to be always learning.
) that a grad student or basic EMT should be able to recognize a life-threatening condition (i.e. altered mental status varying from baseline and whacky-acky vital signs, etc.) The process of 'reacting' to it, though, would include (to me) fast thinking, calm demeanor, the ability to be confident in conveying to the doc what you believe to be wrong, and to instill confidence in your pt that you know what you're doing.
.thumb.gif.11fa0ddb3aacfb1b3953bc671abcfb7e.gif){kind=avatar}
livingthedream33
15 Posts
I was not putting anyone down or trying to make myself feel better about anything. The point was.....In my OPINION...your gpa in nursing school has little to do with how good of a nurse you are! (or are not). There are many nurses out there that are very "book smart" and some that are very "street smart" (for lack of a better term) and some that have both!! My dtr for one is extremely book smart. Never have seen her study for any test and she just aces them! Common sense?????Heck no! She has none!
In my experience.....every nurse has their strengths and weaknesses. I for one after 10 yrs of "working" experience could probably not do well on written test of half of the things we tested on in nursing school. We all know that there is the way you learned to do something in school and then how you do it in real life! (sometimes very different!) Nursing school teaches basics and foundations. What you do with that info and how much you expand on it is up to you.
Back to the origination of this thread......C students can make excellent nurses just as well as A students making s*^#!y ones!!!
AGAIN>>>>MY OPINION!