You’re from where?
The accents alone flood the senses. Yes, there’s Texan talk, but there’s also Ghanian, Nigerian, Russian, British, Congolese, Filipino, Nepalese and Pakistani.
The biggest benefit unit leaders see: learning to relate to colleagues from different countries also helps nurses and techs better understand patients’ customs, religious rituals. Sometimes it also helps them literally understand what they’re saying.
“We once had a patient who spoke a language no one else could speak,” said Cindy Speer-McMillan, day shift supervisor on the medical-surgical unit on Tower 4. The patient had grown frustrated and upset. “We had Pakistani nurses who had grown up near her country and knew enough to understand her and help calm her down.”
Night shift supervisor Heather Smith, M.S.N., R.N., RNC-NIC, said the international nature of the staff members keeps hearts and minds more open to differences in general, contributing to quality care.
“We had a patient who prayed three times a day. We were respectful of that and allowed care to be done so that we gave them their privacy, within the bounds of being able to care for them,” she said.
CLICK HERE to check out the WFAA feature on this diverse unit.
by Brand Experience Communications • Posted June 4, 2018