Crying, Cursing in Class and other Drama

Trauma Columnist · Mar 9, 2004

I agree with you - emotional outbursts don't belong in class or clinical.

Catma63 · Mar 9, 2004

A little bit of drama in my school this week, all test related. During one test, one woman realized her answers were all screwed up with only five minutes to go. Since she didn't have to time to fix it, she starts cursing and yelling at the teacher, who promptly threw her out.
Then, in another class, a girl starts crying because she flunked. It's always a little uncomfortable when people cry in class. But then she goes out in the hallway and complains to another teacher (who happens to be passing by) about how bad this teacher is. She did this very loudly and in front of everybody during the class break. Naturally, since she wasn't very discreet, it got back to the teacher.
While I've found both of these teachers to be pretty reasonable, I still don't blame people for being upset sometimes. But these emotional outbursts are a bit weird. Has this happened to anybody else? Or was it because there was a full moon this week or something?

Sounds like stress is getting to your classmates in a big way. I've seen classmates cry too after failing a test and I can feel nothing but compassion for them. I always try and think, "There but for the Grace of God go I." A lot of times the students feel they know the material but are sabotaged by test anxiety and don't know how to fix it. We can't know what other underlying factors in their lives are playing into their anxiety. It could be they study more than you or I do but cannot manage high-anxiety nursing tests because they're thinking their car may be repossessed or some other kind of worry. Thus, they mess up again and exhibit it in ways like you've seen, frustrated beyong coping. Fact is, failure could happen to any of us....Nothing is a given.

Praying for your classmates.

orrnlori, RN · Mar 9, 2004

I never saw anyone curse a teacher but I saw a TON of crying after nursing tests. This was usually related to a select group of highly driven A students who mostly had the teachers in their back pockets. They'd cry and sob and get questions thrown off the test they missed. It happened several times during the time I was in school. I just took the "whatever" stance and never got involved with it. All this behavior did was cause the majority of us to really dislike those few students who persisted with it and to not respect the teachers that succumbed to that behavior. I will always wonder what kind of nurses those students turned out to be. It was very manipulative behavior.

I have to say that I've been reading about some really dysfunctional behavior on this board reported by other nursing students about their classmates. I am beginning to wonder about becoming a nursing instructor. :uhoh21:

Carolanne · Mar 9, 2004

It's midsemester and people start to get really stressed. I too have seen the "drama" increase in the last weeks of a course, people start to panic. Perhaps it lets them vent a little and release some anxiety if they scream and shout and point fingers, but we all know that the "power to pass" lies within ourselves. Maybe a little less tantrum throwing and a little more studying will be the ticket! :chuckle

Sheri257 · Mar 9, 2004

It's midsemester and people start to get really stressed. I too have seen the "drama" increase in the last weeks of a course, people start to panic.

Thanks for pointing this out. This is a good explanation, since the tests have been piling up before spring break next week. It's probably stress related.

Sheri257 · Mar 9, 2004

I have to say that I've been reading about some really dysfunctional behavior on this board reported by other nursing students about their classmates. I am beginning to wonder about becoming a nursing instructor. :uhoh21:

I hope this doesn't discourage you since this certainly isn't the norm. It just involved a couple of students. But when there are emotional outbursts like this, you can't help but notice and wonder what's going on, since it is so unusual.

MandyInMS · Mar 9, 2004

Of courseeeee school is stressful..and everyone handles things differently, so who am I to judge..but, my first thought when I read this was..if they react this way in school how will they act in a trauma or code situation?

orrnlori, RN · Mar 9, 2004

I guess that is really my point, how will they handle the stress of real life and death situations? How will they handle the occasional abusive doctor, or the occasional nasty nurse supervisor or coworker? I understand how stress can make you a different person but one has to learn to handle things. I had my share of quiet tears during school, I think most of us do. But outbursts and cursing should never been allowed.

RedSox33RN · Mar 9, 2004

It's a shame, really. It would be a good opportunity to look at how you react to stressful situations, but also to correct your test-taking proceedures. If you have trouble with tests, a lot of colleges offer free help with things along that line, and can help devise plans to help people correct mistakes. Our Human Bio teacher just did this with our first test. We had to go over (as homework) each test question we got wrong, and state WHY we got it wrong. Meaning, was it a test-prep error (we studied the wrong thing or not that stuff at all), or was it a metacognition error, where we read the question wrong, or misunderstood it. Then we could see what areas of test-taking we needed to work on.

I don't agree with emotional outbursts like that either. I know sometimes our emotions get the better of us, but truly, as adults, we should know how to control them until we are in the appropriate place.

shyne · Mar 9, 2004

No problems like that at my school. However, last semester a couple of girls were arguing with each other about how their study group confused them on the test.

Achoo!, LPN · Mar 9, 2004

we have a group of girls writing a letter about our lab instructor. Although some of it is true and founded, I think alot of it is just sour grapes.