Do you get extra work cause your bilingual?

Nurses General Nursing

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I always have to deal with my patients, +plus other nurses patients because most of our patients are spanish speaking. This gives me extra work and puts me behind. It takes away from time I could be charting and dealing with my own work I could be doing.

Due to the demograhics of the population were I work, I think it should be mandatory for the nurses to take at least a medical spanish class. I dont want to open the can of worms of immigration/non english speaking people. Im just venting. Thanks for listening.

This has also been a hot topic on CNN, where they recently had several shows about situations such as this; people speaking Spanish and never taking the initiative to speak English.

As health care providers, this is a MAJOR challenge with the additional other burdens we have. I do go out of my way to try and get the telephone interpeters, or a live person (which is EVEN HARDER to obtain). However, I have to vent and say that this is very overwhelming to me. I have to wrestle with my conscience daily, because I wonder if my annoyance was clearly demonstrated by my non-verbal communication. I have seen some of them bring in school aged children to our clinic to interpet for them. How much of a burden is this to their kids, who have to miss school each time their loved one has to see the doctor? What if the family member has to be admitted to the ER? How will this child be accomodated?

Many of the Spanish speaking nurses are also highly frustrated by being called from their own work to help us, and few nurses go and do them a favor by helping them. I remember once, a Spanish clerk told a patient in Spanish to learn English. Sure, I grant you, that comment was highly inappropriate, but, I can understand how they feel as well.

I can appreciate a nurse that is venting here. What this shows me is that we are frustrated because these situations are clearly not always within our control, even under the best of circumstances. Most of us wish we can do more, but are limited. Mandating us who live here to learn Spanish is not the answer, either. It takes a great deal of time to actually master a language efficent enough to meet the high demands of our already stressful jobs? Why should I, who lived here all of my life suddenly be made to speak another language at the age of 43 or worry about losing the job I worked so hard to remain at?

We HAVE to place some of the responsibility on the patient. If they wish to function here safely, they should make an attempt to learn the language. We CANNOT do everything for them.

Thanks for your post. I think you said what I was trying to say all along- only you said it better.

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Historically the first wave of immigrants into a country do not learn to speak English; they tended to stay within their own communities so they can maintain their own cultural traditions, speak their native language etc. They CHOSE not to learn the language or even the customs of this country. Despite the assurances of so many on this board that their ancestors bucked the trend and did everything possible to assimilate and learn the language, that was not always the case thus communities like little Italy, Chinatown, Germantown, little Poland etc. It's usually the second generation who become more "American" and there is no reason to think that it will not happen with recent Hispanic immigrants.

I agree. The children DO learn english and often attempt to translate for older family members. Unfortunately the children are also assimilating our diet and becoming obese... but that's another story. What we are experiencing now is a recurrent historical theme.

Spanish-speaking people are people too.

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Specializes in NICU, Telephone Triage.
I always have to deal with my patients, +plus other nurses patients because most of our patients are spanish speaking. This gives me extra work and puts me behind. It takes away from time I could be charting and dealing with my own work I could be doing.

Due to the demograhics of the population were I work, I think it should be mandatory for the nurses to take at least a medical spanish class. I dont want to open the can of worms of immigration/non english speaking people. Im just venting. Thanks for listening.

I understand your dilemma, but I also understand the non-Spanish speaking nurse's dilemma. Sometimes if I try to speak some Spanish, I'm looked at like I'm from a different planet...so I'm never sure if they understand me or not. I know you didn't want to open a can of worms, but I know if the Spanish speaking nurse is too busy, the person needs to get a translator...it is the Spanish speaking people that need to learn English, IMO, not us that need to learn Spanish. If I went to another country, I would learn the language.

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Specializes in critical care.

I work in MI in a very diverse community. We have TONS of arabic people (the most outside the middle east) as well as spanish, polish, german, italian, and probably more. We get by because a lot o staff are bilingual or at least know a little, we have a list of people in the computer for all shifts, as well as boards and even a "blue" phone where we can access interpreters and TDD (for the deaf) and request sign language interpreters. (Also the people in the computer volunteer to do this, they are not forced) Maybe you shouldn't be frustrated with the other nurses, but be upset that you don't have the resources from the hospital. Sorry you are upset CAT

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The hispanic population is quickly becoming the largest minority in the United States! I don't think it would hurt anyone to make an effort and learn a few basics. If you were to visit any latin country in the world you wil see they all make an effort to learn some basic english. The end result is to be able to communicate with your patient so that you can give them the proper care that they need.

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.

Only Spanish I acknowledge is um...potto...um...caca...

So we don't force them to learn English, you want to force ME to speak a language I HATE???????

UM..if I want to learn Spanish I WILL MOVE TO MEXICO....gracias

Mujer, lo que obviamente odias es a tus pacientes. Con esa actitud, me pregunto porque te encuentras en esta profesion?

Me preocupa que tu actitud pueda llegar al descuido de algun paciente. Te vendria bien un poco de buena educacion.

BTW, potto is not a word in Spanish. If you only know 2, you should at least make an effort to get them right.

It really worries me to see this kind of attitude in any medical professional. If I travel to say, China, and happen to need medical care, I'd love to know that someone is there to translate for me. The world is smaller each day, it's not a matter of boundaries, but of good medical care. It's not a matter of politics, you're a nurse for goodness sakes! I had a cultural sensitivity course in nursing school, but maybe those are new...

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Yes, I too feel the strain being the only tri-lingual nurse on the unit however I always negotiate my services. If someone needs help I always ask for the one in need to help me in return. I can explain your surgical consent if you start my IV for example. And if I'm terribly busy I say" No, not at this moment" please use the interpreting service. As Americans we must be open to other cultures and meet their needs if we plan to deliver the best nursing care possible. Hospitals need to be equipped with interpreters, or interpreting services whether live or via telephone. I think the problem is that hospitals do not want to pay for these services due to budget cuts. As more immigrants enter our country in search for a better life, shouldn't we have interpreting services, teaching materials, and or consents that they can read and understand? If you were in a non-English speaking hospital I can guarantee you would feel frustrated and complain about the lack of English speaking personnel. Like most Americans we want the rest of the world to cater to us. We must remember this country is made of several races. Yes, English is the language spoken here however we should widened our horizons and perhaps learn another language so that we can serve ALL and not be so egocentric.

By meeting with hospital administration and voicing our concerns over this issue we can bring improvement with our current situations. Lashing out that immigrants must learn English is un-professional and judgmental. Perhaps these people are in transition and attempting to learn. But how would you know if you can't speak their language, huh?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
lashing out that immigrants must learn english is un-professional and judgmental. perhaps these people are in transition and attempting to learn. but how would you know if you can't speak their language, huh?

i haven't seen anyone here "lashing out." (except perhaps you, lashing out at your fellow nurses.) however, i must point out that i personally know many spanish-speakers who have been in this country since 1951 who only speak english when it suits them. to say that i have a responsibility to learn spanish in order to care for them is judgemental and wrong. after 55 years, they've had every opportunity to learn to speak english.

i have enormous sympathy for someone who just moved here and is attempting to learn the language. or who was here on vacation when they had their mi. i have no sympathy for someone who refuses to speak english after 55 years in this country!

we have spanish-speaking patients where i work. and croatian, russian, ukraine, ethiopian, mandarin, tagolag, german, utu, and many other languages. i can't learn all those languages. so why single out spanish?

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

It has been my experience that can't speak English and won't speak English are two separate monsters.

I hear what you are saying in that 2nd paragraph, Ruby.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care/Neonatal ICU.

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It really worries me to see this kind of attitude in any medical professional. If I travel to say, China, and happen to need medical care, I'd love to know that someone is there to translate for me.

Needing medical attention in a foreign country while traveling is FAR different than LIVING somewhere for years and not learning the language.

If I MOVED to Germany, I would learn the language. I wouldn't expect all German nurses to learn English so they could take care of me.

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Specializes in Occ health, Med/surg, ER.

When I was in Germany back in 91-95, (Bitburg Germany) all the German teenagers that were my age spoke English fluently. Hmmmmmmm.......:idea:

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When I was in Germany back in 91-95, (Bitburg Germany) all the German teenagers that were my age spoke English fluently. Hmmmmmmm.......

Internet gaming now lol

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