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Suigang G. Qiu
R.N.
Date of Hire: 3/24/08
The work challenges in New York City come in many forms. Coming to the New York at age of 14 as a ESL Chinese, at time I used to find myself to be very different from the mainstream. In this cultural melting pot, at school or at job, this difference had often manifested. I have gone through my college education and I was not in hope this situation of any changing. It had come to my surprise that, this difference I have possessed for many years, would be appreciated in my first nursing job.
This is my first RN job in the pre-operative department, where diversity is greatly appreciated and put into good use. On the first day of my orientation, it was to my honor that I have greeted all the nursing staff. I was greatly impressed that the atmosphere filled with wholesome energy. Better yet, in this lower east side neighborhood, our staff members I can see the smiley faces filled with different cultural background. I immediately can feel the welcoming spirit. There are many different staff members who speaks numerous languages and coming from many different backgrounds.
In the third day, I was assigned to on-the-unit training. Besides processing the multitude of new inputs of information, I faced the challenges of familiarizing myself with the brand new environment. I had to take some extra time to read the areas of the unit and observe colleagues to perform numerous nursing tasks. During which time, there was this middle aged Chinese patient has come to my attention in the nursing station. He came to the unit looking lost. Due to his language barrier, he was anxious to explain that he has lost his cell phone. I offered to assist the patient in Chinese. To his relief, he quickly explained the event in Chinese and showed us his belongings in the locker room. I dialed for his number trying to located his phone. He suggested to us that one of his family members might have taken it. However, with the assistance of another RN, finally we have found his cell phone buried in his backpack. He laughed in relief and embarrassment, but his need was satisfied.
In this particular event, I have realized that patient come to us in this ambulatory surgery center in a rather strange fashion. On top of the anticipation of the surgery, the anxiety to the hospital, “the white coat” syndrome, this Chinese patient has communicative barrier. Even as a new nurse myself, with all the training I had the past years, coming into the unit can still bring me a fair amount of fear and confusion. Imaging for patients who come in for a surgery, I empathize with them. I vow to maintain a good attitude toward them.
For the following days, I have many opportunities in which I have encountered with Chinese patients. It was up to me to orient and guide them in a more comfortable mood before the surgery. In one of the particular event, where one patient had a family member taken off from work to accompany her to the surgery mostly for the interpretation reason, I was able to understand and casually converse with them. The patient reacted with ease and responded, “If I have known this place has Chinese nurse, I wouldn’t have need my cousin to take off from work to come here.” The process was relatively easier without the interpretation from the family member; instead I can easily translate for the patient herself. The responsibility of the direct patient care is on us, nurses, and it is my privilege as well to be able to communicate and understand the patient’s in the most comfortable home language. To my understanding, it gives a feeling of home and can bring down the tension for a stressful event for them, like in this case, a surgery.
Thinking back the feeling of isolation, on the time when I was first arrived to this strange land of United States, I found some similarity in some patients in this clinical setting. I pledge as a nurse, I will play a role in closing or minimizing this cultural gap for my patients in whichever way I am capable of. Diversity is one of the most prominent aspects of our great New York City. I shall materialize it to my patient’s advantage. Embracing this would have helped me to appreciate the culturally rich and multi-dimension of life, as a professional nurse, it is to my pleasure as well as occupational obligation to perform this duty at a culturally competent level. |
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