People in healthcare should speak Spanish, she said

[Paulie G]

I had a 78 year old woman patient, bunch of kids and grandkids in the room. The patient spoke only Spanish and the grandson was translating. As I was exiting the grandma patient said something forceful so I turned and asked the man what she'd just said, and it was exactly that: "People in Healthcare should speak Spanish."

I was, well, insulted, speechless, fill in the blank. The patient had not been much of a problem until then. I stared at the grandson and didn't reply, just left. As I thought about it, I started thinking. I'm not a foreigner, why should I learn another language? I'm in the middle of the country to boot! And, why are these people insulting their caregiver anyway?

Talking this out with other nurses, I guess I wasn't the first one to hear such stuff. Is this something I should get used to?

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

as a side note, i have traveled overseas numerous times to countries whose native tongue was not english, and never found anyone who could not speak english fluently with me. seems that in other countries the citizens understand the value of being able to communicate in several different languages. i'm still trying to understand why americans don't get that, or are so opposed to it.

Nooooo, they understand the value of SPEAKING ENGLISH. Just as some understand the value of speaking Spanish in the US. However, to insist upon someone speaking Spanish in America just because you do is pretty obnoxious if you ask me.

[hijadecalifas]

Well actually, most Americans do speak two languages. They speak English and ree-aall-lly slll-ooow Enngg-lliisshh for foreigners.

I think many of us are assuming that the patient wasn't born here. There are plenty of American citizens who were born here and grew up in predominately Spanish-speaking communities. I think we forget that some of our land used to belong to Mexico, my native California included.

[HappyBunnyNurse]

I'd love to learn Spanish. However, I can't afford the Rosetta stone system or classes. It would be great if my facility would pay for it. But I don't see THAT happening. I only have so much money to spend on my professional development (you know health care workers DO have bills and need groceries). Sorry but I'm gonna spend that money on the RNC test and study materials. That benefits ALL my patients.

[April, RN, BSN, RN]

But, unlike a lot of my American friends, I never felt that the locals were stupid because they did not speak English.

I really don't think anyone here is saying they think people who don't speak English are stupid. However, I've gotten the feeling that patients and families who don't speak English think those who can only speak English (and not their language) are stupid.

[babyNP., APRN]

There's nothing wrong with not knowing English or not knowing Spanish.

I am a nurse. My job description does not say that I need to know Spanish. We have interpreters just a page away to come the bedside to update patients and families.

I find it rude of the patient to state her comments, but when have we not heard rude comments before? Some of it is pain/stress-related, understandable. Some of it is people just being jerks. Can't change the jerks! Just gotta smile and walk away.

Rudeness crosses all cultures and languages...it does not leave anyone out :) and honestly, this is all I see of the passing comment. Life will go on!

[AggieNurse99, BSN, RN]

I do also agree with many others about the entitlement of some groups of people. I am not required to speak another language for my job. My state does have a large population of spanish speaking peoples, but my area also has a huge population of asian and african immigrants also. I speak a smattering of spanish, enough to get over the "Yo No Comprendo" game, which, sadly is played often. According to this kind of patient, I guess I also need to study chinese, vietnamese, farsi/urdu, and the various dialects of hindi. While we're at it, what about sign-language. Shouldn't we all be fluent in ASL?

I just would never be so arrogant and selfish that I would live in a land that speaks another language and never try to learn it - at least to communicate some basics with a good bilingual dictonary at hand.

[yetanotheramanda]

I'm sure it is scary to be in a hospital where no one speaks your language. I'm sorry for that.

I don't care one bit what language you speak at home or in your community. I don't even get bent out of shape when people speak a non-English language amongst themselves in front of me.

But, geez louise, if it was me I would sure try to learn enough of the "native" language to make my life conveinent and safe (i.e. to order a pizza, get my car fixed, call 911, or communicate with my healthcare providers).

Nurses are smart. You don't need to speak perfect English to communicate with us. I would say that most of us who have to interact with non-English speakers have picked up enough foreign words/phrases to get us through until the interpreters show up. There's no reason for us to be fluent, if we aren't already. There is FOR SURE no reason for patients to expect it. As another poster said, jerks are jerks no matter what language they speak.

[Chapis]

the pt's statement was wrong and out of place.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I'd be totally insulted. That shows an incredible amount of entitlement. Apparently we are supposed to cater to their every need. Me enoja mucho.

[Quark09]

The "English-only" entitled attitude on this thread is disturbing.

I'm reading the same thread; however I'm not inferring any "English only" entitled attitude. The OP's patient, sick or not, was the one with the "You should be speaking my language" attitude. Official or not, English still is the primary language in the U.S.; with Spanish running a very close second. I would not expect to move to Mexico, Spain, or another Spanish-speaking country and snottily declare that people working in healthcare should be required to speak English. Being aged, sick, or foreign does not excuse you from common decency OR make up for the fact that you are either unable or unwilling to learn the primary language of the country in which you are residing.

[fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN]

I lived my whole life in a state that has been taken over by "those Foreigners " and have heard this same tired argument many times. Your comment about "entitled attitude" amazes me. Let me get this straight ; a sick 78 year-old hospitalized patient has an entitled attitude and you feel insulted because they don't speak english ???? How do you think she feels when her family leaves at night and she can't communicate with her nurse ? Do you think she might be scared ? She might not understand english but a smile is universal. Maybe you could make a difference - isn't that what nurses are supposed to do ?

couldn't have said it better myself.

redhead_girl98

"Nooooo, they understand the value of SPEAKING ENGLISH. Just as some understand the value of speaking Spanish in the US. However, to insist upon someone speaking Spanish in America just because you do is pretty obnoxious if you ask me."

seems like the sense of language entitlement goes both ways. i'm sorry, but if the OP is not native american, he is as much of a foreigner as his patient.

we all have various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. getting up in arms about who speaks what, etc, just leads to alienation and polarization of different groups. we are here to help people who are hurt and scared, among many other things. people say things that may offend us, but i'd like to think that we are all capable of understanding that people do this when they are scared. yeah, sometimes they do it because they are just total a**hats, but in this case, sounds like she was frustrated. she's hospitalized, has a room full of kids running around, and is trying to communicate her concerns through her grandson. i'd be frustrated too. bottom line is, we all choose our reactions. and as nurses, i would hope that we could use our critical thinking to conclude why a patient would say something like this, and then do what we can to help her.

a had a nursing instructor last semester tell us "you are a nurse. when you are working, you are not an age, a gender, a religion, or a race. you are a nurse. it is not about you, it is about your patient".

[guest64485]

It's also important to note that the first most common language is not English. It's Mandarin Chinese. Good thing I know already know that. Thanks Mom and Dad!!! :heartbeat

Here's an interesting breakdown of languages

World language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Looks like Chinese is the biggest number of native speakers while English is the biggest number of world speakers.

For those that commented that other countries learn English, the reason for this is that English is the world's "lingua franca", and it is the international language of aviation among other things. Whatever your language, if you learn English, it is likely that you can communicate to another for business and personal affairs.

That being said, it is preferable that as many of us learn some Spanish as possible. I've been working at it, and its a rough task when you are not immersed in it. There is also a legality aspect, so a certified translator from a language line does come in handy for those of us who aren't fluent for big things like surgical consent forms, etc.