Soooooooooo frustrated with my classmate!!

[OgopogoLPN]

Just started LPN school last week. There are 26 students in my class. We have the same classes with everyone, same classroom. The woman who sat beside me on the first day is an ESL student (English as a Second Language). Now, she would have had to pass an English proficiency test to get into the program, but she is struggling with both the regular English conversation in lectures and definately with A + P.

I'm already quite proficient in medical terminology and A + P. She interupts me AT LEAST 3-4 times per lecture to ask what word was just said, or what page the instructor is referring to, or the meaning of a word etc. She is a very nice person and I do feel for her situation, but I am there to become a nurse, not be her translator!!!!!

I find it soooooooooo distracting and frustrating to be interrupted so much when all I want to do is listen and take notes. She will often ask to borrow my notes at the end of class since she didn't catch half of what was said.

I called an instructor today to talk about the situation, but wasn't called back. I guess she had already left for the weekend.

I don't want to change seats as I'm right at the front. It's not even that I don't want to sit beside this woman, but how do I approach this without coming accross like an insenstive jerk? If this was an English speaking student doing this, I would have no problem telling them to stop interrupting me so much.

But because she is ethnic and ESL, I feel like I would be discriminatory or really mean by telling her STOP INTERUPTING ME ALL DAY TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION OF ENGLISH WORDS AND INSTRUCTIONS!!

I don't want the instructor to single her out and make her feel uncomfortable. Perhaps the instructor would be willing to make a general class announcement like "we've noticed some whispering going on during lectures. Please refrain from interuppting classmates during lectures and save your questions for the end of class" or something like that.

Any words of wisdom for me?

[deeDawntee, RN]

OK, I can't believe she is being so insensitive to YOUR needs that she thinks she can use you are her own personal tutor! That is what her professor is for or whatever support there exists for her at your school. It sounds like you just need to tell her that you cannot be her personal tutor and that if she is having difficulty she needs to talk to the professor. It sounds like she needs more proficiency in English before she will ever pass nursing school, let alone NCLEX. In fact, by 'helping' her, you may be ultimately hurting her chances, because she is not getting the help she really needs... I would bet she fails out by the end of the year. How can she be an effective nurse if she can't even understand a lecture? Sounds mean, but it is the truth...

Good luck and you are way more patient then I would have been in the same situation!

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

But because she is ethnic and ESL, I feel like I would be discriminatory or really mean by telling her STOP INTERUPTING ME ALL DAY TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION OF ENGLISH WORDS AND INSTRUCTIONS!!

How is the above discriminatory or mean? You can put it nicely without being racist. No need to tiptoe and be pc if you're education is compromised.

She would get it more coming from you than from a general announcement from the instructor.

I know it's an uncomfortable situation for you, but you just are going to have to tell her.

It's make or break time for her. She's going to have to make it in an English speaking environment, and all-English NCLEX, etc.

She's made it this far without you, she can get through a class without you. Good advice about helping her afterwards and a voice recorder.

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

You are in a sticky situation. While your situation and telling her to just stop isn't racist in anyway...there are people who will take it that way.

In the end you are more important then another student. So you come first.

I'm sorry she can't understand the language but you can't put your schooling at risk for that.

Honestly, her inability to learn in the classroom due to her language issues would be concerning to me. When she is in a patient room she's going to need to be able to understand them. There may not be time for somebody to translate to her what the patient is saying or trying to say.

We have a couple of students with what I would call rough English. There are times they talk and I'm just not sure what they are getting at because their wording isn't right. They are however doing fine in the classroom and can understand everything that's coming at them.

We did have 1 student back in the beginning who didn't understand a lot and kept asking for translation from that lady next to her. This student didn't make it.

I would move my seat.

[catzy5]

Do you have time to go over the notes with her at a break or something? That way you could just let her know that in order for you to understand the lecture you cannot be trying to help her during the lecture it will have to be after class. You could clarify things she missed for her and it gives you a chance to review the lecture and cement everything in your mind.

I have had this happen to me before too I hate being interupted during lecture its a huge pet peeve, it doesn't matter who it is. I had a gentleman sitting next to me in AP last year he would do this, he was super nice man and I felt for him because our instructor did go fast I could see he only got half of what she said. I finally told him after class that I would help him by coping my notes or letting him jot down things during break, I also would clarify things for him that he missed. He ended up being a superior lab partner and I think we both helped each other in the end. I think its very legitamite to talk to this person and say I understand somethings are hard to hear or understand during lecture could you refrain from asking me during that time and save your questions for after. You might also either suggest to your class mate to record the lecture and then you could answer questions after, or as another choice you record the lecture so your not missing anything.

I think however unless the student is being rude and disruptive to you, I would refrain from telling the instructor, this is an example of maturity and things like this happen in the office and you don't want to go crying to your superiors everytime, its easy enough to talk to the person politely and respectfully, if you get no where then you to the superior powers that be.

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

I

I think however unless the student is being rude and disruptive to you, I would refrain from telling the instructor, this is an example of maturity and things like this happen in the office and you don't want to go crying to your superiors everytime, its easy enough to talk to the person politely and respectfully, if you get no where then you to the superior powers that be.

This part of it was a difficult decision for me. I certainly don't want to "tattle" on her. The instructors seem to be aware of her language difficulties, but I don't think they quite know the degree of difficulty she is having.

We do have an excellent student services sector at our college, as well as an International Students Office. I'm hoping she can be guided towards those services.

Here's a few examples of what she asks me:

The word "bed pan" was used. She whispers to me "bed pant? Like pant??" and points to her pants. "No, bed PAN. Something that is put under a patient while on their bed to pee in".

The word tangible. She had no clue what it was, how to spell it or what it meant.

The word supreme. I had to write it out for her and then I think she understood because I didn't have to give her the meaning.

When our instructor goes over any schedule changes. This woman gets lost after the first change.

As we're writing notes on lectures, I can feel her eyes on my paper the whole time. Even when she's not asking me to clarify things, she has her eyes on my paper the whole time, watching what I'm writing!! Even though it's not physically disrupting me, I find it very annoying!!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Yeah, that would be annoying.

Do you all have assigned seating?

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

Yeah, that would be annoying.

Do you all have assigned seating?

Well, we have our names on our table for our instructors and we did fill in a seating plan. I don't think it's written in stone that we can't change seats.

It's such a tough situation. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable. I don't want to seem whiney by not wanting to sit beside her. I don't want to seem selfish by not wanting to give her any help. I don't want to seem that I think I'm "better" than any other classmate.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Could you sit one row back? Still be close enough to hear, but not having her looking over your arm all the time.

[IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Is going to the instructor with a concern about another student really tattling when the concern is because you care but you can't be the one to fix it? Maybe if the instructor knew then she could approach the student and find a way to help her.

I don't see it as tattling if in the end your goal is to help and not harm.

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

A couple of thoughts came to my mind as I reviewed replies...my first was to tell this women to get a recorder and let you be. She can look up words in her texts....she should be able to figure out bed PAN, not bed PANT if she's read the material.

Second, I don't agree with spending time out of class. Nursing school takes up enough valuable time leaving little free time. Colleges has resource offices as pointed out above. Suggest them to her or have your instructors do the same.

Third, have you considered the fact that if this woman gloms on to you for the remainder of your education, eventually some cranky instructor is going to think you're chatting during their lecture and zoom in on you as a problem? I think going to the instructor was an excellent move as perhaps this person can facilitate help for your fellow student. I don't handle interruptions well while trying to take notes. I can zone out enough on my own. Taping my lectures has helped, but I don't always have time to listen to them back.

Lastly, I would just move. I had to do that last semester when the group of teen chatties were behind me. The four of them spoke apparently just low enough that the instructors at the front of the class couldn't hear them, but they were annoying a whole crowd of us around them. I moved to the other side of the room for my peace of mind. After clusters of other students complained to their clinical instructors and others (the head of the program!), the lecturers took note and started asking them to be quiet during class. It was like a miracle after two full semesters of their rudeness.

Sometimes, you just gotta' do what you gotta' do. I wish you the best!!

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

tell her to get a tape recorder and play it back after class. She will here anything she missed and when she has to look up words instead of you straight out telling her she will learn more.

[Music in My Heart]

There's nothing wrong with being assertive.

Simply tell her - kindly & sympathetically - that her questions are too distracting for you and ask her to please discontinue speaking to you during class. Be kind and respectful but also be assertive.

I would also be annoyed by somebody reading my notes. I consider them to be private. I would also inform her of the same (again, kindly) and ask her to refrain.

I don't see how "discrimination" is part of this at all unless you would happily continue the practice with a person of another race/religion/gender/age/orientation but you won't with her.