It's Up to You

I am a UK trained nurse who has been fortunate enough to come and work in the USA, just over 3 yrs ago. Lots of different experiences have occurred during this time here are a few of the funniest things which have happened. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

It's Up to You

I was working as an admit nurse which involves helping out the RN's admit their pts to the floor by undertaking the paperwork involved, which can be a timely event. I have a strong British accent which involves daily explanation of where I am from, why I am here and do I like it or not. I truly enjoy these conversations because it breaks the ice and they tell me lots of information they don't always tell others. Most pts guess correctly that I am from England, some try other areas in Britain but sometimes they guess Australia, New Zealand, and even Germany.

One particular pt often springs to mind a lady in her 70's not been a frequent visitor to the hospital and was very upset that her family thought she needed to be there. I spent a long time with this lady reassuring her, we discussed her independence and how important it was to her. We laughed at funny stories from her past, we talked about tests she would be getting whilst she was an inpatient. She was very concerned that her family wanted her placed in an 'old peoples home' but for this pt, it really wasn't a possibility as she was able to manage her own affairs and was very independent. We said our goodbyes and she thanked me for being kind and I went on my way to carry on with the rest of my work.

Later on in the evening her nurse called me over and said you won't believe what that little old lady said about you. Expecting praise and good comments you can only imagine my surprise when the nurse told me her exact words which were "That nurse who was in before taking all my details-well she was very nice but do you think she is a terrorist?" When asked why she replied, "well she had a very strange accent".

I was speechless and then we all dissolved into fits of laughter and giggles.

Another time I was asked by one of the transporters at work where I came from I told her England to which she replied: "Oh and what language do they speak there?" I was tempted to say Japanese but I refrained and said " I am from England we speak English there' I honestly thought she was joking.

My son was in school and he was asked what was his first language "English" to which she replied ' No I mean what language did you learn as a child' "English' he replied. To which she said 'I don't think you understand I am asking what language did your parents teach you' !!!!!!!!!! He actually didn't know what to say when he was speechless LOL.

One of my British friends is from Scotland and it will come as a surprise that many people don't actually know that it is a country in Britain along with England Ireland and Wales. So he often gets asked 'where do you come from?" and when he tells people Scotland he then gets asked, "So whereabouts in England is that?"

Now you would be indeed surprised that it is very offensive to Scottish people, or Welsh people or Irish people to be asked where about in England are you from!!!!

People from Britain are fiercely proud people who are very patriotic to Britain but even more patriotic to the part of Britain they derive from.

The common saying is anybody can be British but not everybody can be English, Welsh, Scottish or Irish.

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madwife2002

About madwife2002, BSN, RN

RN with 26 years of experience many of those years spent in dialysis. I have worked in acute care, home, ICHD as a CN, FA, and currently a director.

26 Articles   4,777 Posts

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

That's pretty funny!!

When I was in nsg sch, my parents gave me a car we'd bought @ our prior duty station--Hawaii. While going around one of those stupid circles in NJ, I accidently cut some guy off. (It didn't help that this car had absolutely NO acceleration skills!) Man followed me all the way to the Mall, got out and started to yell @ me. I pointed to the (Hawaiian) license plate. "OMG, she can't even speak English!"

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Ok I have added to it xx

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

Fantastic Madwife, I admire your bravery in just picking up and starting fresh in a different country. I couldn't do it.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Great post, I remember numerous times when on holiday in the US on being asked, once they know I am in England, did I know so and so (a friend/relative) that lives in London and seem upset when I would reply no as I live about 5 hours away from London so didn't visit that often

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

It saddens me that people in my country are that dumb. It really saddens me. reminds me of a woman i saw in a car driving and smoking a ciggerette ( or a *** as you folks from England call it). O yea she has a nasal cannula on also.

Sometimes I wonder about survival of the fittests,

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What the heck...Are some of us that stupid?

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

It's truly disturbing how geographically illiterate and ignorant the average American is.

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Ha, ha, Been there, done that. I was born and raised in Spain and I have the same conversations with every new patient and families hear my accent (which everybody tries to place in Russia, Isreal and other places, and like you, it helps to break the ice. I have been asked more than once what language do we speak in Spain. Another of my personal favorite questions is why I am white if I come from Spain. Once I answered that I was not originally white when I was born, I just caugh it when move to US. (sorry, I know is rude but sometimes I can't help it:D). I've been asked many times where Spain is (Europe doesn't seems right to them) and other things extremely surreal. My latest answer when someone asked me where my accent comes from is "I don't have an accent!"

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Specializes in Med-Surg., Agency Nursing, LTC., MDS..

Cute posts !! I love it when people ask me my nationality. I say, "American with mixed breed undertones"......

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

You can thank the NEA for the dumbing down of our children. We have a constitution, we have civil rights, we have freedom. Some of those who wish to remain in power rely on a stupid voting population. Freedoms slowly erode, first they want to take away our freedom of expression, by trying to regulate the radio waves with so called Fairness Doctrine, Then they will try to take away our right to bear arms.

One thing we must remember in the USA, the government will not guarentee that you will succeed, but give you the chance to either succeed or fail.

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Great post, madwife. I’m another happily transplanted Brit who’s been here in the USA for 12 years. Wow—how time flies! When I was growing up, my mum had the wanderlust bug, and we would up and move every year or so, on average. Unfortunately, our travels only took us to various parts of England, each trip interspersed with "going back home" to Ireland, supposedly "for good this time." It never was. LOL! When I think of how much of the world I could have seen had she wanted to stretch her wings just a bit further. Sigh. But I digress. LOL!

As you know, every part of England has its own very distinctive accent, and I was prone to pick up the local way of speech wherever we lived, usually within a couple of weeks! By the time we came to the States, though, I guess I was too old, so this time I really AM the one with the accent (probably a bit of a mish-mash, as you can imagine) and it’s sticking with me.

I suppose I inherited that wanderlust, which is what made it pretty easy (emotionally) to pack up the kids and leave for pastures new. My mum was no longer with us by then, and I had no other family (apart from the one I created with hubby), so I guess there wasn’t too strong a pull to keep me in England anyway.

You’re right about what an ice breaker an accent can be. Most people love to try to guess where I’m from then tell me about their long-ago vacation across the pond, ask about the price of gas, what do I think of the Queen (!!!!), do I know Joe Blow who lives in London (population about 8 million), and all the rest. I’ve never been asked what language they speak in England though. I think I’d just lose it!

Soon after we arrived, my then-6-year-old daughter’s 1st grade teacher made good use of me and my accent. I remember going in for an "English Tea" afternoon, bringing in very English "fairy" cakes for all the kids and having my daughter run around pouring drinks from a teapot into cute little cups and saucers. She loved it! (Too young to be embarrassed by Mum) Then I sat them all down and read a story I had made up, using all the British terms for a "day in the life" story. They thought it hysterical that the little boy helped his mom put the shopping in the boot (trunk), was dressed in a jumper (sweater), vest (undershirt), and had pants (underwear) under his trousers (pants) and trainers (sneakers) on his feet. I can’t remember what else there was, but it’s amazing how many differences you can come up with when you work on it. LOL! The one question I really remember from one of these little kids was asked with a look of complete awe… "Are the houses REALLY all made of brick? Like the 3 little pigs’ house?" Kids—they’re the same the world over—adorable!

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