November 2019
Husan
Liao
,
RN, BSN
General Medicine
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago
,
IL
United States
I am a nurse who works on 9N and had a Mandarin-speaking patient. I had been using interpretalk to communicate with her which I could tell she was becoming frustrated with using. There was no in-person interpreter who spoke Mandarin available for me to use. I called 9S charge and asked if they had any nurses available who spoke Mandarin (thinking the chances would be low), and she told me Hsuan Ling might be able to come to help me if she were free. I mainly needed help in interpreting discharge and Coumadin teaching instructions. Hsuan-Ling came into the patient's room and introduced herself in Mandarin to the patient and her son. My patient immediately smiled, and I could tell felt so much more comfortable and at ease. Hsuan Ling went through the whole AVS packet with the patient, even highlighting and filling our important parts. She made sure she understood her medications and all the instructions listed. I was extremely grateful that she took the time to come over to our floor and do this, but I know the impact it had on the patient and her son went home feeling more comfortable and prepared.