One thing i dont understand(at the nurses' station)

Nurses Relations

Published

There is one thing I can never understand being at the nurses' station(sorry if I offend anyone but here goes):

I know that the nursing realm is full of people from different walks of life and culture and that is normal bc it is like that with other professions as well. And I do know that with the nursing profession, there are a lot of American-Filipinos. But the thing that I notice, in all of my work places... is that the Filipino nurses speak their language all the time with each other in front of non-Filipino coworkers and non-Filipino patients. Isn't this rude? I believe in the employee handbook of most facilities mention about speaking the universal language in front of everyone, instead of a particular language, this is only polite, especially if your coworkers next to you doesn't understand the language you speak or your patients. I see this happening a lot and the nurses always leave me "hanging" and "wondering" what they are talking about. Wouldn't you agree that this is just rude and disrespectful.

There's nothing wrong with having Chinese nurses, Filipino nurses, Russian nurses... but I think it'll be respectful and polite to speak the universal language that everyone can understand. Unfortunately, this will always happen at the nurses' station... and I just don't understand it. It's RUDE. Gotta open up those employee handbooks and read.

I am not a troll.. I just wanted to share this perspective of mine on here. Sorry if it's offensive... but if you turn the table around, you would know how it feels.

You could always learn Tagalog if you feel uncomfortable and left out of their PRIVATE conversations.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have actually thought about this and have looked for a place that teaches Tagalog. But I still couldn't achieved that. People I know are so busy so they can't really teach me the language.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

btw: it wasn't a private conversation.. if it was, I and other nurses wouldn't hear it. it's a public conversation where other non-Filipino nurses can hear and it truly made the rest of us uncomfortable, and esp when we know they were talking about the patients and their conditions and the doctors' orders.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have to wonder if this policy is partially based on location. I have worked in healthcare facilities in both Philadelphia and Denver metro (a lot of ethnic diversity in both areas), and have never heard of such a policy. This did come up in the news about 10-15 years ago because a highschool in Arizona wanted to ban Spanish language (e.g. native speakers talking to,each other in the hallways) in school. It was a hotly debated topic, and I'm not sure there was ever a satisfactory conclusion to the issue.

I think it is one thing to speak in a separate language in front of a patient, and another in front of a colleague. A patient should always be included in the conversation, at least while in the room and within earshot. From a workers perspective, and in extreme cases it could lead to gossip and bullying, but that is probably not the case here. If you feel strongly about the policy, talk directly to your co-workers. Unless a patient is directly involved, this does not seem appropriate to bring to management.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
btw: it wasn't a private conversation.. if it was, I and other nurses wouldn't hear it. it's a public conversation where other non-Filipino nurses can hear and it truly made the rest of us uncomfortable, and esp when we know they were talking about the patients and their conditions and the doctors' orders.

Are they talking about YOUR patients? Are physician orders being missed or not carried out? Are they carrying out shift change report in English? As long as relevant staff receives pertinent info and the patient is well cared for, I don't really see what there is to be upset about.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
You could always learn Tagalog if you feel uncomfortable and left out of their PRIVATE conversations.

I tend to not have private conversations at work period.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I bet it is a relief to them to be able to speak their native language with someone. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to always have to speak a second/unfamiliar language all the time....just sayin'

I'm sure it probably is, but if you live and work in the United States in a professional setting you should expect to hear and communicate in English the overwhelming majority of the time.

I would say to some other replies here - even if one had a difficult time learning English - one has no business practicing as a professional nurse in the U.S. without fluency in English.

Also - a conversation at the nurses station is NOT a "PRIVATE" conversation.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sure, labs being done, docs orders being carried out, and patients being taken care of... but to speak the language other than the mutual language that other nurses don't understand is still not professional. That's actually impolite. Imagine if we all work in a hospital and the majority of nurses are Chinese-Americans or German-Americans and most of them speak Chinese or German.. and you have no idea what they are talking about... and yes half of the time, it pertains to your patients. Wouldn't that drive you nuts. I am sorry if this is a sensitive issue or this offends anyone, and I'm not talking about the language or the people personally. Any language out there other than the mutual language... it really does make everyone else uncomfortable. Nursing is a professional field... if we can pass the NCLEX(in English), why can't we speak the language when people/coworkers/patients are around, it's only reasonable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Sure, labs being done, docs orders being carried out, and patients being taken care of... but to speak the language other than the mutual language that other nurses don't understand is still not professional. That's actually impolite. Imagine if we all work in a hospital and the majority of nurses are Chinese-Americans or German-Americans and most of them speak Chinese or German.. and you have no idea what they are talking about... and yes half of the time, it pertains to your patients. Wouldn't that drive you nuts. I am sorry if this is a sensitive issue or this offends anyone, and I'm not talking about the language or the people personally. Any language out there other than the mutual language... it really does make everyone else uncomfortable. Nursing is a professional field... if we can pass the NCLEX(in English), why can't we speak the language when people/coworkers/patients are around, it's only reasonable.

This is actually not a great example, because, like others, it is YOUR discomfort that is at stake. Let us say you worked in a hospital in Germany or France and had enough basic terminology to conduct patient care. But you're not fluent. Do you think you would turn down an opportunity to speak English during downtime if you had another coworker that could do so? You might say "Of course not! It is against policy." But the reality is that it is very discombobulating to be in a country different from your native country and try to maintain a perfect image. People traveling on green cards and long term VISAs commonly experience quite a bit of stress from cultural isolation. I don't know your work situation, but maybe they are just trying to relieve some stress and vent a little. The reality is that hospitals hire all sorts of different ethnicities to fill staffing gaps and some people may choose to confide in another colleague that has a similar culture and language.

Not trying to start a fight here, I truly find it interesting that such policies exist and have enjoyed reading other's perspectives :-)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This is actually not a great example, because, like others, it is YOUR discomfort that is at stake. Let us say you worked in a hospital in Germany or France and had enough basic terminology to conduct patient care. But you're not fluent. Do you think you would turn down an opportunity to speak English during downtime if you had another coworker that could do so? You might say "Of course not! It is against policy." But the reality is that it is very discombobulating to be in a country different from your native country and try to maintain a perfect image. People traveling on green cards and long term VISAs commonly experience quite a bit of stress from cultural isolation. I don't know your work situation, but maybe they are just trying to relieve some stress and vent a little. The reality is that hospitals hire all sorts of different ethnicities to fill staffing gaps and some people may choose to confide in another colleague that has a similar culture and language.

Not trying to start a fight here, I truly find it interesting that such policies exist and have enjoyed reading other's perspectives :-)

A foreign hospital wouldn't let you work without near fluency. Having lived in Germany I'd take it as an excellent opportunity to practice.

Also having lived in Germany, I know most people there speak pretty good English. They do in France as well, although they're typically less forthcoming in sharing that fact.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

English is also referred to as the required "universal language" in my hospital's employee handbook, but most of the people I work with are foreign-born and speak at least one other language.

I can't say that it bothers me 99% of the time. I never think that people are talking about me, but if they wanted to they could do it without speaking a foreign language. I'm not always in the nurses station, and beyond that, people communicate non-verbally. I'm also relived to be "left out" of conversations sometimes. I don't always feel like conversing and sometimes prefer my own thoughts.

The 1% of the time that I am bothered is when I'm sleepy and having trouble concentrating on my work. At those times, foreign languages sound like a bunch of nonsense noise to me and can be quite irritating ...or maybe I just feel irritated because I'm tired.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Absolutely true. Yes it is offensive and rude for co-workers to speak another language in front of others. The only place I've tolerated that is at a nail salon. And even then I hate it. I've worked with many big companies and that is never allowed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment