So I have heard time and time again from nursing professors and clinical adjuncts that "4.0 students often have a hard time transitioning to the floor, B or C students make better nurses". While I totally get that there are some people out there that are so cerebral that they don't do well on the floor, I think this blanket statement is a bunch of bunk.
I bring this up because I am a 4.0 student. I am also involved in clubs and student groups, volunteer outside of school, and often get complimented in clinicals. However, even with that I still hear the comment over and over that A students don't make as good of nurses as B and C nurses.
What do you nurses who are actually out there on the floor think?
This really resonates with me. It's not that I haven't had to overcome, but I have always been able to push hard enough to get what I wanted most of the time.
Any ideas on how I can better my chances of transitioning from good student to good floor nurses?
Work hard, always take every opportunity you can to learn. Ask questions! Accept any constructive criticism you get. Learn from nurses on the floor and incorporate things you learn into your own practice! Observe others and learn from them.
Life long learning! Never stop learning new things, take initiative and keep up your learning with little workshops/seminars/courses etc as well as reading. Especially when relevant to your patient.
Don't be cocky or overconfident, make sure you are clearing things with your preceptor or instructor, and never do anything you aren't sure of. Get help from someone, look up your policy etc. But don't just "wing it" (later on there are some things you may have to "wing", ie. a dressing change that the doctor didn't order precise instructions for, but you will use your basic policies ie clean no touch technique, and you will either use your knowledge of dressings and components to make something that will work, request order for a med you think will help such as flamazine if it is a burn, or you will call other floors/wound nurses if available for assistance. This is a recent example for me, but in general as a student or new nurse you should never be winging it, lol)
If a patient (or someone else) asks you a question and you don't know the answer, DON'T try to make up an answer! It is awkward sometimes to be put on the spot like that and at times your instinct is to bulls**t an answer, but it is much more professional and appropriate to say something like "I'm not sure of the answer to that, but I will look into it and get back to you as soon as possible with the answer". This shows maturity and professionalism. No one can possibly know everything and "real nurses" (hah ) collaborate with each other all the time, bouncing ideas, asking questions etc. Don't be scared to ask and get advice!!
Don't say nurses eat their young. This is stupid. Nurses are people, and like all people, some are nice, some are meh, and some are a**holes. You will run into some of each. But if you run into a jerk it doesn't mean they are "eating their young" they are probably an a**hole to everyone and/or anyone depending on the day/mood. Also, they may just be having a bad day or be especially stressed and unintentionally taking it out on you or someone else. Not that that excuses it, but just giving some explanation against "nurses eating their young".
Good luck!
(PS: I was a "straight A" student I guess, although we used grade marks not letters, and I like to think I'm pretty great on the floor. () Haha.
I get a lot accomplished, patients seem to like me, and I take pride in my accuracy, attention to detail and my dedication to learning. I am always looking up anything I don't know, and I am known for this, people are always like "NurseStorm, what is *random rare diagnosis*" or get me to look it up if I don't know since apparently I'm quicker on the computer than some of my coworkers lol Anyway, if you are dedicated and put a lot of effort into learning and take advice, you should thrive :) A strong knowledge base is an important component of a great floor nurse!
That definitely sounds like a generalization. However, there has been studies done that lean towards the idea that intelligent people may lack emotional intelligence. Certainly this cannot be true for everyone, Good luck either way!
BTW I am an MSN student with a 4.0 and never had any trouble transitioning to the floor anywhere I have ever worked as an RN.
I have worked with both. One of the best nurses that I worked with was on top of her class. She also had great common sense and a great sense of humor. I have worked with some that did okay at school but were also great nurses. I have learned that for some life gets in the way and school grades suffer. Nursing like other careers are not for every one.
I think there is a false belief that you are either "book smart" or "street smart" but you can't be both. I don't believe that that is true. I have met people who are both - people who are just all-around smart and can pick up on things really fast whether they read it, hear it or see it. I envy those people!
We all have our strengths and weaknesses but a willingness to try will carry you through just about anything.
This - totally. I think the OP's statement was borne, originally, out of a recognition of the difference between kinesthetic learners and auditory/visual learners - in school, on the tests, it's the ability to 'learn' by seeing/reading/hearing... in clinical, it's the ability to learn by doing. So people who may never test well, because the seeing/reading/hearing pathways are more difficult for them to use, may pick up kinesthetic - procedure stuff on the first try... whereas some of the people for whom the books come easy struggle with the procedural stuff... and some people it just all seems to come easy for, but they struggle with social interaction or emotional intelligence.
I know I, personally, never struggled with book stuff and rarely struggled with procedural stuff - but it took me 10 years to get anything that resembled good at politics or reading a social situation. I think if I, personally, had been a nurse at 20 - I'd have quit or been run off with pitchforks, because the combination of everything coming easy to me and not knowing why everything didn't come easy to everyone else along with my general social obtuseness would have made me absolutely insufferable.
I was a straight A accelerated nursing student and graduated with a 4.0. I got hired as a new grad to a position in a CVICU where you really have to know your s**t. I worked here as an ICU nurse for a couple years and now I'm earning straight As in a CRNA program where I have all the confidence I will be an excellent anesthesia provider.
Those people saying B and C student nurses do better than the A students are smoking on something. Perhaps they might be better at talking to and comforting patients. Maybe it just comes natural to them. But I know that when I'm taking care of a critical patient that is about to code on me, I want a rockstar nurse that knows his/her stuff to help me keep my patient alive.
Try making friends with the"old war horses" and listening to what they say. They have a lot of the practical knowledge you lack at this point and can help with things like knowing how to pace yourself to complete your med pass on 10 patients in a timely manner or learning to cope with the one who is so proud of his recent prosthesis he won't cover himself or leave his door closed and all the other problems you haven't had to deal with as a student.
Just do the best you can and be happy with that. No matter who or what business your in, someone somewhere will always have some negativity about someone. But - just for a smile - I can remember in nursing school, our class '4.0er' - when we got on the floor, she wanted to know if she should wash her gloves between patients! xo
My unit hired quite a few new grads in the past 2 years. All were "A" students in nursing school since it is a very competitive program to get in. Not all did well. Those who did better were the ones who asked questions and did not act as "know it all"; also those who had life experience and were mature enough to handle stresfull situations and difficult personalities (both staff and patients).
Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
I was a straight A accelerated nursing student and graduated with a 4.0. I got hired as a new grad to a position in a CVICU where you really have to know your s**t. I worked here as an ICU nurse for a couple years and now I'm earning straight As in a CRNA program where I have all the confidence I will be an excellent anesthesia provider.
Those people saying B and C student nurses do better than the A students are smoking on something. Perhaps they might be better at talking to and comforting patients. Maybe it just comes natural to them. But I know that when I'm taking care of a critical patient that is about to code on me, I want a rockstar nurse that knows his/her stuff to help me keep my patient alive.
) collaborate with each other all the time, bouncing ideas, asking questions etc. Don't be scared to ask and get advice!! 
) Haha.
Jensmom7, BSN, RN
1,907 Posts
I've been out of school almost 40 years, and while I've been asked occasionally where I went, no one has ever inquired about my grades.
The most important thing a new nurse can learn in relation to the rarified world of nursing school and the real world of nursing is this:
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