First week at uni as an older student- Do I complain?

I agree with others about speaking to the tutor. It’s probably a good idea to read round the lesson content before attending the lectures too, so you’re more prepared going in. They don’t tend to cover the topics in enough depth anyway ( time constraints) , so have a look at their suggested reading list and use that to guide you.

Well, aren’t you a delight.

You need to speak up and tell the tutor as it is.
when they say ok, we can move on; stop them there and then and explain that you don’t understand (in fact that there are a number of you who don’t understand) as you haven’t done the pre- nursing stuff.

there is absolutely no shame in doing it like this and speaking up- this is from me who went to do nursing at uni as a mature student. Don’t be scared- just speak up. There is no shame in not knowing. Whatever you do, don’t wait until tutorials to try catch up.
you need to get the most out of your classes in terms of teaching

I am 6 months into my nursing degree and tbh we had the opposite problem. Us older students (who mostly worked in social/health care before) were way ahead and a lot of the time was spent going over tiny little things. It’s the first week and it took us a few weeks as classes to adjust to things. I’m assuming your on either virtual placement or essay/presentation strand as majority of the UK unis seem to work the same on the nursing degrees. If it’s really bothering you I would message your PT or module lead, although I wouldn’t hold out much hope. We’ve just come back from placement and I have to say being back in the classroom things have really settled and everyone is just getting on with it.

I lecture within a nursing department. Email or speak with your tutor, we are there to get the best out of you and for you to get the best out of us.

Trust me, they will change the style of delivery and support as required.

I am a lecturer and I would want to know. Email or have a chat. The lecturer would rather know and can pre-empt the shouting out.

Also you need to make friends with the younger students on your course and not just see them as a problem.

Ask your class rep to organise some social events so you can get to know them.

Ask if anyone is going for drinks/ food after class on a Friday ( or at lunchtime ). As you are new to the city they should understand that you want to make freinds and get to know the area.

Are any of the other mature students having the same issue?

Just speak to the tutor privately. It's what they're there for.

The very same thing happened when I was studying midwifery.
Definitely bring it up. I did, the people in the same boat as me were delighted, and the ones who shouted out a lot understood.
I did also recommended maybe some of us could meet during lunch, as some people REALLY wanted to talk about the experience they had already gained, but now knew the classroom wasn't the place to do that. That worked well for those of us that wanted to do it (not everyone obviously)

Definitely message them about this. All my teachers throughout school effectively only taught a number a students & it did have an impact long term your also paying the same price you deserve to be able to learn properly

In nursing you have to have the confidence to speak up. When the lecturer asks the question, just say no, i dont fully understand, could you explain again in more detail, thank you. Theres no point in just waiting until after the lecture, you need to speak up in the moment too.

You shouldn't 'complain', but you should approach the tutor and tell them you are struggling to keep up.

I don’t think you need to complain but you do need to speak up if you don’t understand. Typically this would be either in the moment (or if that’s tricky) then stay after the lecture and ask for help.

As PPs have said, speak to the tutor - after class one day would be good as it’s still fresh and you can give an example of what happened.

Also - it’s the first week and they are probably just over enthusiastic and wanting to show they have understanding of what’s going on. If they’ve done pre-nursing, it’s likely a big deal getting in the degree course, and they’re just excited! Things will settle down. (I’ve also been in a job supporting nursing students so have some experience of this).,

This. The younger students can't help being the way they are. If you're not keeping up ask for help for yourself.

F2F if you can rather than an email. Start building relationships.

Have you got anyone in the same position who can support you too?

Yes, why not do that? The tutor is interactive with students and would adjust her speed. Fact is you haven’t all done the pre nursing course and the tutor needs to take account of that.

Not a complaint but a conversation

You need to say something at the time. If the tutor goes to move on you need to say, could you just clarify, or could you go over that bit again, I’m not quite sure about …

if you don’t feel able to do that then speak to your tutor and say that the pace is too fast, but I don’t think there’s something to complain about in this situation. University education is very much about taking responsibility for your own learning and if the only people in the class engaging are those who are picking things up faster/have pre existing knowledge then that is the pace the tutor will move at.

If you don’t want it to come across as a complaint, when the tutor says we’re moving on during class, say ‘I didn’t quite get that, could you please explain it again?’. If you do that a few times, a decent tutor should get the idea. Or, if you don’t want to say it in front of other students, ask the tutor to explain again after class. But I think the first option is better as others will benefit from the teaching too.

You can also help yourself here. Make sure you do the reading in advance of the lectures, and if the slides are on your VLE (online) then read through them and make some notes. That way when you do go to the lecture you have a better chance of being able to follow everything.

Does the tutor have office hours?

When I was a mature student they offered a ‘remedial maths’ series of tutorials for anyone who wanted to come. The students who had just finished their A levels openly laughed at this announcement . The first week there were 4 of us, all mature students; the next week 7, not all mature students; by the end of the first term the remedial maths class had to move to a bigger room. Talk to the lecturer privately at the end of your next lecture, you will definitely not be the only one in this position.

Don't make it a complaint. Just speak out then and there as it is happening. This will help the "shouting teenagers" to be more mindful of appropriate behaviour in a group learning setting also.

Not to complain but just to explain that you are struggling to keep up

ask if they can slow the pace down a bit as not everyone is understanding

OP, when you speak to the tutor, I wouldn't use terminology like "struggling" or "slow it down" when the reality is that you're simply not able to learn effectively as course content is being skipped because the tutor is moving on due to some students demonstrating the required knowledge.

I'd ask for a face to face chat and say that not everyone has attended a pre nursing course, so there are knowledge gaps and you (plus fellow students?) would appreciate it if all of the required course content could be covered accordingly please.