Language policy affects supply of nurses

Tue Jan 18 16:30:28 UTC 2005

Nursing shortages are endemic throughout North America and finding qualified
nurses is extremely difficult.  On the surface, a qualified nurse is someone has
the appropriate medical training and can provide (at the minimum) adequate
palliative care to their patients.  A licensed nurse irregardless of language
seems to meet the first requirement.  Furthermore, an Anglophone nurse who can
speak French adequately seems to meet the second requirement.  They can converse
with their patients to discover how to help treat them.

However, nurses also are often the primary conduit between doctor & patient and
doctor & family members.  In the US, much of this comunication is done through
writing - the patient's chart.  A doctor will make notations and then nurses
will follow the doctor's written orders or explain to a patient or family
member's the doctor's orders.  The question becomes is this procedure similar in
Canada?  Furthermore, in Quebec, are doctors' orders written in French or
English.  If they write in French and nurses cannot read or respond to their
notations, this causes a significant problem and could potentially harm
patients.  It is further compounded by the general nursing shortage (Anglophone,
Francophone, etc.) in North America.

Like teaching, nursing needs to once again gain *some* prestige as a profession
if we hope to have qualified medical professionals.

-Tamara Warhol

Quoting "Harold F. Schiffman" <haroldfs at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>:

> The point is, these nurses can SPEAK French adequately, but can't read or
> write it.  The question then is, how does that impact their ability to
> perform their jobs.
>
> HS
>
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2005, Nassira Nicola wrote:
>
> > I have to admit that I'm a bit disturbed at the tone of the article,
> > which seems to imply that the nurses' right to employment is the only
> > right at stake here.  There's no mention of the right of Francophone
> > patients to treatment in their language.
> >
> > In a political territory with one official language, the care of a
> > patient who speaks that official language should not be contingent
> > upon that patient's ability to speak a second language ... especially
> > when the patient is under stress and in poor health and thus *less*
> > likely to be able to communicate effectively in L2.
> >
> > And, call me crazy, when this political territory is a small part of a
> > larger territory where English-speaking nurses are in high demand, my
> > sympathy doesn't really lie with an Anglophone nurse who cannot
> > communicate with Francophone patients and who might therefore be
> > putting those patients in danger.
> >
> > Nassira
> >
> >
> > -------------------------------------------
> > Nassira Nicola
> > Harvard University
> > nicola at fas.harvard.edu
> > -------------------------------------------
> >
> >
> > On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 08:40:54 -0700, Michelle Daveluy
> > <michelle.daveluy at ualberta.ca> wrote:
> > > What about registering to writing classes in order to improve abilities
> with
> > > a language these individuals claim knowledge and use of?
> > >
> > > Human resources are lacking in the health services all over Canada.
> > > Employment opportunities are indeed available in English only
> environments.
> > >
> > > The media coverage of this specific case is to be understood in the
> current
> > > debate on the funding and construction of 2 research hospitals in
> Montreal:
> > > one English, the other French.
> > >
> > > MD
> > >
> > > le 12/01/05 08:46, Harold F. Schiffman à haroldfs at ccat.sas.upenn.edu a
> > > écrit :
> > >
> > > > Language cops bust Quebec nurses
> > > >
> > > > By BRIAN DALY
> > > > Canadian Press
> > > >
> > > > POSTED AT 8:29 PM EST Tuesday, Jan 4, 2005 Montreal Two nurses at an
> > > > English hospital have had their licences revoked after failing a
> written
> > > > French test even though Quebec faces a nursing shortage. Elizabeth
> > > > Davantes, 47, and Eulin Gumbs, 43, who both speak French, say they'll
> look
> > > > for work outside Quebec after losing their jobs recently at the Jewish
> > > > General Hospital.
> > > >
> > > > Quebec's language watchdog and the provincial nursing federation
> require
> > > > that all nurses, even those in English hospitals, pass a written
> French
> > > > test. Ms. Gumbs has failed the test five times, while Ms. Davantes has
> > > > failed on four occasions. Ms. Gumbs, a single mother of two, said
> Tuesday
> > > > she's looking for a job elsewhere now that she can't work here.
> > > >
> > > > I don't want to leave, said Ms. Gumbs, who rates her spoken French as
> > > > excellent. Quebec is my home. My family lives here, my kids live here.
> But
> > > > I cannot support myself on nothing. The Office de la langue francaise
> > > > recently warned the use of French in the workplace is in a precarious
> > > > state in Quebec and Premier Jean Charest has hinted at a crackdown.
> > > >
> > > > However, the province faces a major nursing shortage. A report released
> in
> > > > 2003 suggested the province will lose 16 per cent of its nurses to
> > > > retirement in 2006. Head nurse Serge Cloutier, who worked with the two
> > > > women, said the ranks of his profession are already thin and won't be
> > > > helped if nurses are forced out. It's a bad situation, Mr. Cloutier
> said
> > > > in an interview.
> > > >
> > > > Of course, if you lose two nurses it makes a difference. The nursing
> > > > federation did not return phone calls on Tuesday. The hospital said
> > > > Tuesday it did its best to help the women. The Jewish General Hospital
> > > > actively tried to keep (the nurses) on staff, even though they failed
> the
> > > > written section of the French exam, the hospital said in a statement.
> > > >
> > > > Officials at the hospital wrote several letters to the nursing
> federation
> > > > and spoke with the language agency in an attempt to have the nurses'
> > > > licences extended, said the hospital. But the nurses had their
> licences
> > > > revoked in October, said the hospital. A spokesman for the language
> > > > watchdog, the Office de la langue francaise, said his organization
> isn't
> > > > to blame for the two nurses losing their jobs.
> > > >
> > > > Gerald Paquette said the French tests are drafted with the help of
> > > > professional orders and employers. Rev. Darryl Gray, president of the
> > > > English-rights lobby group Alliance Quebec, said Quebec is showing ill
> > > > will towards the women.
> > > >
> > > > Anglophone nurses definitely are not going to jeopardize the French
> > > > language in this province, he said in an interview. Rev. Gray said he
> > > > wonders why the province won't work with Ms. Davantes and Ms. Gumbs to
> > > > help them improve their written French skills. How can we attract
> people
> > > > to this province if it has been made clear to us by the province that
> > > > we're not wanted? he asked.
> > > >
> > > >
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050104.wnurz0104/BNPrint/
> > > > National/
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>

--
Tamara Warhol
PhD Student
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
warholt at dolphin.upenn.edu