Collaborating with Medical Interpreters: Best Practices for LEP Patients

Limited English proficiency and adverse event risk.

As a native San Franciscan, I grew up surrounded by bilingual people who represented cultures from all over the world. It is a privilege for me to be surrounded by such rich diversity, but many patients who are limited English proficient (LEP) are at risk for adverse events once they enter a health care setting. Identifying a patient’s preferred language at the initial point of entry can ensure that resources are available to support the patient as they navigate the health care system. Medical interpreters are vital to our LEP patients and serve as a bridge for translating both language and other crucial cross-cultural elements of communication.

Letting patients and families know their rights.

Providing interpreting services reduces health inequities for LEP patients and is also required by Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act (1964). This law states that hospitals that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services must notify LEP patients of the availability of free interpreting services, which should not include their own friends and family. As nurses, we must advocate for our patients who may not be aware of their rights and may have fears about perceived consequences if they admit to not being proficient in English. Perform a […]

2023-02-13T10:32:40-05:00February 13th, 2023|Nursing, patient engagement, Patients|1 Comment
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The Gift of Feedback

By Giulia May/Unsplash

In a recent Schwartz Rounds session at my hospital, the facilitators centered the discussion around the theme, “The Gift of Feedback.” As I listened to the panelists share their experiences, I recalled two recent exchanges with colleagues I’ve developed positive working relationships with over the years.

One was with a hardworking care partner (CP) who has been in our unit for about six years. The other exchange was with an attending physician who had been a well-respected leader in our PICU long before my 11 years working there. I find both to be very kind and very professional.

Asking a care partner for feedback.

As one of the more experienced bedside nurses in our unit, about once every four to six weeks I fill the role of relief charge nurse. I’ve done it enough over the years to feel decently comfortable in the role, but I do it so infrequently that each time I find myself relearning aspects of the role.

The charge nurse always sits in the same station as the care partner who manages the front desk. This individual gets a close-up view of how all the different relief charge nurses handle the role. One day towards the end of a busy shift, I turned […]

2021-12-17T13:21:05-05:00December 17th, 2021|career, Nursing, nursing career|0 Comments
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May I Hug You? Supporting Personal Boundaries in the Health Care Setting

Touch as affirmation.

Illustration by Julianna Paradisi

“May I hug you?”

My patient and I had just finished a rather lengthy conversation, the kind of authentic communication that reaffirms the humanity connecting us all—the number one reason I love being a nurse. Sitting in a chair across from me, she reached out her hand for me to shake. I sensed she felt the same connection I did, but was too shy to ask for more.

“May I hug you?” I asked.

Tears formed in her eyes as she stood and we hugged. The circle was complete.

Not everyone is comfortable being touched.

I’m a hugger. I connect easily with patients and throughout my career have given and received more spontaneous hugs than I can hope to count. Lately though, for a variety of reasons, I’ve begun to ask permission before hugging a patient.

Foremost, I’ve developed a stronger advocacy towards the right to personal boundaries. I am not you is a good thing to remember when meeting anyone for the first time, whether they are a patient, coworker, or a child. Not everyone is comfortable being touched.

‘Handshake free zones.’

A while ago, I met a new resident while visiting a patient in her hospital room. After introducing ourselves, […]

2019-07-15T10:44:45-04:00July 15th, 2019|Nursing, Patients|1 Comment
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‘Batman Has No Superpowers’: Inspiring Nurses as Leaders and Healers

“Leadership is about inviting people on a mission to do something extraordinary together.”

by Augustin Ruiz, via Flickr

This year’s Quality and Innovations Conference, presented by the American Nurses Association in April, included an offbeat presentation on ‘Superhero Leadership: How Everyday People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact.’ At this opening session, filmmaker Brett Culp shared a short film, stories, and advice, offering a perspective on leadership that managed to be both inspiring and poignant.

Using everyday skills as forces for good.

Culp may be best known for his 2013 documentary, Legends of the Knight (www.WeAreBatman.com), in which he relates the true stories of children and adults “who were inspired to become real-life heroes because of their love of Batman.” Batman has no superpowers, and therefore he can inspire others to use their own everyday skills and strengths as forces for good. The filmmaker suggests that nurses, too, should “embrace [our] inner superhero” when needed.

Culp emphasized that in his many travels he has seen that “the world is filled with good people,” and that most people want to make a difference at work and for their communities.

Leaders ‘hold space’ for what could be.

Culp believes that a pivotal role in the process of change is the person who steps up first, “creating space” for others to join them in their efforts.

This is a central job of leaders, he says—to […]

2019-08-01T09:56:36-04:00July 5th, 2019|career, Nursing|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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