Clinicals and 2nd language?

MotoMonkey, BSN, RN · Nov 28, 2018

In my opinion, speaking a second language conversationally, even if broken, is a big help in the clinical setting. At no point should a student or anyone else, even if fluent, take the place of a certified translator. However, it can be helpful to have someone who speaks the language fill the gap so to speak between patient encounter and when the translator arrives or is connected by phone.

At the end of the day it is not make or break, healthcare organizations have access to translation services and should be using them. If you are uncomfortable disclosing that you speak a second language leave it off.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Nov 28, 2018

Unless you are certified as a medical interpreter, your ability should be a non-issue. Sure it's nice to be able to converse and build rapport, but 1) ESL speakers receive care everywhere, and 2) any nursing/health/medical related conversations MUST be had through a certified medical interpreter -- NOT a semi-competent conversational speaking nursing student.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Nov 28, 2018

Hi there,
I just got an email from my clinical placement coordinator and he requested a bit of information from incoming students. These questions is to help the staff determine appropriate clinical placements....
One of the questions is whether you speak another language.... .well I do speak another language conversationally but it's somewhat broken and in a fast pace nursing program, I worry that it may put me at a disadvantage when staying on top of curriculum.
I would love some insight on your thoughts. Thank you!

The speaking a second language may be unrelated to your ability to use it in the clinical setting. It could be that your instructor might want to know about demographics of the nursing students, especially if some nursing students in the past struggled with English.

I took that question to be more of a demographic question rather than thinking of utlizing a student as a translator. Just my two cents

Luchador, CNA, EMT-B · Nov 28, 2018

Unless you are certified as a medical interpreter, your ability should be a non-issue. Sure it's nice to be able to converse and build rapport, but 1) ESL speakers receive care everywhere, and 2) any nursing/health/medical related conversations MUST be had through a certified medical interpreter -- NOT a semi-competent conversational speaking nursing student.

What state are you in? I'm in Colorado and I speak Spanish. I thought that would be a huge plus but my professors and RNs at the sites tell me they just have a little machine they use and don't bother with getting an interpreter.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Nov 29, 2018

What state are you in? I'm in Colorado and I speak Spanish. I thought that would be a huge plus but my professors and RNs at the sites tell me they just have a little machine they use and don't bother with getting an interpreter.

Hmmm we have iPads that we use to video-conference with an interepreter if we don't have one who can be physically present, or we can use a language line.

Once we even allowed a certified-but-not-affiliated-with-my-hospital friend of a patient to translate for a care conference... the pt's parents didn't live in the US and spoke a specific rare dialect of Berber.

But I would never ever trust a translator device or app...they just aren't smart enough.

An interpreter knows the fine nuances of both English and the foreign language, to properly communicate connotation and context and CONCEPTS. Some languages don't even have equivalent words with English... the Somali vocabulary for mental health issues comes to mind. Their vocabulary translates to English very differently than how American psychiatric providers or nurses would speak of mental health. Language is more than a lexicon; it is culture and emotion and depth and context and......... particularly for issues as important as health, illness, life, and death. Google Translate is not adequate. We need interpreters to understand each other.

Luchador, CNA, EMT-B · Nov 29, 2018

Hmmm we have iPads that we use to video-conference with an interepreter if we don't have one who can be physically present, or we can use a language line.
Once we even allowed a certified-but-not-affiliated-with-my-hospital friend of a patient to translate for a care conference... the pt's parents didn't live in the US and spoke a specific rare dialect of Berber.
But I would never ever trust a translator device or app...they just aren't smart enough.
An interpreter knows the fine nuances of both English and the foreign language, to properly communicate connotation and context and CONCEPTS. Some languages don't even have equivalent words with English... the Somali vocabulary for mental health issues comes to mind. Their vocabulary translates to English very differently than how American psychiatric providers or nurses would speak of mental health. Language is more than a lexicon; it is culture and emotion and depth and context and......... particularly for issues as important as health, illness, life, and death. Google Translate is not adequate. We need interpreters to understand each other.

I'm trying to remember the name of the device but I can't and I just googled a bunch of them and nothing like they talked about showed up.

They complained that they are really expensive and the (little) hospital only has 1 so you have to wait for it. They also said that the thing is very literal and has no filter and GREAT HEARING so if the pt or pt's family mutters on the side, "Is she a moron? What the hell is she talking about?" It will just say that.

I am going to school in a rural area and my professor and clinical staff seemed perplexed about a cert for being a medical interpreter, but I know in other places-- like Maryland where I ran with an ambulance company, it is a thing.

verene, MSN · Nov 29, 2018

My guess it is a demographic question to get a sense of background and skills. Which can be useful in seeing how far outside the student's comfort zone a clinical placement may be. A student who spent two years in the PeaceCrops in Latin America may more readily adapt to being sent to a clinical placement with a large non-English speaking Hispanic population than a student with out that exposure. The clinic will still have professional medical interpreters on staff though.

Do not underestimate what a few broken phrases and some cultural familiarity can do to establish rapport with a patient even if a translator is used for providing care and decision making. Even just being able to say "I don't speak your language fluently I am calling/waiting for an interpreter" can defuse patient anxiety quite a bit.

rayman356307, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2018

I don't think the language itself is going to pose an issue, and as previous posts have stated unless you're certified you shouldn't be put into a spot where you are doing medical translations.

I personally speak Chinese fluently, but there's a different between medical Chinese and fluent conversational Chinese. Think of it as like you just talking to the patents in English. There's medical jargon and then there's "regular" English.

However, I think I know what you're clinical coordinator is trying to do. It can be hard to advocate for your patients if you don't know what they want. Some times that extra understanding, even if it's not 100% the language itself, but the culture can really help. Although most of communication is non-verbal, that bit of verbal quite helps.

Also, I remember one time we had a Chinese speaking pt. The pt was very hard of hearing and well our language line couldn't get loud enough to help communicate with the patient. So, I ended up getting the pt, but I felt rather awkward yelling at an old patient >.