classmate insists on posting her opinion

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Hi everyone! I would love some advice on how to deal with this. My nursing class (ADN) has made a facebook group that is private only to us so that we can ask each other questions about material, class, etc. Lately, though one student has been posting anti-vaccine videos or anecdotes. I am usually good at having an open mind and can deal with other people disagreeing with me, but its very difficult to deal with the posts when they are ones that have been proven as hoaxes, false, or just have no merit. One post ended up being an opinion piece whose author was found to be lying and taking scientific journals out of context....In the beginning I was doing a pretty good job at ignoring it. But I am ashamed to say that I got sucked in this past week and responded by posting proof that what she had recently posted wasn't true. I don't like this side of me and being new to the area I am terrified I am going to burn bridges that will bite me in the butt later when I start to look for jobs after I graduate. Only two other students in the group of 20 have responded to her so far aside from me. So I feel like the rest of the group is just uncomfortable and wishes she would just stop- but no one ever says anything. For all I know my whole class could be anti-vaccine and I wouldn't know it. About a third of my class are CNAs or LPNs so they already have jobs at places near by, so I'm scared if I apply somewhere they work they might tell interviewers bad things about me? My question: Should I just hunker down and ignore it and hope she eventually gets the picture no one wants to use the group as a soap box? Or should I try asking the group as a whole if we want to just want the facebook group to be used for school related questions? I don't want to start trouble...so maybe thats my answer right there? I should just learn to keep my mouth shut...:( Oh and if you think I've already messed things up badly, do you have any advice on how to make things better?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Let it go....does it really matter to you personally what she says? IN a hundred years will this matter to you? Pick your battles. Agree to disagree and bow out gracefully

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yea, that is very true. Thank you! I think I just needed a voice of reason telling what I already knew.

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How frustrating and unprofessional of her, but like they say in nursing, "You are responsible for your own practice." This might bite her in the ass eventually when she carries forth a reputation as the crazy lady ranting about vaccines. Let her dig her own hole.

But seriously, if that's how she feels I can't imagine nursing being a good fit. She does realize she may need to give these shots she's so opposed to, and no doctor would humor her soapbox speeches to their patients?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

I would just turn off group/page alerts and avoid the page unless there is something you need to know. Just say you are vacationing from social media. My class was required to have a school staff member part of any FB group using the school name Most interesting was the one genius who posted they cut class and asked for homework answers & test question info. She must have melted in embarrassment when the instructor replied she'd have known the answers if she bothered to come to class.

Delete your comment & move on. The gal that administered the class page did a good job of removing off topic posts from the feed without bias

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We asked our professor, but she said faculty isn't allowed to be in facebook groups. And I did delete my comment about 30-40 min after, I just still feel embarrassed that I let myself act the same as she has. It does worry me that someone who thinks injecting yourself with your own urine will cure you from being "harmed by vaccines" will one day be a nurse...but I just need to distance myself from the group like you said and only go on the page if I need help.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
We asked our professor but she said faculty isn't allowed to be in facebook groups. And I did delete my comment about 30-40 min after, I just still feel embarrassed that I let myself act the same as she has. It does worry me that someone who thinks injecting yourself with your own urine will cure you from being "harmed by vaccines" will one day be a nurse...but I just need to distance myself from the group like you said and only go on the page if I need help.[/quote']

Bite your lip and walk away. I'm sure others are a shocked as well perhaps afraid to engage. You can set your FB to hide any posts from this whacko. She'll never know and you will have an easier time. If she's spewing this on FB when you discuss vaccines in school it's likely she'll make a fool of herself there too and have issues with the test questions.

You can only change yourself and move forward. Some people make you look twice but you just have to look forward and move on.

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You can block people on FB or hide her posts the current ones and future ones.

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We asked our professor but she said faculty isn't allowed to be in facebook groups. And I did delete my comment about 30-40 min after, I just still feel embarrassed that I let myself act the same as she has. It does worry me that someone who thinks injecting yourself with your own urine will cure you from being "harmed by vaccines" will one day be a nurse...but I just need to distance myself from the group like you said and only go on the page if I need help.[/quote']

Your school is so diff from ours! My professors are in our group. They often chime into help.

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Well, we can be those professor-extenders for you here :) Get to know some of us. We like students and we are here to help.

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Specializes in ER.

When I don't like what someone posts on FB, I set it to not show on my news feed. There are some people who just want to spout off, usually about politics. I don't want to unfriend them, people are really hurt by that.

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You guys have definitely helped me! Thank you very much. It seems since I've started nursing school decisions that normally would have been no sweat for me, are now much more compounded, what with all the stress and time.

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