jwenny

To all the RNs out there, I would like to inquire about some of your personal experiences with those patients that do not speak English. From my personal experience training as a CNA in a California nursing home, I found that those patients that did not speak English were not always treated as well. I don't believe that this was always due to abuse of the staff, but rather a lack of patience, resources, communication, and understanding. When I first started at the nursing home, there was an elderly Portuguese lady residing there. One morning the RN came in to give her meds. The other CNA assisting her began to pull off the woman's blankets and sheet. The woman kept complaining and trying to pull the blankets back but at this point she was quite weak and thus unable to do so. The CNA explained, in a more annoyed than calm and gentle manner, that it was "too hot" for more than one layer of blankets or sheets. :nono:At this point I had not told anyone that I could speak Portuguese and a bit of Spanish. Finally, I couldn't watch any longer. I asked the lady if she would please wait for a minute so that I could talk to the other CNA and that I would help her. The other CNA was a bit blown away and upset. I told her the woman was saying that she didn't feel well. She was still cold from the cool morning air because her window had been left open during the night.:heartbeat My coworker was quite disheartened that I had failed to mention that I was able to understand Portuguese. I truly was not trying to be rude; however, I always speak English at work/school as to not offend anyone. I feel that all of my experiences with patients who spoke Spanish and Portuguese were quite enjoyable. I consider that experience to be rather educating. It could have been someone speaking Vietnamese. I really showed me how important communication skills and patience are in the nursing field. If it were an emergency situation, not only would quick critical thinking skills be need but also the ability to communicate through body and sign language. I could see how stressful it was for the other CNA when she couldn't understand the patient. How do you deal with the stress of a language barrier; and how do you manage your time so that it's fair to everyone else when it takes longer to communicate? I am curious as to see what other people experiences have been like. How important do you think that speaking another language is? Do you make it known if you can speak a second language? :mad:Do you always try to use this info when you're seeking employment? Does it give you a bit of an advantage on others? How do your coworkers feel? Do you feel as thought it is a skill worth developing through school so that it might help me during clinicals and as a RN? Thank you! Good luck to all!