anybody else have this problem

I work in a big hospital with many foreign doctors and many immigrants. We have a mln of different names and by my self I have strange name for locals,but it is very important to try to learn everybody names,by that you will show respect to another people and their culture.

I don't mind having foreign doctors. I get annoyed when I ask them to repeat things to ensure that I do understand what they are saying and they get mad at me for having to repeat it again. I'm sorry, but for patient safety, I need to know that I understand what they said, even if they have to repeat it several times.

We only have a handful of foreign docs, but I do have to repeat what I think I hear and a few times have had to ask them to spell it and then me spell it back.

Heck I have harder time reading some of the American docs writing!!!

We are doing computer charting, but when will the docs go to computer orders???

I will ask them to repeat orders until I understand them, if that is not possible...I ask them to PRINT their orders. I have run after more than one doctor and consult due the inability to read their orders or comments. I tell them to print all the time, or their orders cannot be received as legible and WILL NOT BE FOLLOWED if I have to guess. My license is worth more.

Maisy

i've worked with physicians who are from all over the globe, and i will say, over time, name pronunciation and understanding them gets better. the physicians have been in the us long enough to know that their names are usually difficult for the english-speakers to prounounce. when taking telephone orders, always ask the physician to spell his or her name, and repeat the order back as you have written it down! (this goes for any phone order, but with an accent issue, it can be the difference between a med error and the patient improving). also, speak slowly and clearly...you have an accent to the physician, too!

we had a wonderful attending internist originally from ireland, and one morning one of his patients had a very high blood sugar. he was asking me what type of coverage scale she was on...it was a "custom" scale (vs. an institution-set scale of mild, moderate, or aggressive), and i was trying to tell him this. he kept asking me what scale, i would answer "custom," and he was getting really angry with me, so i read the scale to him (less than 90, no insulin, 91-110, 2 units novolog...you see what i mean), but he was getting even more upset. i was shocked, because this gentleman is one of the nicest physicians i knew and i also didn't get why i wasn't getting through to him. then, i spelled out "c-u-s-t-o-m" to him and he began to apologize profusely, saying, "sorry, with your accent it sounded like you were repeating the patient's last name to me again and again instead of saying 'custom.' sorry about that!"

jess

i you hear an accent from different people it becomes easier and easier to understand

i found that indian accent became easier to understand even from new docs because we had a md who came to floor on a daily basis

but repeating back, spelling it out are necessary when any doubt could be taken

with garbled writing, strong accents it is a miracle that any patient is left alive

many of these people do not try to improve their accent once they work a certain and get very angry when you don't understand them because they believe the problem lies with you

Sometimes, with foreign doctors, the issue isn't only pronounciation or accents, it's the problem that nurses in their countries are on the level of non-professionals and having us ask them questions or talking to them as equals, makes them angry.

Sometimes, with foreign doctors, the issue isn't only pronounciation or accents, it's the problem that nurses in their countries are on the level of non-professionals and having us ask them questions or talking to them as equals, makes them angry.

It depends, the much older and much younger are okay...it's the ones in their late 40's early 50's that exhibit that behavior (in my experience-also not in my 20's) They need me, more than I need them. If that patient needs orders, he better make them understandable or it ain't happening! So it's so much easier to be nice to the nurse.

Maisy

also, speak slowly and clearly...you have an accent to the physician, too!

excellent point.

many of our forgein born docs with hard to pronouce names allow us address them by abreviated nick names - it's easier for the patients and staff - who likes their name butchered? the docs rather like it too - gives us all a sense of a less formal relationship. these are also the type of docs that don't have that "high and mighty" ego.