Speaking native languages at work...

Nurses General Nursing

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OBNURSEHEATHER

1,961 Posts

Originally posted by CaliNurse

Isn't the elevator a PUBLIC place? How can you have a private conversation in a public place?

That was one of the first things we learned in nursing school - Etiquette while you are present in the hospital. We were warned about the elevators due to family members who you may not know were standing next to you.

:D ;)

Heather

mark_LD_RN

940 Posts

I find it very rude, i work with severalphilipino nurses and they usually only switch to their native tongue if they are talking about you are a patient. while this may not be the case with all of them it is with the ones i have worked with.and i do understand some of what they say so when i confronted them about it and they denied it,imagine their suprise when i interpreted back to them in english most of what they had said,:)

I do not find it rude or annoying for visitors from other countries to talk their language when here or people new to this country. But i do believe that no matter where you move you should learn the language of the land. especially at work.

Aussienurse2

180 Posts

Well the language thing doesn't bother me. Heather, no-one talks about a patient any where near me without getting six feet of purple haired b#*^h rammed right down their throat.

What did, and still does, bother me is the Vietnam and Korean vets who go in for ECT and wake up in restraints because if they wake up and see a roomful of asian nurses they will in all probability kill them. However we can't arrange for these poor blokes to have european nurses in attendance on these days because of it being racist. It does increase their trauma and reduces the effectiveness of a realy good tool.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I

4,388 Posts

Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

It's NEVER right, proper, or kind to talk about someone else within earshot of that person... in ANY language. I see your point, Heather, about the women in the elevator being hospital staff and representing the hospital and the people working there.

However, I still am of the firm conviction that to deny even staff in the workplace their right to communicate in whatever language they choose smacks way too much of "big brother" for me! It is the total antithesis of what we stand for and value in this country and what we are always proclaiming to the rest of the world...

"freedom". Freedom of speech, freedom to choose, tolerance. Are they merely empty words? Why do we feel so threatened when faced with a language we don't understand..ASSUMING the worst. Other countries don't feel this way or take this point of view.

I, for one, (and I see I'm in the minority here and that's ok, too)

would be appalled, horrified, outraged, and even sickened if I were to have DICTATED to me what language I was to speak and when. This is not the American way. My language is as PERSONAL to me as my choice of food, my faith, and anything else that's personal and dear to me. We have no right to tell anyone what tongue to speak in. Can we not find a reasonable compromise?

What if the employers were to advise all employees that if when speaking the language of their choice they were to offend, be rude, or found to be "gossiping" about and/or around patients or staff, they would be called on it. Make them aware that others may just happen to understand their language and while at the workplace to act professionally at all times, just as would be expected of them at their place of employment in their home country. Inservices on ethics and professional conduct to be adhered to by ALL employees, regardless of nationality. If they screw up... there's the door!

This would seem to be a far wiser direction to move in than the inflexible intolerance of "ENGLISH ONLY OR ELSE". And no, to a previous poster.. English is no longer the "universal language". It was years ago, but that, too, has changed. Nor is it still mandatory in most European schools, and certainly not in many other schools across the pond.

I believe we can resolve this in a more civil and tolerant manner.

:rolleyes: :) :rolleyes:

I have to agree with Heather....If they where bold enough to look that woman in the face and comment IN ENGLISH how beautiful the child was, then why the coward BS of talking shyt about her in a language they obviously assumed they had an advantage with? What a$$es!

And YES...I think they where cowards to start speaking in Spanish. They knew they where wrong in the first place, that's why they hid behind a language they assumed Heather or her patient didn't know.

Perfect example of The negative aspect of people speaking in native languages. Though I still believe for the most part people use their language without malice - This proves that sometimes PEOPLE DO.

mario_ragucci

1,041 Posts

Blessed are the cowards and cryptic-talkers, for they shall truely inherit the earth !

Let he/she who has never jeered or badmouthed anyone...at any time...cast the first self-rightous brick!

mario_ragucci

1,041 Posts

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NannaNurse

266 Posts

Semstr........Yes, we have tried talking with these women........."no speak english"

We have offered snacks we brought......."no speak english" even handed it to them........'no understand'.

we have gone to admin......no fix. We show them what needs to be cleaned....point, etc........'no understand'.....but one of them came to us the other day........."I losed my key, I need key for car and home....help me find key".........by jove, I think she knows SOME english.....

Like I said, I knew I would catch some 'flack' and I won't change my opinions. I am thankful these people are able to make a new life here and not all are LAZY, but these gals are, I'm sorry to say.

When it comes to patients......it doesn't matter where you are..you should NOT be talking about them where others can hear you.....if it is medically related, then you should be professional and keep it private......

Had a incident in Oklahoma where a couple of home health nurse were talking about Mrs. So and So.....poor thing lives all along in that huge expensive house with all those valuables......doesn't believe in banks and keeps her money in that safe under her bed.....no combination as she'll forget it..........lives out past the interstate on hwy 3, behind the red barn. We just go in the back door 'cuz she isn't up when we get there...............

Just happens that 2 idiots thought it would be a 'piece of cake' to go see Mrs. So and So....rob and beat here......all because 2 morons couldn't keep their mouth shut in public!

Originally posted by mario_ragucci

Blessed are the cowards and cryptic-talkers, for they shall truely inherit the earth !

Let he/she who has never jeered or badmouthed anyone...at any time...cast the first self-rightous brick!

Mario..You DO NOT want to go there.

semstr

577 Posts

Nannanurse,

I meant really communicating with them, not going to admin.

Did you ask one of these women, what profession they learned?

I wouldn't be surprised if there are some highly trained women among them too. Or their husbands.

And now the only work they get is cleaning. Just imagine!

And don't tell me now, they have to be grateful and all that jazz..........

Renee

bagladyrn, RN

2,286 Posts

Specializes in OB.

My two cents worth - I really don't care what language you speak on breaks, etc., but please don't speak across me at the nurses station in another language, or worse, switch languages when I walk up. That is deliberate rudeness, not unconciously lapsing. I worked for years in a psych unit for hearing impaired patients, and one of the rules of the unit was that everyone who worked in any capacity on that unit had to be willing to learn sign language. When speaking to another hearing individual on the unit you continued to use simultaneous sign as to do otherwise was considered rudeness to both patients and hearing impaired staff.

And Heather, I agree with you on the ladies in the elevator. I wrote up a doctor for making innappropriate remarks in a language he assumed my patient didn't understand - in this case, he was speaking English, the patient Spanish, but that doesn't change the situation, or the rudeness of speaking about someone in front of them.

CaliNurse

78 Posts

Originally posted by jnette

However, I still am of the firm conviction that to deny even staff in theto have DICTATED to me what language I was to speak and when. This is not the American way. My language is as PERSONAL to me as my choice of food, my faith, and anything else that's personal and dear to me. We have no right to tell anyone what tongue to speak in. Can we not find a reasonable compromise?

What if the employers were to advise all employees that if when speaking the language of their choice they were to offend, be rude, or found to be "gossiping" about and/or around patients or staff, they would be called on it. Make them aware that others may just happen to understand their language and while at the workplace to act professionally at all times, just as would be expected of them at their place of employment in their home country. Inservices on ethics and professional conduct to be adhered to by ALL employees, regardless of nationality. If they screw up... there's the door!

This would seem to be a far wiser direction to move in than the inflexible intolerance of "ENGLISH ONLY OR ELSE". And no, to a previous poster.. English is no longer the "universal language". It was years ago, but that, too, has changed. Nor is it still mandatory in most European schools, and certainly not in many other schools across the pond.

I believe we can resolve this in a more civil and tolerant manner.

Can I ask what part of your nursing education were you informed you would have PERSONAL choices. We are nurses to provide as service to people who needs us. If it is the patient or family. Where did we learn we would be "having our choice of food" or "our choice of faith"? These issues have nothing to do with practicing nursing. We eat on breaks and lunches and we believe in our faith just the same.

At the facility I work in there is a policy AGAINST speaking in a non-english language and there is a policy AGAINST gossiping.

The first time one screws up it is not "the door". They are spoken to in a constructive respective manner and after that it usually clears up.

This practice is a direct reflection of the hospital. Everytime our patients are discharged they are mailed to their home a customer satisfaction survey. THEY GRADE US ! We take these survey results seriously. The results are discussed at each monthly staff meeting. Do you not care of what your patients thinks of your professionalism?????

When we were in nursing school learning to be nurses we didn't have the freedom to gossip, have conversations in non-native languages or practive our religion so why would it be any different when we actually become nurses.

Does you hospital have a chapel to pray in. You can go there on your breaks and lunch.

I wonder how anyone gets any work done if they are having social conversations. I am way to busy assessing my patients and monitoring them for any changes, passing meds, giving baths, bedpans, pain meds, charting, etc.

I am proud of my profession and I take pride in customer service and how satisfied our patients are. They are the ones who make it possible for us to have a paycheck. Why would we want to disrespect them by negating their environment of healing and security when they are in our facilities?

IF ANYONE DOESN'T THINK THIS IS A BIG ISSUE WAIT UNTIL JCAHO VISIT YOU THEN TRY TO SPEAK WHAT EVER LANGUAGE IS NOT THE NATIVE LANGUAGE OF YOUR LAND! IF YOU HAVE A LTC UNIT IN YOUR FACILITY YOU ARE SURVEYED 2 A YEAR AND ON THE THIRD YEAR 3 TIMES WITH JCAHO.

Believe me you will get a deficiency. It has nothing to do with who constructed your facilities policies it is based on what did they reference the policies on. These are all state or federal regulations!

Cali

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