Can't communicate with the new nurses

hkrntobe · Jun 17, 2011

AND may I add that the unit manager should be fired! May I ask how many > CLEAR english speaking nurses this unit manager hired???? I wounder Hmmmmmm

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2011

This entire thread is quite shocking to me.
I consider several comments racist. I will not point the finger though.
Every nurse who wants to work as a nurse in the USA has to pass an english language proficiency test and sit the NCLEX. That means every nurse working with you is a qualified RN.
However, not every nurse from a non english speaking country will understand a heavy US accent. If you slow down instead of raising your voice, if you speak clearly and don't mumble the new nurse might understand you.
Imagine yourself in a different country, in a different workplace where things are done differently. You are under stress and you have a hard time understanding the people. It's not easy.
Why don't you leave the US just once and have a look at a northern english hospital. Or an irish one. And try to understand those nurses shouting their own abbreviations and names during a busy shift. You would have a hard time understanding anything.
Every qualified nurse is a valuable addition. Have the patience to let them understand you.
The government is bringing in nurses because obviously - there are quite a few position which can't be filled by US citizens - for whatever reasons.
It's such an old and outdated view that those new immigrants are coming in and taking away the good jobs.
Frankly, such opinions are sad and hilarious - and speak of ignorance. Many people of every first world nation have the exact same complaint. It's fine to exploit 3rd world countries to the maximum - but beware to have some of the impoverished come to our holy lands.

I am not saying that any of this is not shocking because it's very shocking. I moved from one state to another and had a language barrier so it doesn't have to be country to countryI work in a state that calls patient gowns Johnnies, I thought they wanted a John---a commode:uhoh3:

my question is......why import more to a presently saturated market and an unemployment rate in this country in the double digits. Unfortunately, I believe big business is exploiting a certain third world country that imports these nurses under the cloak of an agency that are low balling the market and taking jobs from perfectly qualified americans. These agency's are legalized indentured servitude. I have seen some of these imported nurses and I am sure they are very smart but if they passed an english proficiency exam I want to see it! because these girls do not speak nor understand but a smattering of very limited english.

Is this really fair to the elderly patients who can't understand them? Is it fair that these nurses are being exploited by these agencies and are paid less than their surrounding nurses just because they can? That isn't exploiting these nurses? They sign contracts with these agencies and accept their terms just so they can get here and the facilities that hire them here are just glad they have licensed help and a lower pay. These nurses are being used because of their desperate poverty in their own country to be brought here under a binding contract because they just want to get out of the poverty. I don't blame the nurses I blame these agencies and I don't think it's right to bring in more workers in an already saturated market no matter how educated they are......wait until the crisis is over.......These nurses are brought here because they are cheap and it allows the big business to just get bigger.......Just my.:twocents:

bearscrubs75 · Jun 17, 2011

:tku::cheers:

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2011

:tku::cheers:

YOU"RE:spnngwlcm::beer:

netglow, ASN, RN · Jun 17, 2011

Interesting... Never had a problem understanding Filipino accents. Wonder how they communicated during their interviews?

What "interview"

Moogie · Jun 17, 2011

Senior administrators have weighed in on this thread and it has been decided that it will remain closed due to the deterioration of the discussion.

Please understand that the job situation is dire in many countries, not just the United States, and that many nurses are struggling to find work these days. Please try to be compassionate of each other, here as well as in the workplace, and not bring race or accusations of racism into this discussion.

The thread will remain closed permanently. Please do NOT start a new thread on this discussion. Thank you.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jun 18, 2011

employee rights & discrimination

employee rights

employers must treat employees in a non-discriminatory manner when recruiting, hiring, firing, and verifying their identity and authorization to work on form i-9.
your employer may not:
demand that you show specific documents because of your national origin, ethnicity, immigration or citizenship status, race, color, religion, age, gender or disability, or because of any other protected characteristic. for example, your employer may not:
request that you show a document issued by the department of homeland security because you are not a u.s. citizen.
require u.s. passports from new employees who “sound foreign” and claim u.s. citizenship.
refuse to accept your document or refuse to hire you because of an unfounded suspicion that your document is fraudulent. for example, your employer may not refuse to accept your u.s. passport because you have limited english proficiency.
[*]treat you differently than other applicants because you are, or your employer believes that you are, a u.s. citizen or noncitizen.
[*]ask to see your employment authorization documents before he or she hires you or before you complete form i-9.
[*]refuse to accept your document or refuse to hire you because your document expires in the future.
[*]limit jobs to u.s. citizens unless u.s. citizenship is required by law or government contract.
[*]demand a specific document when reverifying that you are authorized to work. you may present any document either from list a or from list c to demonstrate that you are still authorized to work.

preventing discrimination

the immigration and nationality act prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals based on their citizenship or immigration status, or based on their national origin, in the form i-9 process. to prevent discrimination, the employer should treat all people equally when
announcing a job
taking applications
performing interviews
making job offers
verifying the individual's authorization to work
hiring the individual
terminating the individual's employment

employers must pay same wage for equal work:

department of labor: labor condition application

some nonimmigrant categories require that a u.s. employer obtain a certific
tion of labor condition application from the department of labor. that application requires the employer to state (“attest”) that it will comply with the following requirements:
the employer must pay a wage that is no less than the wage paid to similarly qualified workers or, if greater, the prevailing wage for the position in the geographic area.
the employer must provide working conditions that will not adversely affect other similarly employed workers.
the employer must attest that there is no strike or lockout at the place of business of the prospective temporary worker.
the employer must give notice to the bargaining representative or post a notice at the place of business that a labor condition application has been filed with the dol

lesson i learned at my first position in 1977: if one is not accustomed to working with patients or colleagues with accents different than their own or with english as second lanquage, will need to tune one's ear to other accents in order to understand people.