Language barriers exacerbate healthcare disparities in Australia. For those who do not speak English proficiently, seeking medical attention can be a daunting experience.
As the number of people who speak languages other than English (LOTE) rises, finding a nurse who can communicate in the patient’s first language can provide a connection and liaison.
According to the 2021 census, more than a quarter (27.6%) of the population were born overseas, while 22.8% reported using a language other than English at home. The most common languages are Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Punjabi.
While all healthcare professionals need to demonstrate cultural competency, those who are proficient in other languages are in particular demand.
Speaking their language
Language barriers can hinder effective communication between nurses and patients – impeding their ability to collect accurate patient information, learn about their concerns and symptoms, obtain informed consent for medical treatment, and discuss medication and after-care procedures.
Nurses who are fluent in at least two languages play an essential role in breaking down these barriers and building rapport and trust. Communicating in a patient’s first language can make them feel less apprehensive about expressing their preferences and asking questions, and more likely to understand medical explanations. This improves patient compliance and outcomes and aligns with the principles of person-centred care.
Having bilingual nurses in the workforce also reduces the reliance on external interpretation services, which may not be as adept in medical terminology. Bilingual nurses can bolster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts which aim to enhance the quality of care and patient satisfaction among diverse populations. Staff with LOTE skills play a crucial role in improving health literacy among vulnerable groups and in addressing the diverse needs of multicultural communities.
Utilising their language skills also boosts a nurse’s job satisfaction. A study found that nurses who spoke the same languages as their patients felt they were having a more positive impact on their patients’ experiences, enhancing their overall care.
However, bilingual nurses can encounter a higher workload as they juggle the translation needs of the department alongside their own patients’ care. Supportive management as well as ready access to evidence-based methods and clinical decision tools can help them handle these demands while enhancing their competencies.
Nursing agencies say healthcare organisations are actively recruiting bilingual nurses, so being able to speak a language other than English is a way to stand out during the hiring and promotion processes.
Recruiting migrant nurses
One way to increase the number of bilingual nurses is to recruit foreign-trained nurses from a non-English speaking background and ensure they are practice-ready for the Australian healthcare sector.
The Federal Government has been encouraging nurses from around the world to move to Australia through the Skilled Migration program in a bid to alleviate staffing shortages. Overseas-trained nurses now make up about 20% of the nursing workforce. It is vital to equip newly arrived nurses with the skills and evidence-based knowledge, supported through orientation, training, policies, and procedures, required to deliver safe, consistent, high-quality care.
In a 2022 policy brief addressing the development of Australia’s bilingual healthcare workforce, it was recommended that Federal and State governments collaborate to bolster the number of bilingual and bicultural health practitioners in order to facilitate improved health outcomes for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Key initiatives included setting national workforce targets, enhancing data collection on changing demographics, and crafting a national competency standards framework for bilingual workers.
A culturally inclusive healthcare workforce
Healthcare organisations are being encouraged to develop Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) strategies to foster a culturally inclusive workplace and recognise the contribution made by staff from different cultures. The policy brief points to the successful introduction of cultural mediators within health systems in many other countries, including in the European Union and Canada. The approaches adopted overseas provide a model for Australia to recognise and formalise the role of bilingual and bicultural health workers.
Additional strategies include integrating language education into healthcare training programs, offering incentives such as paid study leave, and implementing mentorship programs that pair bilingual healthcare professionals with colleagues seeking to improve their language skills.
It should be emphasised that these bilingual and bicultural nurses and other clinicians are employed first and foremost for their professional skills in healthcare settings. The language and cultural skills they bring are an additional benefit.
Australian nurses operate within culturally diverse teams delivering healthcare to a multicultural population. Those with bilingual skills are becoming a critical necessity, serving as a bridge between patients and their fellow medical staff and mitigating the risk of miscommunication and medical errors. Providing those nurses with the proper support is imperative so they can deliver the best outcomes to patients from all cultural backgrounds.
Find out more about how Lippincott® Solutions can support nurses in Australia’s healthcare settings.
