Nurses not speaking english at work

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I work nights and the majority of the night nurses are foreign, they are all very good nurses but sometimes I feel out of place because they are always speaking their language to each other. They all take their breaks together and have a feast every night, many times leaving me on the floor by myself. I am out numbered and am afraid to say anything, it took awhile to get accepted and I don't want to make waves.

That was a seriously ill-informed statement.

If that were the case then Pinoy RNs would never be able to get CES certification since part of the evaluation is to ensure that the education is on the same level with USA-based BSN education. If it is not complete in any aspect then the certification is not issued. I have seen the certification denied to South Asian (India and Pakistan) Nurses and to some from Africa so I don't want to hear any arguments that CGFNS doesn't care or any of that. They have been hired by the BONs to do this job precisely and completely.

With respect to California BON, they are exceptionally harsh in the way they scrutinize foreign applicant credentials. Much harsher, in fact, than CGFNS. Yet Pinoy nurses all qualify under their scrutiny.

Nursing education in the Philippines was originally established by US schools and hospitals. It is designed from the ground up to be equivalent with US nursing education.

Public schools in the Philippines, however, are another matter entirely.

The assessment. Is for basic nursing education, they do not evaluate for a bsn, there is difference. I am a RN and have an advanced degree what are your nursing credentials?

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To address the original question, everyone needs to speak the same language, that is what aviation does, medicine and nursing needs to have a common language, since every licensed nurse is proficient that should be the language spoken.

No one should feel excluded at work, it doesn't promote good team work and impolite not to speak in a common tongue and common topics. It will ,make work better for the patients and the nursing staff.

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The assessment. Is for basic nursing education, they do not evaluate for a bsn, there is difference.

Not according to my conversation with CGFNS and multiple boards of registered nursing. If you have a BSN in another country then it better be on par with BSN education in the USA.

I think you also fail to recognize that there are high end and low end schools across the USA teaching nursing.

A BSN degree from one school may be a higher quality than a BSN from another school, yet they all meet the same minimum requirements.

I am a RN and have an advanced degree what are your nursing credentials?

YES I AM NOT A NURSE!!!

I guarantee you that I know more about US nurse licensure for foreign nurses than you do. It is what I work with on a daily basis and I am well versed in the requirements, processes and procedures for all 50 states.

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Due to freedom of speech we may speak whatever we please. .

This is, of course, completely false when applied to occupational and professional situations.

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This is, of course, completely false when applied to occupational and professional situations.

There is a time and place for everything, including speech.

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Hmmmm everyone is dancing around my questions.

I will assume this is because the answers are not known and I can respect that as I also do not know the answers.

Well, I'll tell you what I know. The Philippines has a huge nursing education business and Filipino RN's work around the world. I google'd "nursing shortage filipino nurses" and there are lots of hits. The article states that 85% of nurses trained in the Philippines, work abroad.

The Filipino RN's that I work with are excellent nurses, speak English fluently and most are naturalized US citizens.

The influx of Filipino RN's occurred during supposed "nursing shortages" in the past. I have no idea if there is still a significant influx.

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Another correction, schools teaching a foreign language is decreasing not increasing, with Chinese growing.

Schools Stop Teaching Foreign Languages-Except Chinese - NYTimes.com

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Specializes in Acute Care, and Dementia/Alzheimers.
Sorry, but when you work in the US, you need to speak English at work!

No ifs, ands, or buts!

This is a pt safety issue - the rest of the staff shouldn't be allowed to take their breaks/lunch together - need to stagger the times.

I absolutely agree.

Even on the Nursing Assistant side of the house, it's a SERIOUS issue when you have NAs who speak to each other in one language, and speak English only when speaking with you.

Most times, they speak foreign languages as means to talk crap about other co workers, or the patients. Sometimes as means to pass information about a patients condition to another NA without the Nurse getting wind of it. (things you don't do) Biggest issue, is the fact you don't know what they are saying, and if they are around other patients, it creates a breakdown in communication.

If you can't understand what they are saying to each other, that means they are leaving you in the dark of potentially sensitive information they should/should not be sharing. They should not be "hanging out" together all at the same time either. Even Nursing Assistants can't/wont do that. Why? on average, there are 16-24 beds per wing. if you only have one Assistant, and the Nurse is busy dealing with medications, that one assistant will not have the ability to do everything that assistant needs to do for his/her patients.

Which degrades the nursing care that should be delivered to each patient, as well as degrades the patients safety, and can jeopardize the patients health.

As a Nursing Assistant, even I'm required to know this stuff. at a MINIMUM there should be 2, if not 3 NAs on floor at any one time, as well as 1-2 LPNs, or an RN with an LPN. (if in an Acute Care Facility anyways) Otherwise, if something goes down, you wont have the appropriate manpower to handle the situation. Or if MULTIPLE issues arise, again, manpower doesn't exist. Why? They are all off screwing around in the break room gorging themselves, while a serious issue, or multiple issues across the wing have occured, with few to respond.

Not like someone on that wing can stop what they are doing, run back to the break room, drag them all out, and restart what he/she started.

If something happens, with multiple P/Ts (it does happen) you're not goingt o have the time, nor ability to run back and fourth across the facility. You need contact on point right then and there. Break down in communication, makes situations like that even worse. If someones screaming in a foreign language you don't understand, you're not going to waste your time trying to figure out what that person is even saying, you're going to focus on the immediate issues you see before you. You're not going to stand there, and try and guess what they are saying. You're going to act.

If they seem coordinated, nice, but when they come out whining because you weren't "doing what they were telling you to do" guess what? They should speak a friggen language you know, instead of whatever native tungue they are using, that YOU don't have a friggen clue about.

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Specializes in Acute Care, and Dementia/Alzheimers.
Another correction, schools teaching a foreign language is decreasing not increasing, with Chinese growing.

Schools Stop Teaching Foreign Languages-Except Chinese - NYTimes.com

In Eastern U.S. in Western U.S. it's all Spanish.

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But American nurses often create "cliche" groups as well and talk about facebook,parties etc and nurses from other countries feel left out so I guess it also equalize out.

There is a big difference in people talking about "facebook", etc as opposed to a group of people speaking in a completely difference language, pointing and laughing while their peers are left out to feel isolated.

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why not try to learn a new language, sounds like a good opportunity.

I don't know about your days, but taking on yet another language on top of work, family and other obligations - there is no time. you missed an opportunity to address the actual concern here. It is just rude to sit around talking in another language in front of someone who does not understand what is being said. It is only natural to feel left out when other's are speaking together in another language.

I speak two other languages, but would NEVER allow this to happen and when it "did" happen I immediately brought attention to this and made sure I started answering in English, thus the others followed suit. RUDE IS RUDE IN ANY LANGUAGE!!!!

( I myself cannot stand to take report from a recorder and I can understand ONLY every other word at best when dealing with certain nurses; there should be harsh rules about this as we are dealing in pts lives

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Specializes in RETIRED Cath Lab/Cardiology/Radiology.

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