I am curious how many facilities have an "English Only" rule, and how/whether it is enforced.
I work at a SNF in which the vast majority of the employees are from the Philippines. Although we have an "English Only" rule, it seems that they have no interest in abiding by it, although all are fluent in English. Since I am one of only two white employees, I guess there isn't much I can do about it. It does bother me, though, when we are on our lunch break, and all of them are speaking their own language and I am the only one who does not understand the conversation!
I am curious if others have the same situation where they work, and if so, how they deal with it. Thanks.
This nice, concise list of tips just came across my desk today. I thought I'd share it with everyone. Neil Payne, the author, is a Brit, so I've Americanized it a bit but left in his UK examples. Hope it's useful to some of you. - Alan
Cross-Cultural Communication Tips To Live By
Mon, Aug 11, 2008
Here are some simple tips to help you improve your cross-cultural communication skills.
Slow Down
Even when English is the common language in a cross-cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible.
Separate Questions
Try not to ask double questions such as, "Do you want to carry on, or shall we stop here?" In a cross-cultural situation, only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time.
Avoid Negative Questions
Many cross-cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is affirmative and 'no' if it is negative. In other cultures, a 'yes' or 'no' may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to "Are you not coming?" may be 'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.'
Take Turns
Cross-cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the response.
Write it Down
If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in most countries is 1,000,000,000,000 while in the US and UK it is 1,000,000,000.
Be Supportive
Effective cross-cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support, and a trust in you.
Check Meanings
When communicating across cultures, never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarize what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross-cultural communication has taken place.
Avoid Slang
Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms, and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed.
Watch the humor
In many cultures, business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humor and jokes in the business context. When using humor, think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad.
Maintain Etiquette
Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross-cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.
Cross-cultural communication is about dealing with people from other cultures in a way that minimizes misunderstandings and maximizes your potential to create strong cross-cultural relationships. The above tips should be seen as a starting point to greater cross-cultural awareness.
Maisy said, "Here it is frowned upon to be exclusionary in our workplaces.....let's face it, no one wants to be left out. Personally, I don't believe anyone should be hired that cannot function fluently in the language of the country they will be working. This includes ancillary staff.....I should not need an interpreter to ask housekeeping to perform tasks, have a CNA take vitals, or whatever else. It is too time-consuming to find someone who may speak Creole, Spanish (as I may not have the words), or whatever else. The one thing I can say about all Phillipinos I have encountered is that regardless of their position in our hospitals...their command of English is excellent."
Maisy,
In a perfect world, this would be true. However, hospitals, as businesses, will hire people for whatever wage they can get away with paying them. If there are no other job-takers than non-fluent and semi-fluent workers, then those are going to be our co-workers. In other words, it's just a fact of business. A second question: Why is there a nursing shortage in the US? Women have more options for careers now, baby boomer nurses are retiring, and increasing numbers of retiring boomers (from all walks of life) need more medical care. If our nursing schools don't increase the number of graduates, we will need to continue importing nurses from overseas to care for this aging US population.
I was wondering why certain forms of "Philippines" were getting underlined in my typing, so I finally went online to check. (I shoulda done this years ago!)
The country is called Philippines. One L and two P's.
The person from this country is called Filippino. One L, two P's, and the PH changes to F! Yikes, that's one for this week's spelling word list!
In Manila, I'm guessing guys named Phillip have their names misspelled all the time...!
Maisy said, "Here it is frowned upon to be exclusionary in our workplaces.....let's face it, no one wants to be left out. Personally, I don't believe anyone should be hired that cannot function fluently in the language of the country they will be working. This includes ancillary staff.....I should not need an interpreter to ask housekeeping to perform tasks, have a CNA take vitals, or whatever else. It is too time-consuming to find someone who may speak Creole, Spanish (as I may not have the words), or whatever else. The one thing I can say about all Phillipinos I have encountered is that regardless of their position in our hospitals...their command of English is excellent."
Maisy,
In a perfect world, this would be true. However, hospitals, as businesses, will hire people for whatever wage they can get away with paying them. If there are no other job-takers than non-fluent and semi-fluent workers, then those are going to be our co-workers. In other words, it's just a fact of business. A second question: Why is there a nursing shortage in the US? Women have more options for careers now, baby boomer nurses are retiring, and increasing numbers of retiring boomers (from all walks of life) need more medical care. If our nursing schools don't increase the number of graduates, we will need to continue importing nurses from overseas to care for this aging US population.
Just looking at the numbers of the situation,
Alan
You are 100% correct regarding business and paying what the market will bear....hospitals are a business...however, with the current "Disney-like trend" towards customer service...ancillary staff and their lack of language skills is a problem we are hearing more often from our patients. Truthfully, for the staff it can be difficult....I like our staff, but it can be time consuming to make them understand what is needed-sometimes I don't have those extra minutes and it is frustrating! Also, for our elderly patients who have trouble hearing English only voices, imagine their difficuties with foreign accents! That too is a problem!
As far as importing nurses....I believe hospitals are undermining the US nursing programs by bringing in foreign nurses and underpaying them....equivalent to slave labor in some cases. If you have followed the recent articles re: Philippino nurses and what they are facing when they come to LTC facilities-ITS HORRIBLE! Imagine coming so far to be abused. I had a friend who had an advance degree as a graphic designer in Mexico, became a nurse(but needed to be sponsored) I believe SHE SOLD HER SOUL TO THE DEVIL....making far less than all of us, locked into a 5 year contract, and responsible for many many patients. Very scary, and just not right for her or the patients! She has become withdrawn and depressed, counting the days till she is released from bondage..I am angry for her!
You say American women have choices, we do...we have a choice to change the way nurses are perceived. How many of the imported nurses fear for their jobs....do they stand up for their, or their peers rights? Can they without fear of being sent home or having their contract terminated? How about cultural differences, are Americans pushier? Most say yes. Perhaps managment is looking for the nurse that will not argue, and demurely say yes to whatever the physician or boss says.
I say young women who are taught empowerment in America need to be part of the influx of nursing the American healthcare system requires...as for our foreign comrades....I love to encourage them to fight for their rights. Recently had a very sweet newer nurse tell me she had reported changes to the receiving nurse (emergency)...none of these were noted in the chart and the patient had ended up in the OR! Definately encouraged the nurse to go back and chart information, dragged her to the manager to speak her mind and helped her CYA! Otherwise, she may have been hung out to dry!
Anyway, back to the subject....you guys have already had more than my
I have been on both sides of the issue. When I was in management at LTC facilites staff had to speak English on the floors. During break and at lunch I didn't care as they were all from various African countries. Speaking anything other than English at other times is just plain rude. No matter what I did I always found staff speaking other than English around pts. Now, does anyone want to take on the issue of staff and their cell phones?
I just posted it today. (It got moved to the political/advocacy section of this site.) It talks about currently proposed legislation to ease the US nursing shortage.
Thanks to EVERYONE for their contributions to this discussion. It will help many foreign-trained health care staff in the future.
I just posted it today. (It got moved to the political/advocacy section of this site.) It talks about currently proposed legislation to ease the US nursing shortage.
Thanks to EVERYONE for their contributions to this discussion. It will help many foreign-trained health care staff in the future.
Alan
Thank you for posting...I read the proposed bill....it's only just been introduced...it would be nice if nurses had some grant money to work with...too bad it's not a little more for graduate/doctoral preperation. I guess something is better than nothing!
The bill mentions 20,000 visas per year for foreign nurses and their families....my problem is there are no protections in place for these women/men mentioned in the bill. After seeing recent headlines in the NY/NJ metro area, I worry that those coming here are being promised equality and getting "the shaft".
"In fact, one pt I had recently said in spanish (got translated: Didn't you go to school, why don't you know spanish?)"
Oh my.. that's ridiculous! I probably would have thought to say "You live in the USA where English is spoken, did you not go to school?".. if only... sigh.
I did a paper in school about this very topic. I, myself, speak Spanish, as I was born in Costa Rica. But I live in the USA and I speak English... not Spanglish either. (no accent -possibly Utahn now. lol) If a person moves to Italy or China, or wherever, they would need to learn the language of that country. This should also apply to the USA. Just My 2 Cents.
I think it's really rude not to make an effort to speak the native language if you're around the natives. Makes me feel uncomfortable and I think it's downright bad manners.
When in Rome?!?!? Does that mean the Romans spoke the native language of the countries/regions they controlled/ruled? Yah, right. They certainly refused to speak the local language because that wouldn've been rude.
:icon_roll
I thought this thread was dead days ago (or should I say daze?!?!?) and it keeps coming back. I know I'm not going to change anybody's mind here and that's ok, that's not my goal/point. I do, however, cordially invite all you English speaking allnursers to continue speaking English (and please use correct grammar/spelling) at all times in all situations. Those of you who don't speak English (as well as a Roman) speak it on your breaks/personal time because if you don't, the natives will revolt and HR may write a bunch of policies that you may overlook in your bid to exercise the 1st amendment which guarantees you freedom of speech.
Thank you for posting...I read the proposed bill....it's only just been introduced...it would be nice if nurses had some grant money to work with...too bad it's not a little more for graduate/doctoral preperation. I guess something is better than nothing!
The bill mentions 20,000 visas per year for foreign nurses and their families....my problem is there are no protections in place for these women/men mentioned in the bill. After seeing recent headlines in the NY/NJ metro area, I worry that those coming here are being promised equality and getting "the shaft".
Maisy
I work with foreign born nurses and I dont see anybody getting the shaft.
What I do see happening is all nursing programs now in the US are qualifying the nurses in 18 months or less to help reduce the nursing shortage but what I dont see is nurses who are properly prepared for the harsh life of a nurse, so I forsee a future where there is a bigger burnout of nurses than there is already.
.thumb.jpg.755b83f43c9f3860c778e2fcb2022ecb.jpg){kind=small}
alan headbloom
74 Posts
This nice, concise list of tips just came across my desk today. I thought I'd share it with everyone. Neil Payne, the author, is a Brit, so I've Americanized it a bit but left in his UK examples. Hope it's useful to some of you. - Alan
Cross-Cultural Communication Tips To Live By
Mon, Aug 11, 2008
Here are some simple tips to help you improve your cross-cultural communication skills.
Slow Down
Even when English is the common language in a cross-cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible.
Separate Questions
Try not to ask double questions such as, "Do you want to carry on, or shall we stop here?" In a cross-cultural situation, only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time.
Avoid Negative Questions
Many cross-cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is affirmative and 'no' if it is negative. In other cultures, a 'yes' or 'no' may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to "Are you not coming?" may be 'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.'
Take Turns
Cross-cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the response.
Write it Down
If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in most countries is 1,000,000,000,000 while in the US and UK it is 1,000,000,000.
Be Supportive
Effective cross-cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support, and a trust in you.
Check Meanings
When communicating across cultures, never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarize what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross-cultural communication has taken place.
Avoid Slang
Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms, and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed.
Watch the humor
In many cultures, business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humor and jokes in the business context. When using humor, think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad.
Maintain Etiquette
Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross-cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.
Cross-cultural communication is about dealing with people from other cultures in a way that minimizes misunderstandings and maximizes your potential to create strong cross-cultural relationships. The above tips should be seen as a starting point to greater cross-cultural awareness.
Neil Payne is Director of London-based consultancy Kwintessential (http://www.kwintessential.co.uk)