Foreign Doctors

[cupcakemafia]

I have a complaint.
I don't care WHERE a doctor is from, what country or what he/she looks like or what language they speak at home. But I DO care about one thing and I think Australian hospitals need to consider this when they hire their doctors and medical staff:

Doctors and medical staff that practice in Australia should be able to speak clear and fluent and UNDERSTANDABLE English.

I'm not talking about light accents, I can handle light accents. What I can't handle is being in hospital and having something about your health or your baby's health explained to you by a member of staff that has an accent so thick (and in some cases only a moderate grasp of the English language) that you can't understand it!! Especially if the information they are giving you is vitally important to your or your baby's health!!

I know it wasn't just me in the personal instance I am talking about - my husband and my mother was there and couldn't understand him, and later on I heard 3 different nurses ask him to repeat what he was saying because they couldn't understand him either.

Of course, I didn't want to say to him "Can I have a doctor that actually speaks fluent English?", so I just nodded and smiled and hoped to God what he was telling me wasn't bad news. To make matters worse, I actually had to help him put the drip in my arm because he didn't know how the sticky-tape stuff worked to hold it on.

I don't think this should be offensive or labelled racist - I have no qualms about foreign doctors in general (and I used to live in "Dr. Death" city - Bundaberg). I just think I should be able to expect to go into a hospital or medical centre in Australia and get a doctor that can talk to me in plain, understandable English.

What are your opinions?

[the_queen]

Why didn't you want to ask him to speak more clearly? You seem really upset about the situation (and rightly so!) but you just smiled and nodded and hoped he wasn't telling you bad news??
I've had doctors who are difficult to understand - so I ask them to repeat what they've said. I don't think I'm rude about it, and even if I am rude to them, we're talking about my kids health so all I'm worried about is getting the correct information.

I do sympathise with you, I have had to deal with many many doctors throughout Vallerie's life and lots of them had English as their second language. But I don't think the doctor would have been offended if you'd asked him to explain things again more clearly.

[cupcakemafia]

Why didn't you want to ask him to speak more clearly? You seem really upset about the situation (and rightly so!) but you just smiled and nodded and hoped he wasn't telling you bad news??

Sorry, I didn't explain myself well there - I did ask him to repeat himself quite a few times, but after that made no difference I didn't really feel comfortable asking for someone ELSE to interpret for me.

[Jaileth]

It can be hard.

I know that the doctor that we visited to confirm the pregnancy had an accent that was really thick, and I found that it took a couple of seconds after he spoke for my brain to translate and catch up to what he was saying, but dh couldn't understand him at all.

In the end we changed doctors (but that was also because he would ignore any questions dh had to ask, and kept on asking me if I had morning sickness when I had quite clearly stated NO! the first time he asked me - after that visit, I ended up with it! :rolleyes: )

I think it harder in a hospital - I don't know weather or not we are allowed to ask for another doctor if it's just a check up. I do know that we've seen a particular doctor at the hospital we're going to have bub at, and that if he is at the birth, I'll be asking for someone else to attend. (But thats for different reasons again)

[the_queen]

Sorry, I didn't explain myself well there - I did ask him to repeat himself quite a few times, but after that made no difference I didn't really feel comfortable asking for someone ELSE to interpret for me.

:) no probs - I mis-understood.

I was about to say, perhaps you could have gotten the doctor to write it down, but even doctor's who speak perfect english have bad handwriting!

It is a hard thing to deal with, on top of a child being in the hospital. I hope your little one is OK now :)

[razzle]

I hear ya!

We have one doctor at the clinic that barely speaks English, I can't understand a word he says. I only see if I'm absolutely desperate - he always has appointments free, I wonder why! I tell him that I can't understand him and to speak slowly. He's actually a really nice doctor despite his language difficulties!

I think that ALL people coming to live in Australia should be able to speak the language enough to be understood!

[moonblossom]

I WILL NOT see a doctor i cannot understand. And believe me, I have walked out on a few and complained to the admin.

[Peaceangels]

:)
I was about to say, perhaps you could have gotten the doctor to write it down, but even doctor's who speak perfect english have bad handwriting!


I have had an experience with a foreign Dr who also has bad handwriting.
A couple of months ago I went to see a skin specialist for a rash on my face. He was a foreign Dr. After examining my face he told me what the rash was and I asked him to repeat this 3 times.
I felt rude asking him to repeat it again, so I asked if he could write it down. His handwriting was shocking! (lucky it was not a life threatening illness and the pharmacist could understand enough of the writing to work out what it said).
He was however a fantastic Dr, but I do agree that their command of the english language should be at a certain (understandable) level.

[Chickadee]

I have trouble understanding some Aussie doctors. There are some thick regional accents sometimes! But that's cause i'm a foreigner, lol. :D

[LilShenanigans]

I don't really go to doctors anymore, I need to though :(

There are none in this area that are even aussies, none can speak english... now Im all for my area to grow multiculturally... But NOT at the expense of my health! Which sad to say isn't looking good :mad:

Oh well.

[shanz]

this is a useful hint i was once told. it works for some but not all however is worth a shot. DONT LOOK AT THEIR MOUTHS WHEN THEY ARE TALKING. Sounds weird but because our body's instantly try to decifer what is being said by compensating and lip reading your brain will actually get confused at what is trying to come out. Foreigners mouths will move differently to get the same sounds out!! My old bosses were french and had really thick accents and most of the employees would do this and found it sucessful.

[rebeccamum]

I'm a foreigner so I understand this situation quite well. Sometimes people have to ask me to repeat what I say because they don't understand some of the words I say. My accent is good but I just don't pronounce some words correctly. When I'm asked to repeat what I say, I feel a bit embarrased. But if the person who asks me looks genuinely confused and doesn't look annoyed or frustrated (of course that makes me feel like I'm an idiot for not saying something correctly), then I won't feel too intimidated.

So if anybody has trouble to understand foreign doctors, I suggest ask them to repeat themselves. If you come across as being nice, they'll be more than happy to do so. But if you still don't understand a word they say, yeah ditch them and find someone else. I too have trouble understand some non-aussie doctors (I know I know I'm not an aussie myself but boy aren't those docs so b***dy hard to understand).

[ThomasMum]

Yeah those blardy foreigners! Let’s go and get 'em! Kidding, I too am a foreigner with a really thick British accent :)

I have to be a party pooper on this one, the reason there aren't that many "Aussie" doctors around is because it is cheaper to hire overseas doctors than the Aussie esp. for the rural/regional Australia, sad eh?

My brother, who is an OB/GYN and lives in the UK all his life, often received many invitations to perform any surgery or medical prac here because it’s cheaper and yet safer to "hire" my brother! (he's an Oxford grad)
Funny business innit? :D

TM

[cupcakemafia]

I have to be a party pooper on this one, the reason there aren't that many "Aussie" doctors around is because it is cheaper to hire overseas doctors than the Aussie esp. for the rural/regional Australia, sad eh?


I agree wholeheartedly, it is a very sad situation - I like to think think I'm a realist, and I understand that money doesn't grow on trees, but I just think there should be some community issues, like health and education, that should be given priority when money is being handed out.