Mispronouncing a word makes you less of a nurse

[Unique87]

I was in open lab practicing things from my lab the day before. I was talking to a classmate and I mentioned the word larynx but I pronounced it wrong. It's a new word for me so I'm not going to be perfect at pronouncing it. The professor there noticed I pronounced it wrong and corrected me. Then he went on to give me an example of if I were a nurse and he brought his kid to me and I mispronounced a word to him I would be little less of a nurse. In the sense that I was not as competent as a nurse who could pronounced words correctly. He understood that it shouldn't make you less of a nurse but to him it does. I know it's just his opinion and opinions are like mouths everyone has one. I just didn't like the comment nor did I expect this from him. What do you guys think?

[ERjodiRN]

professors/instructors don't have to be disrespectful to do their jobs. would you say the same regarding a professor/instructor who came on here and claimed that a student was being insolent in class- that "s/he was a professor- take it with a grain of salt"? to highlight "student" makes it seem as if they're too lowly to have an opinion on a situation in which they feel they were treated disrespectfully.

while i don't think it was right to say "take it with a grain of salt", maybe they meant that the op was taking it the wrong way. i personally didn't have any run-ins with my professors, but if i had i know i would have really taken it to heart, if not overly so. sometimes we take things in a totally different manner than was intended. the professor here, from what i gather from the op's story, merely corrected her and went on to emphasize the importance of knowing your terms because of how people may perceive you. as a third party reader to the incident, that is how i view the professor's intentions. obviously, the op took it differently....whether her interpretation was wrong or right, who are we to know? regardless, obviously there is a right and wrong way to do things. if the professor was being malicious and using her as an example, of course that's wrong. i simply see it as he was utilizing this opportunity to make an important point to his class, and the op took it too personally.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

That's right. I don't go around telling people that I have pronunciation problems. I read too fast so I have trouble with phonics. I'll bet a lot of people enjoy posting here because the written word is easier for them.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

The professor probably wasn't being malicious, just insensitive. People with good speech skills usually don't know what a struggle it is for some of us.

When I was in high school Oral Arts was a requirement. I totally lost it during my main speech and broke down and cried and ran from the room. In other words, I lost it.

[ERjodiRN]

If someone doesn't know or hasn't been taught the proper way, how do you expect them to correct themselves??

As far as speech issues, unless someone tells you they have a speech problem, you might not know and just be assuming they are saying it wrong for other reasons.

3 of my 4 children are in speech therapy and I was as well when I was younger. It's not something I go around telling anyone though.

what i meant by someone who doesn't know, is that if someone doesn't know how to say a word and they are about to go talk to a patient about it.....why not LOOK IT UP or ASK SOMEONE the proper way? it's a very simple solution. so that is how i expect someone to correct themselves in that instance. if it is something they don't know how to say, then it's likely that it's something they haven't ever heard of before.....so it speaks to professional responsibility if they talk about something they don't understand....and a lot of times that starts with pronunciation. when i first started i had a pt. with rhabdo....i had NO idea what that was or how to say it. i went straight to the admitting doc who wrote the diagnosis and asked him. now i know how to say it and understand the patho.

picking up on speech impediments isn't that hard, in my opinion. in speaking with someone, or even overhearing them are able to pick up on the similar areas they are having trouble with. just like i wouldn't care if a person stammered over their words simply because they were nervous. it doesn't speak to their intelligence, and none of our posts have stated that.

[woodstockn]

The funny thing about nursing school is that we spend so so so many hours with our nose in a textbook, I'm sure you have read the word way more times than you have ever had to say it. For that matter larynx is not really a word that comes up all that often actually on the floor, AND if you were talking to his kid you would never ever use the word larynx because he would have no clue what you were talking about, no matter how you pronounced. That professor sounds like a jerk. Brush it off.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

The professor probably wasn't being malicious, just insensitive. People with good speech skills usually don't know what a struggle it is for some of us.

When I was in high school Oral Arts was a requirement. I totally lost it during my main speech and broke down and cried and ran from the room. In other words, I lost it.

I totally agree with this, in lots of things, people with a good sense of direction doesn't know how hard it can be for others, or people that have grasped spelling and grammar with no problems. I can't think of how many times I have been told "it's not hard", to which I say, well maybe to you it's not hard but for me it is. Sometimes one has to step back and try to put themselves in someone elses shoes and realize we are all differently and so are our learning abilities.

That is why usually the only times I get annoyed when it comes to these sorts of things, is when I see absolutely no effort being made.

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

You know, sometimes people teach other people the wrong way to say things. I get corrected all the time because I say words wrong. That isn't my fault.

Also I can't even sound things out in English because when I learned English I learned Spanish at the same time so when I try to sound things out I sound them out in Spanish if its English and if its Spanish I sound them out in English. My brain is just wired that way. Does it make me any less of a nurse?

No. I know what it is and I know how to treat it. Like I stated before I mispronounce stuff all the time and my spelling isn't so great. (Thank God for spell check) but go ask my patients if they are happy and satisfied with my nursing care. They usually are and really that is all that matters to me.

[ERjodiRN]

The professor probably wasn't being malicious, just insensitive. People with good speech skills usually don't know what a struggle it is for some of us.

When I was in high school Oral Arts was a requirement. I totally lost it during my main speech and broke down and cried and ran from the room. In other words, I lost it.

if the professor didn't make it a point to say "you're a student, we don't expect to know how to say things correctly yet"...then yes, i would agree that they were being insensitive.....i was just trying to say that since we are only getting the students account of this.....who obviously took it very personally.....we can't judge the professor and call him so without knowing.

i'm a terrible public speaker and i grew up around speech impediments. my grandfather and brother both had terrible stutters. my brother went to speech therapy and was able to correct it, but i remember his insecurities vividly. my grandfather had a severe stutter, and never had the chance to get it corrected, and i remember seeing post-its around the house.....it's how he would tell my grandmother how he loved her.

i'm like my dad.....as soon as i start talking about anything meaningful or emotional, i'll get the quivery voice, will start to cry if it's heartwarming or heartbreaking....and just be a hot mess. my chest will get all splotchy.....and the fight or flight response is in full effect:) granted, not quite the same as an impediment...but it happens every time i speak publicly, and therefore causes some anxiety and insecurity.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

what i meant by someone who doesn't know, is that if someone doesn't know how to say a word and they are about to go talk to a patient about it.....why not LOOK IT UP or ASK SOMEONE the proper way? it's a very simple solution. so that is how i expect someone to correct themselves in that instance. if it is something they don't know how to say, then it's likely that it's something they haven't ever heard of before.....so it speaks to professional responsibility if they talk about something they don't understand....and a lot of times that starts with pronunciation. when i first started i had a pt. with rhabdo....i had NO idea what that was or how to say it. i went straight to the admitting doc who wrote the diagnosis and asked him. now i know how to say it and understand the patho.

picking up on speech impediments isn't that hard, in my opinion. in speaking with someone, or even overhearing them are able to pick up on the similar areas they are having trouble with. just like i wouldn't care if a person stammered over their words simply because they were nervous. it doesn't speak to their intelligence, and none of our posts have stated that.

I misread part of your post.

I am someone that I would want to know if I am saying something wrong (in a respectful way) because if I am not told, how am I supposed to know I am saying it wrong.

Picking up on speech impediments may not be hard for you to pick up on, but that isn't the case for many others, I have seen many educators that you would think would have a better ear for it, blame laziness and ignorance for someones disability.

[ERjodiRN]

I misread part of your post.

I am someone that I would want to know if I am saying something wrong (in a respectful way) because if I am not told, how am I supposed to know I am saying it wrong.

Picking up on speech impediments may not be hard for you to pick up on, but that isn't the case for many others, I have seen many educators that you would think would have a better ear for it, blame laziness and ignorance for someones disability.

it is terrible the some educators do that, and i can totally see how that could be frustrating. like you said though...some things come easier to others. so it's hard for some people to pick up on speech impediments....which frustrates you because they look at you in an untrue light because of it. but since it's harder for them to pick up on it, shouldn't you tell them what the deal is? wouldn't that help in solving the problem? some people will overlook the impediments simply because they are jerks and don't care. but some people just aren't that observant and attune to those things, and might need it pointed out to them. there needs to be some understanding on both sides.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

My speech isn't really a problem for me now. My children have problems. I wasn't speaking specifically about me in the speech issue, but I do get a lot of flack for my spelling and grammar which I do try to do correctly. Usually it's from people that excel in that area that seem to think it's easy for everyone, and think that the person struggling just doesn't care or try.

[Karla.S]

To me, the instructor seems a bit harsh when calling you 'less of a nurse' just because as a student you had mispronounced something according to him. I think some people just say things differently. Its all dialect. Like for the word "wash" some people pronounce it as 'wash' some say 'woish' and some say 'worsh'. But really, you are still "washing" your hands...