Why Bilingual Nurses Are Essential

While English is often the de facto language in the U.S., the country doesn’t have an official language. In fact, people communicate in over 350 languages in the states, according to the U.S. government. This number is a testament to how diverse the nation truly is; the U.S. Census Bureau reports that roughly 21.7% of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English at home. Despite this percentage, many health care professionals speak only English and may have limited translation resources — which can become an issue in settings where clear communication is vital, such as a trip to the hospital or clinic.

From treatment plans to insurance, complex conversations in medical settings are inevitable. The assumption that every patient in the U.S. speaks fluent English can leave those who use it as a secondary language at a loss when navigating the health care world. Fortunately, bilingual nurses help overcome language barriers in medical settings. Educated nurses who can speak the same language as their patients can significantly improve their patients’ health care experience by making more effective communication possible. Below, discover how and why bilingual nurses are essential to the health care field.

Importance of Bilingual Nurses

Bilingual nurses are advantageous to the health care community. Their ability to speak two languages enhances patient accessibility and ensures that imperative messages don’t get lost in translation. This is both relevant and important for many reasons.

Ensure Patient Comprehension and Safety

Bilingual nurses essentially serve as nurse advocates in their role, as they enhance their patients’ understanding by communicating any medical diagnoses and treatment methods in their patients’ primary language. This communication can increase patient autonomy, as it helps them make more informed decisions. Greater comprehension of their medical standing allows the patient to choose and follow the best route of care confidently.

Improve Communication Between Patient and Health Care Team

It can be challenging to communicate ailments to medical professionals, even when patients and professionals share the same language. Expressing medical needs in an unfamiliar language can make the task feel impossible. Fortunately, having a bilingual nurse assist a non-English-speaking patient allows the patient to be understood and receive proper care. By serving as a translator and nurse, bilingual nurses support both doctors and patients in overcoming the language barriers in nursing.

Heightened Cultural Awareness

Understanding a patient’s cultural background can be of great benefit to their health care team, as someone’s cultural or religious background may influence their comfortability and preferences regarding medical processes and treatments. Bilingual nurses can fully understand and communicate a patient’s preferences and values.

Bilingual nurses may also have higher levels of cultural competence. Cultural competence in nursing is a high-priority skill that ultimately yields respectful and relevant care and greater connections between patients and professionals. Whether having learned a second language through upbringing or education, bilingual nurses may have a better understanding of cultural backgrounds and nuances, making them assets to their health care teams.

Create a More Inclusive Environment

When patients feel listened to and understood, they’re more likely to trust their care teams. Bilingual nurses can mitigate language barriers in nursing by speaking with patients in their primary languages, fostering greater understanding, trust, and respect. The more bilingual nurses a health care facility has, the more diverse people it can properly serve.

Having more nurses who speak multiple languages in a medical setting doesn’t just impact patient diversity, though. A working environment with nurses who speak different languages may also lead to increased diversity in nursing. A diverse health care environment leads to more patients seeing themselves reflected in their health care teams, laying the groundwork for stronger connections.

Salary and Job Outlook for Bilingual Nurses

What’s in store for bilingual nurses within the health care field? For bilingual individuals interested in the medical field, the salary and job outlook for bilingual nurses are promising.

Average Salary for Registered Nurses

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), registered nurses (RNs), including bilingual nurses, made a median annual salary of $86,070, or $41.38 per hour, as of May 2023.

Employment Outlook for Bilingual Nurses

The BLS projects a higher-than-average 6% job growth for RNs between 2022 and 2032. The U.S. is an increasingly multilingual nation, with the number of U.S. residents who speak a language other than English tripling between 1980 and 2019, according to census data. This will likely heighten the demand for bilingual nurses in medical settings, offering them a viable edge as they help facilities cater to a wider range of patients.

Become an Essential Role in the Health Care Field

Through equity-focused learning, the online RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program from NCCU Online prepares culturally competent nurses who center patient well-being and improve outcomes. You can foster the skills and knowledge to address today’s nursing issues, such as the need for a multilingual nurse workforce, and become a competent nursing leader.

Discover how NCCU Online can expand your skill set in a career that’s fulfilling and grounded in human connection.

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Sources:

Greenstaff Medical, Bilingual Nurses in Demand

Host Healthcare, “5 Benefits of Being a Bilingual Nurse”

The Century Foundation, “Why We Need to Cultivate America’s Multilingual, Multicultural Assets”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurses

U.S. Census Bureau, People That Speak English Less Than ‘Very Well’ in the United States

U.S. Census Bureau, Selected Social Characteristics in the United States