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Fluency in a second language is a huge asset for a travel nurse, no matter where you plan to work — but finding the time to learn one is a challenge. With a hectic schedule and long shift hours, taking a class online or in person may be out of the question, and the cost of a software program may also deter you (especially if you don’t have the time to dedicate to it).
Though you may not be speaking full phrases and sentences at the beginning, there are ways to improve your current skills so you can better communicate with patients and their families. Read on for tips on learning a new language.
Start using a language dictionary
Sure, it’s an old school way to learn a language, but buying an inexpensive dictionary, such as an English/Spanish dictionary, and keeping it at the nurses’ station is an effective way to start picking up the words and phrases you need most.
Save yourself time and add markers to pages with the most frequently used words at the beginning, then remove them once you’ve memorized those words and choose new ones to work on. You can always look up words online to translate them, but thumbing through a book and seeing the phrases in print can help you visualize them and learn them more quickly — and you’ll always have every word you need in one book. Encourage your coworkers to use the dictionary whenever they need to as well so that you’re all learning together.
Download a language app that reminds you to practice
One reason many people can’t master a language is that it’s easy to give up or forget to use the words you’ve learned so you don’t lose them. If you need extra motivation, download an app like Duolingo, which offers courses in 15 different languages. The program is split into short lessons so you can choose what you’d like to learn (e.g., words for transportation, infinitives) and set up like a game. You earn points when you complete lessons and lose “lives” when you miss questions, which motivates you to keep going and learning the words correctly. Duolingo also sends you daily notifications or emails to remind you to practice and teaches you to read, write, speak and correctly hear and identify words in another language.
Write alternate words above objects in your home
While you probably can’t write cama over a patient’s bed or baño on the restroom door at work, you can make your home into a visual reminder of the language you’re learning. Use sticky notes to label objects throughout your apartment with the corresponding word in another language and pronounce them out loud whenever you see them. It may seem silly, but it will help you remember the new words and bring the phrase to mind when a patient asks for food or needs medicine.
Try speaking only in another language when you can
It’s easy to memorize certain key phrases, but it’s much more difficult to master tense, sentence structure and verb forms. Force yourself to get better at speaking complete sentences by starting a conversation with someone who speaks the language you’re learning and not letting yourself revert back to English. While it’s not a good idea to practice on a patient until you’re more fluent, you can find a coworker or friend who speaks a language and ask them to only talk to you in that language — even for just five minutes or so. It will help you understand the rhythm of it and feel more comfortable speaking it to others, in addition to helping you with the trickier conjugations.
Make a goal to memorize 100 words in a new language
It might seem like an overwhelming goal to have 100 words completely mastered, but not if you break it down into chunks every week. You might start with 10 new words every week, for example, and then realize that you can easily learn 20 words per week. As a nurse, you may want to start with health-related words, such as medicina (medicine), dolor (pain) and enfermera/enfermero (female/male nurse), and then memorize other important terms. You’ll find that once you have even 100 words mastered, it’ll be easier to continue learning the language.
Being bilingual will give you a step up in your travel nurse jobs and help you to better understand and empathize with your patients. Read Tips for Talking to Patients Who Don’t Speak English for more ideas, and share your suggestions for learning a new language below!
