English As A Second Language

[Santa Monica]

Hi. I am a nursing student in second year. I came here 15 yrs ago. Spanish is my native language. I know English, but I have a strong accent. I am doing good in school and clinicals. However, a medsurg nurse told my instructor that I have issues with pronunciation and that makes me less competent as a nurse. My instructor got into an argument with her about me. I cried because I really try to do my best in school. I feel depressed and so insecure now. I need to grow thicker skin.

The nurse was so friendly with me. However, she turned out to be so hipocrite. I haven't work with her, and she just decided to tell my instructor that about me. I understand that sometimes I have a hard time pronouncing medication names and medical terms. But, she doesn't know me enough to make that statement. How can I improve my pronunciation? Thank you!

[Robert.CFRN]

When YOU, with your Southern Texan speech (which would, at best, go as "weird" up North) would made to go to that "pronunciation class" after moving to Boston, MA, then and only then I or any other foreign-born medical worker would do the same. Not before that.

There's a bit of a difference between having a Texas or Boston accent, and having an accent so thick that patients and other health care team members can't understand you. Communication is, perhaps, the single most important skill a nurse must possess. If patients and your team-mates can't understand you, then your skill set is lacking and must be improved on.

[Robert.CFRN]

Anyone noticed that, per the Terms of Service on All Nurses, all posts must be in English? Just sayin'...

[Robert.CFRN]

Ruby, I believe from what I've learned from my gracious Allnurses is that is language discrimination. Please re read the posts.

Nevermind. I speak fluent sarcasm, and missed it here.

[Robert.CFRN]

Overall, >75% of "subjects" would "sacrifice" Indian-origin nurse (if anyone interested, my answer was #1)

Does it tell anything to anyone?

Yes. It tells me that the instructors haven't quite gotten past identity politics and the urge to paint everything first by race. The question is itself racist, as is the implication. The white woman and the black woman are clearly American, though they have accents. The Indian woman is not. The patient asked for an American nurse. There is no sacrifice. And if the patient can't be accommodated, then management speaks to the patient and backs the competence of the Indian nurse. Painting a simple re-assignment as racist is something that can only happen in academia.

I'm working on my Masters, and have run into some of this. One enjoyable moment in my BSN program (all experienced RN's in the class) was a reading assignment on micro-aggressions. When the professor asked what we thought of the article and the concept, pretty much everyone told her in the strongest terms what a stupid, stereotypically racist idea it was. Worse, such racist drivel had no place in the nursing profession as it told us to view people first by their race/cultural origin and not as individuals.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

And the United States is the least racist nation on earth, and allows more legal immigration than any other nation on earth. Yes, that's right. All left-wing hand wringing and campus self-righteousness to the side, that's the simple truth.

You might want to see the rest of the world one day, my friend, of which you evidently know not what you do not know. You also would benefit from exposing yourself to areas which do not belong to healthcare.

I was many times on American Physical Society conferences, one of the most prestigious scientific meetings of the world. 90+% of participants there were accent-speakers from literally every country of the world, nobody had problems with it. In this circle mentioning someone's accent is as acceptable as "n" word. Nobody, ever, is sent to any sort of courses or classes. These people manage things like cyclotrones, supercomputers and national labs. What exactly is wrong with them all... or, indeed, with some people here? With some unsavory experiences in my past, I suspect the latter might be the truth.

(it seems that the evening with Shakespeare directed my mind toward British English :)

P.S. if the OP was admitted in school of nursing and made it into clinical stage, that alone means that her English was deemed to be good enough for "normal" level of nursing communication. If someone "expressed concerns" that it "might" be inadequate, then it should be, with good deal of probability, the problem of that someone, not the OP. It might be a completely benign problem like a slight loss of hearing but it still doesn't justify assessment of the OP's nursing abilities bein based on her accent alone.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Right... and we are required to use native speaking interpreters...

But you're OK with a nurse who has an accent so heavy that they can't be easily?

I am? When did I say anything of the sort? I believe you have me confused with another poster.

And you're incorrect, nobody is required to use native speaking interpreters, only interpreters that are shown to be fluent in the language and appropriate for medical interpretation. In fact, I know of several native Spanish speakers who were unable to pass the medical interpretation exam and be approved to provide interpretation at the last hospital at which I worked.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Anyone noticed that, per the Terms of Service on All Nurses, all posts must be in English? Just sayin'...

Your point?

[Robert.CFRN]

You might want to see the rest of the world one day, my friend, of which you evidently know not what you do not know. You also would benefit from exposing yourself to areas which do not belong to healthcare.

I was many times on American Physical Society conferences, one of the most prestigious scientific meetings of the world. 90+% of participants there were accent-speakers from literally every country of the world, nobody had problems with it. In this circle mentioning someone's accent is as acceptable as "n" word. Nobody, ever, is sent to any sort of courses or classes. These people manage things like cyclotrones, supercomputers and national labs. What exactly is wrong with them all... or, indeed, with some people here? With some unsavory experiences in my past, I suspect the latter might be the truth.

Wow, rather proud of yourself, aren't you? Of course, anyone who disagrees with you must be stupid, and never left the county of their birth, yes? I'm not sure, but did you vote for Hillary? Because anyone who doesn't share your view is obviously deplorable. So, for resumes...

I joined the Army right out of high school, and my active duty time included a year in South Korea. After an honorable discharge, I then moved to Los Angeles to study music, and graduated the Musicians Institute with honors. I then decided to go into nursing, and attended the Los Angeles County Medical Center School of Nursing. Most of our patients were illegal aliens. I was often given Korean patients because I was the only student in my class who could read, write and speak any Korean. My first wife was Korean, and we visited her family in Seoul many times.

I rejoined the Army Reserves as a Nurse Officer. I commanded a medical mission to the mountains of Guatemala, where we provided free medical care to Mayan Indians. (The Peace Corps refused to provide translators, because the U.S. Army is evil, and that's more important than medical care to the poor. Thank God for Mormon missionaries.) I served a year in Iraq with a Combat Support Hospital as AOIC of the Emergency Section, and the Chief Flight Nurse. We cared for troops from all of the allied nations, Iraqi military and civilians as well as our own troops. My wife and I love traveling overseas, and have visited Europe many times, and spent 10 days in Israel where we simply rented a car and drove around to see the history.

So, you can put your snobbish attitude back in the bag, and deal with what I said. I stated in the first place that a thick accent has nothing to do with nursing abilities. But that being said, if a thick accent interferes with patient care or communication with other members of the health care team, then it should be considered a skill that must be improved on.

[brownbook]

Wow, rather proud of yourself, aren't you? Of course, anyone who disagrees with you must be stupid, and never left the county of their birth, yes? I'm not sure, but did you vote for Hillary? Because anyone who doesn't share your view is obviously deplorable. So, for resumes...

I joined the Army right out of high school, and my active duty time included a year in South Korea. After an honorable discharge, I then moved to Los Angeles to study music, and graduated the Musicians Institute with honors. I then decided to go into nursing, and attended the Los Angeles County Medical Center School of Nursing. Most of our patients were illegal aliens. I was often given Korean patients because I was the only student in my class who could read, write and speak any Korean. My first wife was Korean, and we visited her family in Seoul many times.

I rejoined the Army Reserves as a Nurse Officer. I commanded a medical mission to the mountains of Guatemala, where we provided free medical care to Mayan Indians. (The Peace Corps refused to provide translators, because the U.S. Army is evil, and that's more important than medical care to the poor. Thank God for Mormon missionaries.) I served a year in Iraq with a Combat Support Hospital as AOIC of the Emergency Section, and the Chief Flight Nurse. We cared for troops from all of the allied nations, Iraqi military and civilians as well as our own troops. My wife and I love traveling overseas, and have visited Europe many times, and spent 10 days in Israel where we simply rented a car and drove around to see the history.

So, you can put your snobbish attitude back in the bag, and deal with what I said. I stated in the first place that a thick accent has nothing to do with nursing abilities. But that being said, if a thick accent interferes with patient care or communication with other members of the health care team, then it should be considered a skill that must be improved on.

Plus you are fluent in scarcasm.

I am a blue state Hillary voter. Can't we all get along? All I tried to say, maybe I worded it poorly, was the same as you. If your accent is too thick to understand you should consider classes to improve it. I also said, from the start, that I thought the nurse who complained about the poster's accent sounded like an idiot and was probably wrong in her assessment, since no one else seemed to have a problem with the poster English.

I just love the term language discrimination. It has become my favorite.

I read a science fiction book that took place in the 1990's. A variety of very intelligent "good" aliens from numerous other plants visited earth. They were shocked by almost everything about Earth and humans. The aliens couldn't believe we had advanced beyond the stone age since we all spoke different languages. On every one of their planets everybody spoke the same language.

Reading that book makes me not care if we all speak Chinese, Urdu, Aramaic, Latin, Spanish, whatever. I do think a lot of our problems would be lessened if we all spoke the same language.

I remind you my husband is bi-lingual, and I am very proud of my limited Spanish speaking skills. My Spanish speaking co-workers have been wonderful in helping and teaching me to improve my Spanish.