I'm currently a peds home health nurse and met with the parents of a client I might me working with. The parents have had bad experiences with foreign nurses mainly from African countries due to their accents. All through the meeting the parents kept mentioning how much they want a nurse who speaks clear English. The parents have had difficulty with communicating with these nurses that have led bad consequences. I have empathize with the parents but at the same time feel sorry for those nurses whom English is hard to understand.
I have worked with nurses and docs who were foreign with thick accents and know how challenging it can be, I can imagine how frustrated the parents may be.
People living in USA and do not speak english for 5-10-20-30 years AND get mad when you dont speak their language irks me the most. Why am I getting a frown from you when you're in MY country and not able to speak MY language? Why must I cater to you?
They blame not knowing/speaking English on the fact that they have "right" to freedom and "right to health" so I am automatically responsible to learn their language?!
The entitlement attitude needs to end. Only in America. And thus, its downfall.
You know, in most other countries it's not uncommon for people to speak more than one language. When I went to Italy several years ago, EVERYONE there spoke English. This "my country my language" strikes me as entitled too, particularly since we don't actually have an official national language. A stubborn refusal to learn another language is pretty American actually, so these folks who live here long term without earning English are aculturated in that respect.
HOWEVER, I can understand wanting a nurse that you can communicate effectively with. It's a safety and a quality of care issue. I don't know the family and don't know what experiences they've had, but it sounds like something that they are really concerned about.
As it was mentioned many times already, there is no such thing as "clear American English". USA is a pretty big country, and so what seems to be a "clear" and beautiful English in one place may not be so in another. I'd found at least five ways to pronounce "hot tea" already, and strongly suspect there are some more.
Unfortunately, "accent reduction" methodics are rarely successful for those who learned English as adults. I was for the long time feeling embarraced for my Eastern European accent and tried everything short of Botox to deal with it. Only one thing which works consistently so far is slowing tempo (and I usually start with a short apoplogy for my accent; it helps to break the ice, too).
From my observations, one thing which is often confused with "accent problem" is speech content problem. Patients and families are quite often mistake their lack of understanding of our "medical English" for caregiver's "accent" or "bad English", especially if there are other big "differences" (such as race or cultural level) between them and the caregiver. The second problem can be lack of attentive listening skills, which is becoming more prevalent with every passing day.
I really feel for patients who find themselves unable to understand the language they're spoken to, but it could be useful to figure out what exactly they do not understand before changing assignments. I'd seen a lot of patients who couldn't communicate through specifically trained translators just because they had no idea about the subject of the talking to begin with, and were too much ashamed and scared to say so.
In response to those who believe Americans are entitled for not being required to know a language other than English: Yes, I agree this is a valid point, and I would have appreciated learning another language early in my education. However, in America, we have people from so many different countries who speak so many different languages. I live/work in the NYC area, and many people do speak Spanish. But many nurses I work with come from Russia, Thailand, Korea, etc., and have already worked hard to learn English. I know it hasn't been easy for some of them, but they have done well. Why do they also have to learn Spanish? In a country where there are so many different cultures, having one language to unite us helps.
ETA: I chose Spanish because I do have a lot of patients who speak Spanish, and this is often where an issue arises. However, similar issues have arisen with patients who spoke another language
What is possibly being overlooked here is just how huge and different our country is... Growing up in the san francisco bay area, one has the opportunity to meet and interact with people from all over the world, and i must admit that i find it equally as difficult to understand somebody with a thick accent from rural alabama, or georgia, or mississippi than from india or japan or wherever else. Maybe part of the problem, there is no such thing as "clear english" people just want to relate to their nurses, and their differences make them uncomfortable...
People should blame hospital (H/R) for hiring people with the so called bad accent. I don't think having an accent is a big problem as long as I can speak English and perform my required skills. Myself I learn British English, but this doesn't mean that I can't speak English. I can go for Spanish class but will never speak it like Spanish people.
People living in USA and do not speak english for 5-10-20-30 years AND get mad when you dont speak their language irks me the most. Why am I getting a frown from you when you're in MY country and not able to speak MY language? Why must I cater to you?
They blame not knowing/speaking English on the fact that they have "right" to freedom and "right to health" so I am automatically responsible to learn their language?!
The entitlement attitude needs to end. Only in America. And thus, its downfall.
Wow! Just so you know, people come to America for different reasons. Reasons include, making money to survive, getting a better education, providing a better life and education for their kids, starting a new life. Those who arrived here for education, I guarantee you they all started by first learning the English language . Those who had the goal to work and make money to support their family ( their focus was on working and not learning English). This doesn't mean they were against learning the English language, this simply means they were so much older 40's ,50's, 60's or older and they do not have the time to learn English, and it is hard to learn a new language when you are old. I never heard that foreigners expect Americans to speak their native language, most of them don't, but if they do they are crazy lol. Actually, ive seen the opposite,Americans who visit France and Italy expect the waiters to speak English in their own country lol.I don't understand why Americans hate foreigners, I really don't. It doesn't make sense to me at all. It doesn't make sense to me because all Americans are foreigners, but people forget how they got here. This is sad. They forget that their great great great grandparents are either Asian, Europeans, Africans, etc. I hear people saying oh I am 20% Irish, 30% Italian, 20% Chinese, 30 % african, but non of them know what it really means because they all talk about how immigrants are taking over the jobs. Believe it or not people all Americans are foreigners except the American Indians :). Those who are talking crap about people who have accents, have never never never tried learning a new language. Please go and try to learn a new language and you will see for yourself how hard it is to learn it and to lose the accent. It is not easy to lose the accent believe me. It is even more difficult to lose the accent when you speak all these langauges (Italian, French, Spanish, German, english ).I also speak English with a british accent( not everyday, just for fun), some Americans have a hard time understanding this too. I know it is hard to understand accents, but why hate and close the doors for them based on accents. Not everybody has a thick accent, even if they do, it doesnt hurt to ask them to repeat stuff if you are not sure you are understanding them correctly. There's a lot of miscommunication between two American English speakers too, not everybody has great communication skills. I am not starting a war, just my opinion:)
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
"i don't understand why americans hate foreigners, i really don't."
what a completely bogus statement. i think most people do not feel that way at all, and that is not what this particular issue is about.
as i said before it has nothing to do with whether someone is a foreigner originally or from the usa with an accent.
the parents need to be able to communicate reliably with their child's caregiver in the home. that is all there is to it. nothing to do with nationality or anything else.
But many nurses I work with come from Russia, Thailand, Korea, etc., and have already worked hard to learn English. I know it hasn't been easy for some of them, but they have done well. Why do they also have to learn Spanish? In a country where there are so many different cultures, having one language to unite us helps.
clear, concise, and effective communication is a necessity, and not something you put on your wish list.
whether we americans should or shouldn't learn another language, is a moot point.
the bottom line it is critical that patients understand anything/all that is being explained to them.
Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.
Wow! Just so you know, people come to America for different reasons. Reasons include, making money to survive, getting a better education, providing a better life and education for their kids, starting a new life. Those who arrived here for education, I guarantee you they all started by first learning the English language . Those who had the goal to work and make money to support their family ( their focus was on working and not learning English). This doesn't mean they were against learning the English language, this simply means they were so much older 40's ,50's, 60's or older and they do not have the time to learn English, and it is hard to learn a new language when you are old. I never heard that foreigners expect Americans to speak their native language, most of them don't, but if they do they are crazy lol. Actually, ive seen the opposite,Americans who visit France and Italy expect the waiters to speak English in their own country lol.I don't understand why Americans hate foreigners, I really don't. It doesn't make sense to me at all. It doesn't make sense to me because all Americans are foreigners, but people forget how they got here. This is sad. They forget that their great great great grandparents are either Asian, Europeans, Africans, etc. I hear people saying oh I am 20% Irish, 30% Italian, 20% Chinese, 30 % african, but non of them know what it really means because they all talk about how immigrants are taking over the jobs. Believe it or not people all Americans are foreigners except the American Indians :). Those who are talking crap about people who have accents, have never never never tried learning a new language. Please go and try to learn a new language and you will see for yourself how hard it is to learn it and to lose the accent. It is not easy to lose the accent believe me. It is even more difficult to lose the accent when you speak all these langauges (Italian, French, Spanish, German, english ).I also speak English with a british accent( not everyday, just for fun), some Americans have a hard time understanding this too. I know it is hard to understand accents, but why hate and close the doors for them based on accents. Not everybody has a thick accent, even if they do, it doesnt hurt to ask them to repeat stuff if you are not sure you are understanding them correctly. There's a lot of miscommunication between two American English speakers too, not everybody has great communication skills. I am not starting a war, just my opinion:)
I don't know if I have been talking crap, but I actually speak 3 languages (English, Spanish, and Cherokee). I am American, I have an accent, and I am 1/2 Native American (and not from the Cherokee tribe. I am Chicahominy and Nottaway). I also agree that the clients have a right to request a nurse they do not have difficulty understanding. It is hard to keep asking someone to repeat themselves, for the client and the nurse. It can become frustrating for both parties. As for Americans going to other countries and expecting others to speak English, thats the American person problem. You cannot expect to go into another country and everyone speak your language. If you're moving to France, you probably should learn French. JMO.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Also, I go to Mexico a couple times a year. I have worked very hard on my Spanish, but my accent still sucks. However, they can understand me so that is good.
Your sweeping statements about Americans not "liking" foreigners, and about Americans not wanting to learn other languages is also not true for many of us.
That doesn't change the fact that if I had a very ill/disabled child getting care in my home that I wouldn't demand a nurse I could communicate with. It has NOTHING to do with nationality.
"i don't understand why americans hate foreigners, i really don't."
what a completely bogus statement. i think most people do not feel that way at all, and that is not what this particular issue is about.
as i said before it has nothing to do with whether someone is a foreigner originally or from the usa with an accent.
the parents need to be able to communicate reliably with their child's caregiver in the home. that is all there is to it. nothing to do with nationality or anything else.
i know what the topic is about. i was only responding to this particular person. sorry for the confusion.
:smokin:
hiddencatRN, BSN, RN
3,408 Posts
You know, in most other countries it's not uncommon for people to speak more than one language. When I went to Italy several years ago, EVERYONE there spoke English. This "my country my language" strikes me as entitled too, particularly since we don't actually have an official national language. A stubborn refusal to learn another language is pretty American actually, so these folks who live here long term without earning English are aculturated in that respect.
HOWEVER, I can understand wanting a nurse that you can communicate effectively with. It's a safety and a quality of care issue. I don't know the family and don't know what experiences they've had, but it sounds like something that they are really concerned about.