As we embarked on the journey of creating No Barrier, a common thread woven through our discussions was the leveraging of bilingual staff as impromptu interpreters during patient consultations. In principle, this practice seems reasonable. Some team members have even pursued professional certification to become medical interpreters. Many hospitals actively encourage their personnel to acquire language skills, like completing a 40-hour comprehensive course in medical Spanish. Primed with linguistic proficiency, these bilingual staff members step in to enable smooth communication.
Nonetheless, there's a less apparent side to this story. The 'informal' interpreters frequently find themselves shouldering unexpected responsibilities. Imagine the situation - a monolingual doctor urgently needs their help, and they must drop their tasks abruptly to aid. During our talks with these bilingual individuals, many implied that extra compensation could be appropriate for this unanticipated assistive role.
Take, for example, the instance of Dr. Jackson (an alias to maintain anonymity), a multilingual physician from California proficient in three languages. He shared his experiences of the pressures of working in an environment where many of his patients and his colleagues' patients are Limited English Proficient (LEP), reflecting the demographic reality of the area.
Proud of his linguistic arsenal, Dr. Jackson confessed that it often feels misused. He's consistently drawn from his busy schedule to support non-English-speaking patients of his peers, which in turn led to longer workdays devoid of breaks. As these interruptions became a constant feature, Dr. Jackson noticed the toll it was taking on his patients' care and personal life.
Dr. Jackson began to counter this trend, refusing to interpret and reminding colleagues of readily available resources like courses in medical Spanish and interpreter assistance lines.
While he acknowledges the necessity for physicians to bridge language barriers with patients, he believes the burden shouldn't rest solely on multilingual staff. Hospitals need to strive for equitable healthcare access while also prioritizing staff wellbeing, by offering robust training, hiring professional interpreters, using technological tools, and promoting shared responsibility.
The invaluable role of language skills in healthcare isn't under dispute. However, like Dr. Jackson's story, it demonstrates the need for a holistic approach. Tackling language barriers multifacetedly proves to be more beneficial to both patients and staff alike.
The next time you, as a healthcare provider, encounter language barriers, consider turning to No Barrier. Not only will you gain linguistic independence, freeing up your bilingual colleagues to focus on their core roles, but you'll also be transforming the healthcare narrative, one LEP patient at a time. Welcome to No Barrier, navigating the complexities of the multilingual healthcare landscape.
