What would say to a nurse shadowing you

hawaiicarl, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2015

I missed this post. I would suggest to remember who is asking for help here and turn down the (percieved) attitude. And yes, it is a direct question, but it is far from a simple question to answer. "What is the maning of life" is a direct question that has no simple answer (unless you are a fan of absurd literature (42)).

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy .... ahhhhh, but what is the question?

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2015

I haven't read quite all the replies, and am a mite confused myself.

I gather that you are an English teacher in Toronto, and a Japanese speaking student is to shadow an RN in the children's hospital?

Any number of us could tell you something we might say to one shadowing us...but it will do you no good. As one poster commented, situations change sometimes minute by minute (burn unit--if this is the unit in question--is a prime example.) It would be completely impossible to give you a relevant script.

Second, healthcare has its own jargon. If I as an RN spoke fluent Japanese, I would still be required to summon a qualified medical interpreter when caring for a Japanese-speaking patient...unless I proved proficiency in medical Japanese by exam.

I think many of us (myself included) aren't sure why an English teacher would have a role in a hospital's job shadowing experience. So we're confused about what you need. But if I understand correctly, the above reasons are really preventing us from helping you.

This young man would need a medical interpreter for the Canadian RN to really communicate about nursing with him.

SleeepyRN · Oct 10, 2015

I really hate to be rude, but for being an English teacher your writing is not very clear. Appropriate use of who you are speaking about would help immensely. For example -
Like here -- "it is English" instead of the student speaks English as a second language would be more clear. "It" was interpreted by previous readers as English being "your" second language.
And here he is there for a visit for a few day's to learn from a nurse's experience sound's like he's trying to learn FROM a NURSE not learn AS a NURSE.
The extra details were not irrelevant because none of us had a clue what you were asking.
I am still very confused why he would need to shadow you? How does shadowing an English teacher help a nurse? It would seem more appropriate for him to attend your classes and have English immersion than see what you do for a job? He's not going to school to be an English teacher.
I am still very confused as to what you are asking. I got that he's shadowing you now and that you speak English and his first language is Japanese and second language is English. However, without knowing the objective of his shadowing with you it's hard to give suggestions. Is the objective for him to learn English better? Or is there some other purpose to this trip?

The very reason I guessed English as a second language. I thought the OP was written poorly, but understandable English. So I assumed OP was not a native English speaker.

cloa513 · Oct 10, 2015

The answer to that question is that I was attached to a nurse high school in Japan to teach English. I was forced out after one term but I was trying hard to find relevant content at that time.

cloa513 · Oct 10, 2015

I agree that he needs a medical translator and maybe that will be arranged for him (something that I can't do) but in the meantime I some content for the lessons that he is paying to teach him- I was hoping you could help get in the ballpark.

vanilla bean · Oct 10, 2015

Sweet Jebus. Good luck to him. You cannot communicate clearly or effectively in English, which you tell us is your native language. I think you may be in over your head with this undertaking.

cloa513 · Oct 10, 2015

I could say that about many of the replies- they are are non-English as first language replies. You try your best to not understand.

LizMorris · Oct 10, 2015

It would really depend on the patients you had that day. Just kind of explaining what you were doing as you went along. Discussing privacy laws or cultural norms could be interesting too if the student is from a very different background.

Postpartum RN · Oct 10, 2015

I could say that about many of the replies- they are are non-English as first language replies. You try your best to not understand.

My goodness. We are really having a difficult time understanding you. Do not be so defensive about it. Many on here have been very kind to try and interpret what you wrote, and have provided some helpful responses and advice to you

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 10, 2015

I agree that he needs a medical translator .

I think you mean "interpreter" instead of translator. I'm surprised, as an ESL instructor, you don't know the difference.

canigraduate · Oct 10, 2015

No offense, OP, but you are REALLY hard to understand. Maybe your speaking skills are clear, but your writing skills need a lot of polishing.

You are insulting people who are trying hard to decipher what you need. That is not a good way to get help. Your insults are also untrue.

Every single other post is easier to understand than yours. Your words are often out of order and you have some nonsense words thrown in that are very confusing. Maybe this is a problem with an autocorrect program, but, if so, you need to be more diligent in your proofreading.

Anyway, as far as your problem goes, I would not be comfortable having someone who does not communicate well shadow me. I do not have enough time to explain things to my patients to my satisfaction, much less to someone who doesn't understand me, anyway.

If I showed up at work tomorrow and had to be shadowed, I would use one of the language translation options at the hospital. Some facilities have dual telephones that you can use to dial a translator. Some have computers that you can use to have face-to-face translation. A few of the larger hospitals have multiple translators on staff who are proficient in all major languages.

If it is possible, in your case, have the Japanese embassy send a translator, especially if there are going to be multiple people with the same language difficulty.

While it is admirable that you are trying to help, there isn't much you can do from a remote location as a third party.

You'd be better off giving your student a language phrase book.

The main things that a nurse would tell about are specific to the situation, such as describing equipment in use (anything from a nasal cannula to an arterial line).

It is too hard to predict the situations your student will see. You can teach your student the names of equipment, the terms for different diseases, things like that.

You could probably ask your student what types of things he is expecting to encounter and talk about those.

cloa513 · Oct 10, 2015

An interpreter is a type of translator who travels with someone to translate verbally as they go- most can translate to written words.