I am working in a large inner city facility. Corporate expounds the benefits of a diverse working culture.
I understand the benefits of a large pool of talent. There is every nationality on Earth represented in this medical center.
Recently, I took report from the recovery room. The nurse had such a thick accent , I had to ask her to spell some of the words she was saying. During the shift, I "worked" with a resident that was also very difficult to understand. He is also from a culture that expects women to walk 3 feet behind them. Needless to say.. the communication was difficult and time consuming.
At the end of the shift, I gave report to a nurse from another culture, that had never heard of the procedure the patient had undergone. Another language barrier ensued as I tried to explain the case.
I find it interesting that they can understand my mid-west American accent, but not vice-versa. The communication effort is time taking away from patient care.
I have seen a Chinese nurse, trying to describe a (emergent) patient's condition, over the phone to an Indian doctor, with a nursing assistant yelling in the background trying to interpret for them.
