Useful to know another language?

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Suppose that it is a given that your RN skills are satisfactory on your resume...In terms for finding your first job, does knowing another language help or make you stand out to employers? Has anyone benefitted from simply knowing another language when looking for jobs? Or does it not matter?

Thinking of learning spanish to become more "marketable" when the time comes (currently 1st year ADN student so I have a lot of time to perfect this), I'm also in the NYC area so it's not only spanish, but russian, chinese, arabic and many other languages are extremely common. Just curious if this has helped anyone :)

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Specializes in Nasty sammiches and Dilaudid.

IMO speaking Spanish, especially if it's only at the level you'd get from a year or two of classroom instruction, is nothing special at all since there are enough natively-fluent Spanish speakers around, especially in a city as cosmopolitan as NYC, that capacity in a language so common wouldn't stand out as distinctive.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Sure it can help.

if a hospital gets 10 identical resumes, and yours is the only one that's lists a foreign language. Yours may move to the top of the pile.

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Of course that helps but mastering a language takes time and dedication. If you say you are fluent in a second language when you really aren't, your employer will find out and they will not be happy!

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Specializes in retired LTC.

NYC may be multi-lingual but if OP moves somewhere else Spanish will be very desirous. However violetsmom is right that fluency is different than being able to just socially converse. And if significant information needs to be relayed, like for procedures, treatments or informed consent, etc, I believe the hospital has to provide 'certified' interpreters.

If OP wants to select another language, I'd suggest a common one that has a large speaking population, like Polish, Italian or something else that's regional.

I do believe that being conversationally proficient can tip the scales in that large pile of potential new hires' resumes.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Certified interpreters are required for crucial conversations, but bilingual proficiency allows the clinician to converse with the patient within the scope of ones own level of practice.

Requires a much lower level of proficiency, doesn't require full conversational abilities, may be achievable by the OP. But even some medical Spanish is better than none.

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Even if you're not fluent, some knowledge of a patient's native tongue can be extremely useful in building rapport. Not necessarily a resume item, but something to think about.

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Thank you for the responses. It's just that I see "bilingual a plus" on a lot of job postings near me. If it helps to stand out for that new grad job search, why not? Nowadays I think you can learn most languages quickly (fluent or conversational).. tons of audiobooks and apps and other resources online to aid in language learning. I guess I will start to casually learn spanish by myself

By the way I am already fluent in chinese and german. Kind of a random combination lol

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Shoot, I've travelled everywhere with just knowing "please" and "where's the bathroom" in the local languages. I think being bilingual would be a huge bonus! I wish my Spanish was better, but I stuff it in my head and it rolls right out. Your patients and your coworkers, however, will appreciate any attempt you make to communicate with them with familiar words.

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