Nurses not speaking english at work

Published

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.

Meh, it's a way of life where I live. If they accept you and treat you well, who cares what language they speak during a meal break?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

A person may be speaking a language other than English and she can be a US Citizen too. Also, if you’re not qualified for the position you applied for, then why will the employer hire you? You may be a US Citizen but you don’t possess the skills and knowledge the hiring personnel is looking for. And, if you bought a home that you cannot really afford and now it’s being foreclosed, then that is an issue that you brought upon yourself.

I am a little stupid so bear with me.

Many US CITIZENS who are RN's are out of work yet we have foreign nurses speaking a foreign language at work in a US hospital while the unemployed US nurses are having their homes foreclosed on?

Can someone please educate me on how this is possible?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

How do you define foreign? Not because somebody doesn't look like you means she is not a US Citizen!

What nursing shortage? Nurses are out of work and looking for jobs in record numbers.

Please answer my question regarding why it is ok to give jobs to foreingers while US citizens go hungry? I do not understand.

I am not being facetious here, I am really seeking to understand the rationale.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think those nurses have every right to speak their language at work as long as they dont speak it at front of the patients,I mean we live in a free country so we have the right to dress the way we want to,speak they way we want and belong to what ever religion dominations we agree with it...United States is a country of zero tolerance for immigrants.I mean when you travel to another country the local people are thrilled to meet someone from United States and they actually are happy when someone speak English so they can also maybe learn other language and customes..American people need to get over their high horses and stop being nationalists,no wonder people dont like us in other countries--like if you go to Mexico they talk bad about us or in Europe,they say that we are arrogant and narcisstic,I dont want people to think that about me-I dont want to be this blind,better than thou person,so I urge Americans to open to other cultures and I dont mean just to let them live here,work,and eat,stop being so judgemental,start showing international movies in TV,start brining more international stars to the Hollywood,and learn other languages.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

US Immig require that when a US employer petitions an RN from abroad, he/she should also be paid the same rate of what a US RN gets. If you cannot afford it, then you cannot petition.

They probably agree to work for less.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
How do you define foreign? Not because somebody doesn't look like you means she is not a US Citizen!

What?:lol2: The economy sux in this country,so stop with this "why do they bring foreign nurses from overseas" crap.This story is really getting outdated and just simply boring.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

People are entitled to their opinions and comments. You cannot stop them from thinking and voicing out their thoughts-----even if you think it's outdated and boring.

What?:lol2: The economy sux in this country,so stop with this "why do they bring foreign nurses from overseas" crap.This story is really getting outdated and just simply boring.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

My two cents worth...I know what it feels like to around people who speak a language other than English. Yes I felt left out, a little frustrated and often paranoid wondering what they were talking about. It's easy to say learn the language. However, it is not easy to do. How many languages do I need in the United States. I know English and I'm learning Spanish. Some people in different cultures do not care about English speakers when they talk. And more often than not, they speak their language during work times and for more than just greeting one another...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
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.

even though you have received a few responses by now, it is not the topic of this thread.

and, i had to go back, and see what your question was.:)

Meh, it's a way of life where I live. If they accept you and treat you well, who cares what language they speak during a meal break?

i'm with you, gila.

as long as they interact w/the pts in english, and treat their colleagues respectfully, i have no problem with them speaking in their language.

but if they're speaking a different language on the floor, where pts can hear them, that's not cool either.

and, i agree, it is extremely unsafe to leave a nurse by him/herself on the floor.

that needs to be nipped in the bud.

leslie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CMSRN.

To the OP: The only problem I have is leaving you by yourself on the floor.

Best thing to do is speak to them. They should be understanding. Good nurses would be.

I work overnight with multiple nurses who speak different languages. They are all US citizens (would not matter to me even if they were not) and speak English perfectly fine. I have never felt left out because some speak to each other in their language. They speak plenty of English at other times during the shift. They are open to the pt's about their nationality too and no one seems to care if they hear them speak their native language.

Sometimes there are multiple pt's who speak different languages also. It creates an interesting atmosphere.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Please people, you are scaring me. In some of the posts if you substitute the word Jew for foreign nurses, these workers, or illegals, it sounds like Hitler's Germany! Can't we all get along?

Sorry, but this statement is just absurd. No one is calling for discrimination against nurses who speak a different language in the workplace. No one is saying they should lose their jobs or be sequestered to a ghetto or taken to an internment camp or be "eliminated."

People are asking about the safety of leaving the lone non-foreign language speaking nurse to manage the floor while they take group breaks. And they are wondering why nurses from another country would be hired when nurses from the US are having a hard time finding jobs. These are legitimate questions that deserve serious answers.

If you're reacting to an "us vs. them" kind of attitude, it would seem that the OP's co-workers are the ones who created that atmosphere by not including her in their break room festivities and excluding her (by not speaking English) from their conversations.

I agree with the others who have pointed out that in most other countries employees are expected to speak the language of the land while on the clock. That should be the case here, as well. Because foreign nurses have to pass English proficiency tests to work here, they should all have the capability to meet this requirement. Yes, it's a matter of comfort to speak in one's own tongue, but so are other things we can't do at work--smoking, sleeping, walking around barefoot. When you're on the job, you're on the job.

It might be somewhat acceptable for a couple of nurses to speak in their native tongue while on a break, but when doing so excludes someone else in the room, it can come off as rude.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I live in Los Angeles and have been through this several times.

I quit Nursing when I first moved to California because there was a division between nurses. The Filippino nurses all spoke Tagalog to each other and the African American Nurses stayed in their own little world. I was the only white woman working in the LTC Facility and everyonet treated me like crap and nobody spoke to me. I eventually quit because the DON was unsympathetic when I complained about the other nurses being unfair to me. She was Fillipino too. I was told that's just the way things are.

I'm now a Director at a Social Services Program and we have a policy that while at work only English is to be spoken. Forgien languages may be spoken on breaks when out of the sight of our consumers.

I'd definately address the issue of them not staggering breaks. Sometimes it's hard to fir in. Hang in there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion