I'm a Level 2 (i.e., second-semester) nursing student right now at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico. My GPA from Level 1 was a sold 3.0. This semester, I'm struggling with Adult Nursing/Med-Surg 1 exams. The material isn't difficult, just standard A&P and nursing assessments, but the tests are brutal. My GPA in the class at mid-term is below a 75, which is the passing mark for the course. More than half the class are failing and we were in the top 10% of the applicant pool grade-wise before we began the program. Damn.
My question to all of you is what kind of GPA should I be striving for in order to be competitive when I graduate from nursing college (2-year ADN/Associate's program culminating in an RN certification)? I would like to achieve a GPA that would help me remain competitive in applicant pools for jobs, and higher education like a bachelor's degree and eventually a master's. I know my current GPA right now is abysmal and I plan to work night and day to hike it up, but what is a decent, competitive GPA to have when finished a 2-year nursing program? (do not write 4.0 cause that ain't happening, although, due to the current **** economy, I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes the new standard).
I was asked my GPA in an interview in DC. The nurse manager actually said they usually did not interview under a 3.75. I had a 3.02. I was so offended. But then again, that was the worst interview, or should I say interrogation, that i have ever been through.
I was asked my GPA in an interview in DC. The nurse manager actually said they usually did not interview under a 3.75. I had a 3.02. I was so offended. But then again, that was the worst interview, or should I say interrogation, that i have ever been through.
Just disgusting......really!!!! A 3.75 does not mean "great nurse...or compassionate nurse." It just means they know how to pass multiple choice tests. However, sometimes the GPA and the quality of the nurse go hand-in-hand...just sayin'
Just disgusting......really!!!! A 3.75 does not mean "great nurse...or compassionate nurse." It just means they know how to pass multiple choice tests. However, sometimes the GPA and the quality of the nurse go hand-in-hand...just sayin'
No, it doesn't, but it also doesn't mean "only a good test taker." In the northeast things are so competitive that they can find plenty of new grads with stellar GPAs who are ALSO good nurses and compassionate nurses if they want.
For most schools I investigated, expected GPA for grad school ranges 3-3.5.
When I graduated many years ago, they did not ask my GPA. However, many of my current students mention that they were asked their GPA at the interview. I've noticed that of my students, those being hired first are those with experience, especially if they were a CNA at that facility. When I assisted with hiring, GPA was only one factor. We looked closest at how the student performed in their area of interest. I would be a bit concerned about a student with poor grades overall or poor grades in their area of interest, but usually focus most on experience and how they interview.
Part of this will depend on the local economy and how picky the employer can be. We are now seeing hospitals only selecting those who have worked there, those with BSN degrees, and those with higher GPAs. There are no LPNs at the hospitals anymore. Consequently, many potentially great nurses have limited ability to find jobs. It all depends on the economy.
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.
They do check transcripts to see if you've gotten below a C on anything, because you'd have retaken the course. If it's a pattern it might be held against you.
The trouble with nursing school tests is that you can be a stellar multiple choice test taker, A+ average in previous grad school and still bomb if you don't remember that you are not really being tested on how much "material" you retained, but how well you critically think in a given situation. You not only have to remember the material...you have to know what YOU, as a nurse would do...first, usually. What an MD would do, even if correct, is wrong. Added to this are the questions in which ALL the possible answers are valid options. In that case...ABC's are your best friend. Ask yourself...is that lab result crucial if the pt isn't breathing? OK, so there's blood everywhere and a shin bone protruding through the skin....do I really have to deal with that now if the pt is having a severe asthma attack and those wheezing sounds just stopped? PRIORTIZE! Do a mini triage out of each question.
I agree with you wholeheartedly: a 4.0 GPA in nursing school does not necessarily make one a good nurse. Nursing is a multifaceted, dynamic discipline: academic proficiency is only one slice of the pie, right? As an instructor, I'm sure you had your doubts about straight-A students who had no clinical or people skills whatsoever. My Achilles' heel is that I'm a kinesthetic learner and I do better in a clinical, hands-on environment than in the classroom. My clinical marks have been 100s with awesome recommendations from faculty, nurses and CNAs employed at the hospital we rotate through, and even patients. Unfortunately, any expertise I have as a clinical nursing student isn't reflected in my grade point average.
Many newly minted RNs have left the NE and have come out West to work because of the competition for jobs. I am from the NE and completed my undergraduate degree at a ****** private college in Boston: 16 years ago, nursing was considered a non-academic, working-class vocation by the elitist ivy league sect. Today, nursing is one of the last vocations in the U.S. that the fat cats can't outsource, pays above a living wage, is actually "fun" (I enjoy nursing and have fun at work), and provides a lifetime of financial stability with benefits and opportunity for advancement. What other profession in this country really offers a new graduate those kind of incentives? We have more new grads than we know what to do with and you're right HiddenCat, hip cities like D.C. with dense populations can afford to be extremely selective.
When I was looking for my first nursing job I was asked for transcripts with the application. I had a 4.0 so it wasn't an issue. Subsequent to that first position, I was never asked again.
No, it doesn't, but it also doesn't mean "only a good test taker." In the northeast things are so competitive that they can find plenty of new grads with stellar GPAs who are ALSO good nurses and compassionate nurses if they want.
Don't get me wrong...nurses come in "all sizes, shapes, educations, GPAs". I agree with you. Some good, some not so good, some meddle of the road. Like any other profession.
I guess what I am saying is experience over GPA. GPA only means so much in a profession that is hands on(most of the time). While I learned a lot in RN school, nothing will replace the 15 years experience as a working nurse. GPA is not everything.
...really!!!! A 3.75 does not mean "great nurse...or compassionate nurse." It just means they know how to pass multiple choice tests. However, sometimes the GPA and the quality of the nurse go hand-in-hand...just sayin'
oldlpnnewrn
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I was asked my GPA in an interview in DC. The nurse manager actually said they usually did not interview under a 3.75. I had a 3.02. I was so offended. But then again, that was the worst interview, or should I say interrogation, that i have ever been through.