Is this discrimination?

[eacue10]

Hello haven't posted in a while. quick background before the meat. So I work at a fairly large health system, they currently own 95% market share so options here are not many. If you look at the pictures of the board of directors, they are all white. All my charge rn, the dept director, and her four clinical supervisors are all white. I happen to not be white, and I am bilingual. I have heard comments from physicians like: "they get off the plane and want us to fix all their problems". "That pt doesn't pass the smell test, hispanics are too emotional." The second comment was about my pt who came in with acute head pain worst of her life. History of Htn among other things and geriatric. I wanted to get her cleared for a stroke...the md never even came to the room. Waited and hour. Cat wouldn't take her stat cause it wasn't ordered stat. Well I gave report went home. Next day was told she ended up having a bleed. Now md won't even make eye contact with me. So I'm asked to translate all the time and now I'm told by triage and the charge and the clinical sups that I get certain PTs cause they only speak Spanish. My one year review is coming and I'm thinking of asking for a nice raise because speaking Spanish and translating are not in the job description...I checked. If they don't give it to me is it discrimination? Should I keep my minority mouth shut and just be happy I'm getting a paycheck? I was born in the USA. Technically I'm not a minority...right?

[Katillac, RN]

Agree, but she actually gave the example "blacks like folk music"; not all black people are African American.

Good point and thank you, Horseshoe.

[KatiejonD, RN]

I notice that you have identified many individuals you work with as "white" - but isn't that a form of ignoring someone's cultural background? "White" is a skin color - it's not their heritage (German, Scottish, Irish, Italian, Greek, etc).

Also - while I am technically "white", no one thinks I am. I'm always assumed to be of latin/hispanic decent. ALWAYS. And despite working in facilities that are mostly staffed with "white" employees... I have never had this assumption work against me. I HAVE had it benefit me, though.

I would go ahead and ask for compensation for your work interpreting - unless of course it is simply with your assigned pt-load. Where I live, many of us (patients and employees) speak French - we have never expected compensation. But if they are pulling you from your assignments to have you translate, then it's worth asking. But otherwise - I see no evidence of "discrimination"... except possibly in how you view others.

[Buddy Christ]

whether or not its discrimination is irrelevant

what you should be planning is what to do if they turn down the raise. Then youre gonna ask "is it moral or immoral to repeal this refusal on the grounds of racial discrimination?" To which your only answer should be, "who cares," because your income is more important than the feelings of a corporation. Could anyone blame you for repealing such a decision? You are there to make money, period

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

I've never gotten paid a penny more than an ADN for having a BSN. .

I haven't either

[Megan1977, MSN, EdD, RN]

My hospital pays a differential for bilingual nurses. They have to go through a fairly easy process to prove that they are truly bilingual. Maybe your hospital can implement a bilingual differential so you can be compensated for your time and talents.

[Megan1977, MSN, EdD, RN]

If they don't give you a raise for being bilingual is it discrimination? No, because being bilingual is most likely not a criteria they use to determine raises. You should decline to interpret as you are a nurse not an interpreter. The hospital must have access to interpreters if not in person then through a phone line or iPad app.

I speak fairly fluent Spanish (though I'm not Hispanic) and have never been compensated in any way for it. I still use interpreters for teaching or any conversations where there's a possibility for confusion and I will not interpreter for colleagues. We have a language line for that. I occasionally would help colleagues on the night shift when I worked in the hospital if they just needed to ask simple questions or tell a Mom where the bathroom or kitchen was but I really tried to prevent too many people from knowing I spoke Spanish because it would lead to inappropriate requests, like an interventional radiologist asking me to interpret for consent for an angiogram once when I was a student. I do speak Spanish to my patient's Spanish speaking father when I'm in his home.

This is a well written statement and I agree 100%. Start re-directing your co-workers to use the language line or other methods for interpreting. It seems like this is an added strain on your time to take care of your assigned patients.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I've never gotten paid a penny more than an ADN for having a BSN. .

Perhaps it's time to re-think that.

If you do more than rare translating, if translating is taking up a great deal of your time, if the nurse whose patients you're translating for isn't helping you with some of your tasks in exchange, if you are falling behind because of this double duty, you might see the unfairness of it, the cheapness of the employer who doesn't want to pay you for your translating ability.

[klone, MSN, RN]

My only contribution to this thread.

INTERPRET. Not translate. Translate refers to written words. Interpret is oral.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

1. I am pretty sure translators get paid less than RNs.

2. Pretty sure "other duties as needed" is on the job description. Just like as a 6' male I get assigned the "patients of size", or some nurses are better at starting IVs, Spanish is your niche (pronounce this as neesh to be particularly irritating). I honestly think this is an opportunity for you to make sure Spanish speaking patients get more of the care they need having a caregiver who speaks their language. As an example, I had a patient the other day who had VERY limited English, he kept moaning and groaning, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what he wanted. Our phlebotomist spoke his language, so I asked her to come up and see what the patient wanted. Turns out he wanted a hot water bottle for stomach cramps. I would never have figured that out, but I wasn't afraid to ask someone who could help my patient.

3. Pretty sure you work with a bunch of racist A-holes.

Cheers

You pulled the phlebotomist away from what else she was doing. I'm all for trying to do our absolute best for patients, but that phlebo had to stop her other duties, travel to your location, spend her time translating/traveling. If it's a big hospital, that could have taken quite some time - maybe 30 minutes. Think about that. a 1/2 hour stolen from her. Maybe missed her lunch? Maybe late for other work?

We all demonstrate our view that our work lacks value and that we disregard our professional status if we are willing to work (translating more than rarely) for free.

The phlebo should be paid extra if she translates more than once in a blue moon.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

1. I am pretty sure translators get paid less than RNs.

2. Pretty sure "other duties as needed" is on the job description. Just like as a 6' male I get assigned the "patients of size", or some nurses are better at starting IVs, Spanish is your niche (pronounce this as neesh to be particularly irritating). I honestly think this is an opportunity for you to make sure Spanish speaking patients get more of the care they need having a caregiver who speaks their language. As an example, I had a patient the other day who had VERY limited English, he kept moaning and groaning, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what he wanted. Our phlebotomist spoke his language, so I asked her to come up and see what the patient wanted. Turns out he wanted a hot water bottle for stomach cramps. I would never have figured that out, but I wasn't afraid to ask someone who could help my patient.

3. Pretty sure you work with a bunch of racist A-holes.

Cheers

The staff who have primarily duties other than translating, such as RN's, spend their time translating, they deserve a bonus.

A person who is primarily a translator is different from the situation described in the preceding sentence.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

The most disheartening thing I hear is when people say your in America learn English. That has to be the most ignorant comment I've ever heard. I guess racism is alive and well.

Well, it is expected when I live overseas in a primarily non-English speaking country that I learn the language of the majority people group. Why should it be different here in the U.S.?

The trouble is that it takes time to learn a new language. You don't just pick it up in 5 minutes.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

First of all only those that have taken a qualifying exam should be interpreting medical data etc. No you will not get more money for interpreting,any more than the Asian,or Russian ,Filipinos ,Nigerians,Greeks,etc get .You are not a minority so quit using the minority card,you are a professional so act as such.

They do not hold a gun to your head,so be happy ,count your blessings.What you over hear are comments from all over the USA due to the system being over stressed by non payers and government regulations requiring the provision of certain services to all but then cutting back on the actual reimbursement the hospital gets.

Do your job well,represent the nursing profession to the best of your ability.Use your intelligence not a chip on your shoulder.If your desire is to be appreciated and standout wow,forget it,welcome to the real world .In a Spanish speaking neighborhood you would be nothing special.Most of the new doctors speak a second or third language so they can handle things themselves.

Welcome to nursing.

He's apparently not in a place where doctors speak a second or third language.

And in the barrio, he'd fit right in. He's not saying he wants to stand out or be special.

He is just rightfully angry about the way the doctor treated the stroke patient and the doctor's idiotic, hateful, filthy, ignorant comments.

And he is perturbed/angry/miffed/whatever about the translating. INterpreting is a valuable skill and he needs to be paid for it. Period.