Monopolizing Classmates and how to handle them?

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Currently our class consist of about 60 students. Out of the 60 about 6 of them always have something to say. Granted if they're knowledgeable about a topic I don't mind listening to them but sometimes they go on and on about other subjects such as their personal lives, military careers and so on and so on.

It's getting to the point that everytime they have something to say I look for an escape route. I'm getting frustrated having to listen to the same 6 people over and over again. Some of the other students hardly have a chance to participate because by the time the other's stop talking class is over.

Sometimes it seems as if they're more interested in hearing themselves speak as oppossed to making meaningful contributions regarding the topic.

What would you do in a situation like this other than mention it to the instructors?

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There's always a "buttinski" in the group, I know just how you feel. The instructor will hopefully nip it in the bud, she/he knows who keeps hogging the class time. There's a girl in our class this semester who keeps cutting in with a comment or another tangenital story that is really starting to interfere with class time. I had her in another course last semester and the same thing happened there too. I'm ready to choke her. The instructor so far is being very polite, letting her speak her piece, but I'm waiting for it to wear off. I hope!! In last semester's class, the instructor wasn't as patient and told her that we really need to move along with the material, and that if her comment wasn't a direct question about the lecture, to please hold off or refrain from speaking. The student was a little offended (the rest of us were ready to give a standing ovation!), but she's starting in again and testing this teacher. Hopefully this instructor will follow suit.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

We have a girl in our class who interupted the instructor ALL the time, and it wasn't even with a question. My stress level, lack of sleep, and intolerance for rudeness has brought me to the point of finally saying without any regrets "do you MIND?? She was speaking FIRST and wasn't FINISHED!".

Another girl in our class (i've mentioned this in other posts), every single disorder or disease we're covering in Med-Surg or Peds, she either had it, her kids have had it, or she knows someone who had/has it. And always has to mention it and possibly tell the 15 minute story on it. I've called her "Band Camp" (she sounds like the girl from 'American Pie' that talked about band camp all the time, another poster refered to a classmate with the same problem as 'band camp') because she's always started her story with "one time, i knew this....". It gets old. I've caught her in a lie twice with it, but i don't have the energy to tell her i have.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
Originally posted by LPN2Be2004

... every single disorder or disease we're covering in Med-Surg or Peds, she either had it, her kids have had it, or she knows someone who had/has it. And always has to mention it and possibly tell the 15 minute story on it.

We have one of these too ... it gets old real quick. "Possibly" tell a 15-min. story about it?? There's ALWAYS a 15-min. story about it!

Then there's her adjunct - the student who's a CNA and will ALWAYS pipe up when some procedure or practice or rationale is explained, "well, the nurses here don't do that ..." or "just the other day the nurse I was working with did it this way ..." There's always the implication that 1) the instructor is wrong, or 2) just look at the terrible nurses out there ...

MAKES ME CRAZY!!

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Specializes in Oncology RN.

And don't you just LOVE those who come to nursing school with some sort of nursing experience under their belt who just CAN"T WAIT to tell everyone else about it.

We had one...every day it was, "At this job I work at..." She also happens to think she can kiss a$$ her way through nursing school. Everyone hates her. I can totally see her coworkers hanging her out to dry each time she makes a mistake. Some instructors have tried saying things in class that would sort of shut her up...but this girl HAS NO CLUE!!

Fortunately for us, she failed one of her classes, and is now a semester behind us...torturing that class. There is a God!!!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

There's one in every class, doesnt matter if its nursing, comp,math or soc. They eventually get theirs. Catch them 2 years out of school and they have probly toned it down. Until all you can do is keep giving the instructors those suttle little clues :rolleyes: . Imganine how they feel having to go through it EVERY semester!

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Apologies for going off topic but ...

LPN2Be2004:

The Student Nurse's Prayer in your sig is truly a classic!

:lol2:

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Specializes in Oncology, Cardiology, ER, L/D.

I saw the title of this thread and, oh boy, did I have to post!:p There are about two girls in my class that drive me frickin nuts! One of them works as a phamacy tech and everytime we talk about ANYTHING remotely related to that, I don't care what it is, she ALWAYS has some comment to make. What is the worst about her is she sits next to her little friend and talks to her about what she just interrupted the instructor with, loud enough for the whole class to hear her! A couple people have actually asked the instructor to repeat herself because she couldn't hear what she said. I thought that was very polite, because I have been close to just yelling at her to shut the f#*k up!:devil: Not very polite or Christian but damn! I need to hear what the instructor is saying, ya know!

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Originally posted by lizz

Apologies for going off topic but ...

LPN2Be2004:

The Student Nurse's Prayer in your sig is truly a classic!

:lol2:

i agree...i would have to print that out. hope you don't mind :D

back to the topic though, guess what, there's one in my class too :D are u sure we're not all in the same class??? lol...but this woman either had the illness, her friend, neighbor, etc. heck, she even shared that she has hemorrhoids :eek: yikes. the only time she toned down was last sem in PSYCH class.

as for the experienced student who works in the hosp/Dr's office etc who knows it all, she's in my class too :( ...whenever we go to clinicals, she thinks she lives there...i guess because she works in a hospital (a different hospital)...

well, it's good to know that i'm not alone :D

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I got it off of a website, but i sure can't think of what it was now.:confused:

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You guys are so sweet:roll It almost makes me nostalgic for nursing school.... NOT!!! I had several people like this when I was a student. It got to the point where the instructor could not cover the material she needed to in the alloted time. So, finally the rules became "If you have a question or comment, write it down, and if time permits we will discuss it at the end". It was a GREAT rule....:D

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Originally posted by fergus51

You guys are so sweet:roll It almost makes me nostalgic for nursing school.... NOT!!! I had several people like this when I was a student. It got to the point where the instructor could not cover the material she needed to in the alloted time. So, finally the rules became "If you have a question or comment, write it down, and if time permits we will discuss it at the end". It was a GREAT rule....:D

The one instructor i had last year did that. :D She's been teaching for 30 years lol.

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