I worked with a medical resident yesterday, needed to get orders on a patient who was having issues. He was from a foreign country. His English language skills were poor. I had trouble understanding his rather broken English. I had to clarify several times, he didn't even seem to be aware of the fact that it was very difficult to understand him, both because of his heavy accent and the fact that his grammar was poor and his vocabulary seemed limited. He sounded like he had just gotten off the boat, frankly.
How is it that this is somehow acceptable? I find this to be a detriment to the good communication required for safe care. How is it that someone can be accepted into a medical residency program in the United States who hasn't mastered English? We have many residents from foreign countries who do appear to have a good command of English and are easy to communicate with.
Good Communication is the foundation of everything else we do in healthcare. Healthcare workers in America should all have a good command of English in order to communicate well with one another.
This is the second time in two days that I have seen someone on AN assume that someone's life must literally not exist outside of being a nursing student. Do you believe that the person to whom you're speaking has never dealt with someone with bad English skills before now?
Nursing isn't a vacuum!
I agree with Sue; you have to honestly try sometimes, but it pays off. There have been a few doctors I've had issues understanding, but between body language and attitude, it's doable. But then again I'm only a student also.
And tell me how many times have you had a code blue where communication is absolutely imperative??? Health care is not like an office job. You often don't have the luxury of enough time to establish what someone is saying.
Maybe I am just annoyed by people who despise anyone with an accent. (I'm not saying that is you, or even anyone here) but I do see people like that quite a bit, and most of them won't even make the effort to try. It's sad really because I honestly believe that most people can be understood if true effort is given. I do agree with you though that if it is so bad that a doctor is dismissed, well that is a real shame. I hope I never see a situation like that but maybe I will at some point. I didn't mean to imply that you or someone here doesn't give a crap.
You clearly haven't READ what people on this thread are saying and you are making generalisations. We don't care if someone has an accent. What we are concerned about is when someone cannot communicate enough to be SAFE. We do give a crap if a patient doesn't get the help they need because the health care team cannot understand what the doctor wants. We want the best for our patients. And that requries that everyone understand each other.
I suggest that you listen to what your peers are saying, it may just be helpful to you when you become a nurse. I understand your argument that nursing is not a vaccum. But some things in health care are unique to other professions such as the need for clear communication because someone's life is at stake.
Several weeks ago we had to call rapid response for a patient who seized and went unresponsive in the bathroom. His nurse that night is from Africa and she has a very thick accent which gets worse in stressful situations. I had cared for the patient a few nights previously, and it ended up being me, other nurses who had cared for the patient, and the charge nurse interacting with the intensivist in regards to patient history etc. and the family as far as settling them down. Additionally, she cannot understand people who have even the slightest accent, so other nurses sometimes have to take over the phone from very frustrated docs who do speak reasonably well for orders or if a patient is going downhill.
I really like this nurse, but it hampered caring for this patient in an emergency situation. Those of us who work with her can usually understand her, but in a code or near code situation she becomes unintelligible. So I can understand where the OP is coming from. FWIW, probably a quarter of the staff on my floor are from foreign countries, and she is the only nurse that this is a problem with. Personally, I have no head for languages, and can't imagine having to learn another well enough to use in a professional setting, but it's hard not to be critical sometimes when faced with a situation like I described above.
Nurses most certainly "give a crap". I spend 4 weeks a summer in Newark, New Jersey and also New York working in clinics and hospitals. I work with a very diverse population of people and when we have trouble understanding doctors that is bad. You would think with as many backgrounds as we have in one room at least one of us would be able to translate. If I am going to put my license on the line that doctor better learn to either keep repeating himself until he is blue in the face, because I don't care if he is frustrated (so am I), or lower himself to learning better pronunciation.
:luvnltr:I am from another country, I don't think that we, foreign people just come to America and think that you will do whatever we want without knowing a bit of English. When somebody comes to USA very young it is easier to pronounce the word better, specially if you have the chance to do High School over here, that is why you can see some foreign people speaks clearly than other, but when you are old (by old, I mean 29 to Up) it is not that easy believe me. I personally think that everybody is trying very hard. I speak two other languages and English, sometimes I am confused (Some words have the same vocabulary and the pronunciations are different). But I always try my best to communicate with my co-workers. If I don't know something, I ask and If I have difficulty of pronouncing a word I've never been ashamed of asking for help, I will spell it to you and you will tell me how to pronounce it. And I will continue to learn my English because it is a big part of my job.I always carry my dictionary with me. Even my 9 years old, always helping me. If I have to go to school to learn more English to communicate with my co-workers and my patients I will definitely do it.
We are all good nurses, good healthcare providers, let see how we can work this problem out without getting mad at each other:yeah:.
I've managed to communicate with deaf, blind, foreign accents, speech impediments, etc.
If you have the aptitude, try using it. If not, I would like to suggest a job where communicating with people of different capabilities is not required.
I don't know if this response was particularly helpful. I think the OP has a valid complaint. I know as nurses we are to try our best to communicate with everyone we come into contact with, however, this was a matter of patient safety. Questioning the OP's aptitude does not negate the fact that this MD may be difficult to communicate with in English. I see no problem with expecting an MD to be clear in English when working here in the United States with nurses who speak English. As a patient, I would expect this safety in the system to which I am entrusting my care.
You clearly haven't READ what people on this thread are saying and you are making generalisations. We don't care if someone has an accent. What we are concerned about is when someone cannot communicate enough to be SAFE. We do give a crap if a patient doesn't get the help they need because the health care team cannot understand what the doctor wants. We want the best for our patients. And that requries that everyone understand each other. .
Man, this is a special form of irony. Are you sure you read the post of mine that you quoted? Really? Read it again.
Maybe I am just annoyed by people who despise anyone with an accent. (I'm not saying that is you, or even anyone here) but I do see people like that quite a bit, and most of them won't even make the effort to try. It's sad really because I honestly believe that most people can be understood if true effort is given. I do agree with you though that if it is so bad that a doctor is dismissed, well that is a real shame. I hope I never see a situation like that but maybe I will at some point. I didn't mean to imply that you or someone here doesn't give a crap.
edit: perhaps some bias is showing. I live in a very multicultural place, and with a little understanding and "give a crap" I can understand just about everyone. I guess I forget that there are some places that are not as diverse or multicultural.
Actually this was the post I meant to refer to, quoted the wrong post.
During a patient crisis we dont' have time to be all understanding if someone can't be understood. If someone needs urgent medical attention everything needs to be done NOW, not after 10 minutes of trying to decipher what someone is saying.
Scrubby
1,313 Posts
And tell me how many times have you had a code blue where communication is absolutely imperative??? Health care is not like an office job. You often don't have the luxury of enough time to establish what someone is saying.