ecierra

I am trying to decide if I should get my own malpractice insurance in addition to what the hospital provides. Some of my friends won't work without it, and others don't care, but I don't really know that much about it. Any suggestions?

One of my friends, who is an ER RN, is fluent in spanish. This helps her with the Pre procedure questions such as have you eaten today, and where does it hurt, but when it comes to any signature, like for blood products, even she has to get a certified interpreter since she herself isn't certified. My general rule is that I worked hard for my liscence, and I don't want to loose it over shortcuts. I would suggest talking to the unit manager over your immediate supervisor. I have found that the higher you go up in the administrative line, the more legal and less convenient the answers are. Other than that, I would see if the hospital has any programs for learning Spanish and then certifying yourself as an interpreter. It might take a while, but then you won't have to worry anymore :)

Using translators like secretaries and housekeeping staff is a violation of HIPPA, so I know that you can't use them for translating. As I understand it, a certified interpreter can legally translate for informed consent. In our hospital, we have everything in both spanish and english, and we also have a phone in interpreting service available.