Culture Shock

Published

When my southern bred Lpn daughter moved to southern New Mexico it was quite a culture shock as she had never even met a Mexican. One night on the med-surg floor she needed to change the dressing on an illegal alien being watched by the border patrol. In a slow halting, louder than usual voice she leaned near the the man's ear and said, "I.. need ..to.. change.. your ...dressing." The officer tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Ma'am, he's not deaf, he just doesn't speak english!"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, OB Triage.

um???

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I was born and bred in California, and experienced quite a culture shock when I moved to Texas 3 years ago. Never should we assume that one culture, lifestyle, or racial-ethnic background is any better than any other. We've all got something beneficial to bring to the table.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Yeah, I absolutely hate when I hear nurses yelling loudly at a foreign language speaking patient. They're not deaf and they won't understand what you say no matter how loud you say it. I really don't konw if what your daughter experienced was a culture shock. I live near Detroit and there are many Mexican immigrants. I get many mexican patients and I'm not culture shocked. Many years ago Texas and some other states used to be part of Mexico.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I meant this to be taken with a bit of laughter, as my daughter was trying to be a good nurse. Not as anything against Mexicans. I live in southern New Mexico and love the country and the culture. I find the people here to be kind, family oriented and proud. You couldn't dig me out of New Mexico with a backhoe!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Postpartum.

I actually had to tell a nursing student the same thing recently. I live in Texas and had a pt who didn't speak english. I don't speak enough spanish to find my way out of the Mexico City airport, but we were getting by with one word sentences all day. Around mid-day I got a student assigned to me and she went in guns a-blazin. She yelled at these people for a good 3 minutes while they just looked at me confused. When we got outside, I gently pulled her aside and said that "while what you said was true and good, these people didn't understand you at all. Speaking louder does not make a foreign language automatically understandable." She blushed and kind of laughed at herself a little and took it all in stride. Grabbed the spanish speaking PCA we have on staff next time and had her translate. All worked out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I meant this to be taken with a bit of laughter, as my daughter was trying to be a good nurse. Not as anything against Mexicans. I live in southern New Mexico and love the country and the culture. I find the people here to be kind, family oriented and proud. You couldn't dig me out of New Mexico with a backhoe!!

I got it, cute.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
I actually had to tell a nursing student the same thing recently. I live in Texas and had a pt who didn't speak english. I don't speak enough spanish to find my way out of the Mexico City airport, but we were getting by with one word sentences all day. Around mid-day I got a student assigned to me and she went in guns a-blazin. She yelled at these people for a good 3 minutes while they just looked at me confused. When we got outside, I gently pulled her aside and said that "while what you said was true and good, these people didn't understand you at all. Speaking louder does not make a foreign language automatically understandable." She blushed and kind of laughed at herself a little and took it all in stride. Grabbed the spanish speaking PCA we have on staff next time and had her translate. All worked out.

I worked with a filipino tech who did that with our Hispanic patients. He knew a few words of Spanish and liked to show off his knowledge by bellowing loudly in their faces. I finally had to say "saying it louder doesn't make it more understandable. Their Hispanic, not deaf". His English is horrible. I wonder how his Spanish sounds to these patients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've been on the other end of yelling...in Mexico.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion