Better pay if Bilingual?

JettaDP · Jun 30, 2008

I agree that you should use a translator. Absolutely. But if someone speaks a language well enough to ask them how the feel, how much does it hurt, and so on, what's to say they can't learn the proper terms in Spanish. Being fluent means speaking it well as a native, does that not include medicine? If I complete Rosetta Stone and can can have almost any conversation with someone, I guarantee I will take whatever classes I have to fully understand and be able to speak to a patient about their care and legalities if necessary. I know for a fact that the hopital in my town does not have a trained medical interpretor. (I live in a very small town in WY.) I know the DON, administrators and everyone else would be extatic if their was someone who could speak Spanish.

MikeyJ, RN · Jun 30, 2008

I agree that you should use a translator. Absolutely. But if someone speaks a language well enough to ask them how the feel, how much does it hurt, and so on, what's to say they can't learn the proper terms in Spanish. Being fluent means speaking it well as a native, does that not include medicine? If I complete Rosetta Stone and can can have almost any conversation with someone, I guarantee I will take whatever classes I have to fully understand and be able to speak to a patient about their care and legalities if necessary. I know for a fact that the hopital in my town does not have a trained medical interpretor. (I live in a very small town in WY.) I know the DON, administrators and everyone else would be extatic if their was someone who could speak Spanish.

I agree. There should be no problem conversing with them or asking them how they are feeling, etc. I also plan on learning the language to the fullest extent. I have many many Spanish speaking friends, thus when I get a good base down I will practice as much as possible.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jun 30, 2008

If you can't afford the large sticker price on Rosetta Stone, look into Coffee Break Spanish. I used to have it on my iPod, and listened to it at work. It was quite helpful for general Spanish conversation. It's basically 15 minute lessons. Free ones, at that.

www.coffeebreakspanish.com

CHATSDALE · Jun 30, 2008

anything that you learn is an asset to you

thre are some prisons in the area and bilingual is preferred but according to classified not required

as for talking with patients who do not understand a language or if the language is so heavily accented this is a problem with foreign doctors we have here...somehow they learn just enough to get by and then it is up to everyone else to determine what is said

however if we have one indian or pakistani doctor we could then catch the flow of the conversation of another doc even if the accent was a bit different

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jun 30, 2008

At my hospital you get bilingual pay after you pass an exam, and there are levels of the pay. If you pass the level 1 exam (spoken only) you get $20/pay period. If you pass the level 2 (oral and written) you get $60/pay period. I have chosen not to do either even though I'm fluent in Spanish. Already I'm called on enough to interpret - I don't want there to be the expectation that I will drop what I'm doing in my own patient load if I have bilingual pay.

flightnurse2b, LPN · Jul 7, 2008

Very impressive! Did your parents speak one of those languages in the home, or did you learn them as an adult?

thanks! my parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins speak italian at home so i grew up with that language. sign language i picked up in college and did an internship at a clinic for the deaf. spanish my parents chose to have me start taking in pre-k, and i took up to spanish 6 in high school and did a semester abroad in spain.

it comes in handy when you least expect it and its fun to talk with people in different languages. although i noticed now that my english sentence structure and grammar is sometimes screwed up because i actually have to think about it sometimes.

i encourage everyone i know to learn a second (or more) language. i think my next endeavor will be french. my boyfriend is french canadian and his parents speak french.

Atheos · Jul 7, 2008

thanks! my parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins speak italian at home so i grew up with that language. sign language i picked up in college and did an internship at a clinic for the deaf. spanish my parents chose to have me start taking in pre-k, and i took up to spanish 6 in high school and did a semester abroad in spain.
it comes in handy when you least expect it and its fun to talk with people in different languages. although i noticed now that my english sentence structure and grammar is sometimes screwed up because i actually have to think about it sometimes.
i encourage everyone i know to learn a second (or more) language. i think my next endeavor will be french. my boyfriend is french canadian and his parents speak french.

Nice :) I need to work on Italian. French seems nice but I am not sure I could get that accent down. It would be like an elephant running around a china shop. :chuckle

holli_80_73 · Jan 8, 2012

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum and won't be starting my nursing program until fall of '09. My husband and I are thinking about relocating after I finish my program and I want to work ICU. I was wondering if anyone has found that being bilingual makes you a more desirable job applicant or if it has an impact on your salary. I have been thinking about trying something like Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish, thinking that this might really help me get hired if we move to AZ (or anywhere, for that matter.) If anyone has any input, I would really appreciate it.

I originally went to school for a MPH and Spanish so I double majored and learned to speak it through research because I was interested in tropical disease control. I met a nurse before I went into nursing that was majoring in Spanish education (we had some classes together in Spanish) who spoke fluent Spanish and wanted to teach Spanish as she left nursing all together. I asked her why she left nursing and she said she was tired of being used as a translator at work in addition to her nursing duties and not get paid for it. I have never met anyone that is paid more for being able to speak it but it does increase your job chances. I got a full ride because I agreed to research for an assistanship because I could speak Spanish..but not a penny more in salary anywhere I have been. I am afraid that I might be used too once anyone figures out I can speak it fluent. I have already had a dialysis nurse call me several times about how to talk to her patient and it gets old.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jan 8, 2012

I admire your desire to learn another language.

However, NURSNG is another language, I don't see how anyone could add additional studies to a demanding program.

Good luck.

nightengalegoddess · Jan 8, 2012

When you become bilingual you will be valued when you do land your job. You will be respected and called upon for translation aplenty. You may not get more money, but you may land a job over an only English speaker. Unfortunately, our national language doesn't count anymore. I think there may be more Hispanic populace in the USA than any other. It is a wise thing to learn.

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jan 8, 2012

Just FYI for the above poster, The United States does not have a national language.

Yes, IME you will definitely have more opportunities, money will vary by job and region. We hired our clinic RN specifically b/c he spoke Spanish and none of the providers do. We are paying him more than we would have had to pay someone else because we wanted him and he negotiated for it.

Good luck.

PMFB-RN, RN · Jan 8, 2012

I frequently see "bilingual preferred or required" in nurse job postings. I speak fluent Spanish (a result of growing up a few miles from the Mexico border) but I have never received a dime more for it. I have been offered jobs that I would not have otherwise.