[Energizer Bunny]

Do you find that speaking Spanish is helpful in your job? I am considering starting to learn it on my own (have been for quite awhile) and was wondering if all of you here think it would be useful or just a waste of time?

[SmilingBluEyes]

ABSOLUTELY. I love being fluent in Spanish. It helps tremendously at times.

[jnette]

Originally Posted by CNM2B

Do you find that speaking Spanish is helpful in your job? I am considering starting to learn it on my own (have been for quite awhile) and was wondering if all of you here think it would be useful or just a waste of time?

I have my homestudy book here as well... We have one hispanic fella at dialysis although he's fluent in English... but we had one a long time ago who was NOT.

Yes, I think it would be VERY helpful, and if nothing else, a good project for your OWN self... always good to add to the knowledgebase ! Something you can do at your own pace, and because you WANT to.. not HAVE to.

[Tweety]

Yes. Depends on where you are though, although Spanish speaking people are now in every nook and cranny in the US. When I was working neuro we'd get trauma from the outlying farms and they invariably spoke Spanish. Was very hard to assess neuro status. Had to find someone who spoke Spanishbut fortunately there was usually someone somehwere inhouse that did.

I just started the Rosetta Stone way of learning Spanish a few weeks ago. It's very slow going and confusing. But I'd love to learn and hope to keep at it.

[jnette]

And after THAT, Italien !!! :hatparty: Love Italien.. quite similar to Spanish, only prettier, I think.

[VivaLasViejas]

Here in Oregon, Spanish has become a must........we have a large immigrant population from Mexico and Central America, and being relatively new to our area, many have not yet assimilated. It's amazing how much has changed in just a decade......back when I was still in school and working as a CNA at the same hospital where I work now, I was the ONLY Spanish-speaking employee. And I don't consider myself fluent......I certainly speak and understand enough to get by in most situations, but I'm nowhere near as good as I was years ago when I was around the language all the time. Today, more than a quarter of the staff have at least some command of the language, and we have interpreters available by phone at all times. Still, there is a distinct lack of cultural literacy here......few people know what is meant by "hot" and "cold" foods (has nothing to do with temperature), or how much family connections mean to them (which is why you DON'T throw out the 25 people in the room, even when Nani is trying to rest).

[Sheri257]

Definitely the case in California with our huge Hispanic population. I'm taking some additional Spanish courses since the hospitals love it if you speak the language. Even with my husband's job at Cal EPA, they pay an additional $100 a month if you learn Spanish.

[Energizer Bunny]

All these responses were pretty much what I expected. My husband used to fluent Still is for all I know), so I think I am just going to get a couple books and look online for tutorials. I can rely on him for the pronunciation. If all else fails, I can always take a course at college near the end, because I will need the credits to stay full time anyways.

[Rustyhammer]

Spanish is the essential 2nd language.
Hispanics are now the largest minority in the US and growing bigger all the time.
It would be nice to get an extra $100/month for knowing spanish.
-R

[sharann]

Originally Posted by Rustyhammer

Spanish is the essential 2nd language.
Hispanics are now the largest minority in the US and growing bigger all the time.
It would be nice to get an extra $100/month for knowing spanish.
-R

Where I work (near Los Angeles) the patients EXPECT us to know Spanish and know it well. If we don't we get the silent treatment from many patients (not all of course). They say "no Spanish!" as if we are retarded and have no business working in California, America, and NOT knowing it. I for one am trying my best to learn the language, and have improved greatly the past 3 years at this job where the pt pop is predominantly latin. HOWEVER, we also have a large Russian, Korean, and Armenian population. They don't expect us to learn their languages interestingly. Oh well, I speak the UNIVERSAL language with all my patients, I give them compassionate and skillful care.