Nurses not speaking english at work

[Guest296136]

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.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Why wouldn't she, if that is what she grew up speaking in the home?

English is NOT the official language of the US! In fact, I think that in the next 20 years, English will be replaced by Spanish as the most commonly spoken language in the home.

I seriously doubt the last part of that sentence. Just my opinion.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

[right so there is my question. how is it that you were born in the us and consider spanish your first language? i find that perplexing.

spanish is my first language since that is what was spoken at home, i learned english when i started school at age 5 or 6. there is nothing perplexing about this. my mother is american born, but raised in mexico and did not learn english. i live in the southwestern united states in new mexico. it is right across the border from mexico and this part of the united states was once part of mexico before the battle of the alamo. i worked at a hospital in el paso texas (45 miles from here) and it was not uncommon for the physicians to give orders in spanish, for shift report to be in spanish, and many times if none of your patients spoke english, then you could go most of the shift without speaking much english that day. the majority of the nurses are fluent in both languages here along the us/mexico border, we even have our discharge instructions, operative permits etc printed in spanish/english for the record: i am not cognizant of what language i am listening to when listening to the radio or the news on tv, i am able to process both equally well. if you walk up to me and i have been concentrating on a task, i will respond verbally to you in the language you have spoken. i am responding to the person that is speaking to me, be they an rn or visitor and do not mean to be disrespectful. the only problem i have been bilingual is with people who mix their languages. it scrambles my brain when people switch back and forth in the same sentence!!!!

.

what!!!???? please, for the love of the declaration of independence and the constitution and all that is sacred and holy, check your history. preferably now.

new mexico, arizona, and undisputed us control of texas (along with the now states of california, utah, nevada, and parts of wyoming and colorado) were ceded to the us after the mexican-american war as part of the treaty of guadaloupe-hidalgo and the mexican cession of 1845.

the battle of the alamo was part of the texas revolution/texas war of independence, which lasted from october of 1835 to april of 1836. the battle occurred over 13 days from february to march of 1836.

the battle of the alamo had nothing to do with national territory and more with texas declaring her independence from mexico - and the texians (yes, they were called texians)/americans got their collective behinds kicked and therefore won nothing as a result of what happened at the alamo. in fact, all except for two at the alamo were killed by santa anna and his boys (with the exception of the noncombatants, which included women and children - to santa anna's credit he spared them, gave them blankets and each adult two dollars).

(note - they were probably called "texians" because they were not only white "americans" but also mexicans who wanted out from under the mother country.)

subsequently, in revenge for what occurred at the alamo (and where the battle cry "remember the alamo!" comes from), the texians and the americans kicked the crap out of the mexicans at the battle of san jacinto in april of 1836, which effectively ended the revolution and forever broke texas' ties to mexico. (ever hear of a little place called the republic of texas?)

the alamo had nothing to do with texas statehood or with new mexico or any of the rest of the western territory of the continent. it had to do with kicking mexico out of texas and creating an independent republic, with the border established at the rio grande.

advice: if you're going to throw around your heritage in what comes across as an attempt at sounding superior, know what you're talking about first so your quoted "facts" are correct.

i'm a huge history buff and live fifteen minutes from the alamo. since moving back to texas i've become very interested in her colorful history and have read three books on the alamo and the texas revolution alone. i actually go to the alamo every time i go downtown - it's about a forty second walk from the riverwalk and i usually end up walking past it on my way there because the parking lot i use is one block down from it. i've placed flowers there several times out of awe for what they tried to do there and for what they did accomplish. help was coming, and they never got the message.

(another note: we have "six flags over texas" because there have been six national flags over texas: spain, mexico, the republic of texas, france, the united states of america flag, and the flag of the confederate states of america. just a fun tidbit to close off a rant.) :)

[linRdsNay]

I don't think it's crazy at all. In many parts of the country, 40% or more of the patient population are Spanish-speaking only. Why is it crazy to want the nurses to learn a foreign language so that they can better communicate with their patients?

I can just imagine how well this will go...Average English speaking nurse attempts to learn Spanish. Nurse then tries to relate vital information to patient in Spanish. Patient responds back and nurse misinterprets what was said. Nurse ends up making an error because of said misinterpretation... I don't know about you, but i certainly wouldn't want to be put in that situation. I even took spanish for four years and can barely hold a simple conversation let alone attempt to have a medically related conversation.

English is NOT the official language of the US! In fact, I think that in the next 20 years, English will be replaced by Spanish as the most commonly spoken language in the home.

It's not? Maybe not officially, but it is the language that is taught in 95% of the schools here in this country. If English isn't the "official" language, why are we teaching it to all our children in our schools?

It bugs me to no end that people come to this county (anyone, not just those speaking Spanish) and expect that America will cater to them. I do however, applaud these people for trying to better the lives of themselves and their families and if they think coming here is appropriate for them, then by all means, move here and prosper. But there is a correct way of doing things and an incorrect way. Coming over illegally and living here illegally and using the system illegally is obviously the incorrect way.

[caliotter3]

You were, and they were being unprofessional.

This has nothing to do with patient care, but when I was living in Saudi Arabia my husband and I were vacationing in Dubai. Dubai is full of foreign tourists and a lot of them are German. When we were at the resort's pool, there were two German men sitting near us who were apparently talking about me in flattering (???) but not-so-polite terms. My husband got wind of it and put a stop to the conversation by telling the men off in their native language - he lived in Germany for seven years and is fluent as a result!

Same thing did happen in a patient care related incident when I worked at Duke. There was a family there speaking Spanish and talking about my coworker in NOT nice terms, which is unfair because this person is possibly the best nurse I know. Actually, it seems they were slating everyone equally. (And this nurse is blonde and blue-eyed besides.) She walked out, calmed herself down, and got the patient's meds and something else they'd requested as a favor for their primary nurse. Imagine their surprise when she next went into their room and not only explained their meds in perfect Spanish, but also reminded them of the hospital's interpreter services.

She's fluent in the language.

You never know who's listening or what they can listen in....

I was once sitting at a dining table with two men who were discussing me in unflattering terms in another language and I understood every word they said. At the time I was very young, otherwise, I might have given them a piece of my mind.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

I also wonder what some of these people who are fluent in Spanish/see it as their native language would think if two RNs fluent in German or Taglog or French or whatever insisted on speaking to each other in that language to the exclusion of the Spanish speaker. Sorry - can't help it.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I was once sitting at a dining table with two men who were discussing me in unflattering terms in another language and I understood every word they said. At the time I was very young, otherwise, I might have given them a piece of my mind.

Me too, one time it was two businessmen in an elevator. I did recognize but not understand the language (Japanese), but surmised the nature of the conversation off of inflection... yeah, tho I must admit kind of funny if you can see the scenario in your mind...

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

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...

I've found this to be the case far too often. Often it goes like this: A small group of workers will be speaking their native tongue, look in your direction and laugh. You have no idea what they have said, whether they were talking about you or whether it was just coincidence that they happened to look your way. It is at best inconsiderate, and it certainly doesn't help morale in the workplace.

[Blackheartednurse]

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.

[lucylu 777]

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 ya go! there's a "mature way of reasoning.":yawn:

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

The funny thing is that some don't expect you to understand their language, and they are shocked when you understand them.

[caliotter3]

The funny thing is that some don't expect you to understand their language, and they are shocked when you understand them.

It was a very long time at work when I let on that I understood the Spanish part of the conversations that the Filipinos would carry on in my presence. When that happened, I saw a slight change in their behavior around me.

[leslie :-D]

over half the states, have english as their official language.

and legislation has been ongoing.

that said, i do understand that it's rude to speak another language in front of others.

but since i'm not going to hold nurses accountable for being miss manners, i let it slide.

too much other stuff that needs my attn.

leslie