Language top obstacle to foreign nurses
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Sun Meiyan, who worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia for seven years, gives lessons to students at the International Nurse Training Center. Provided to China Daily |
Language is the top concern among Chinese nurses who want to work overseas, says Sun Meiyan, who worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia for seven years.
The 33-year-old is now training Chinese nurses who want to work in Saudi Arabia at the Shandong International Nurse Training Center in Weihai, Shandong province.
"English medical terms can be very challenging and it's not easy to master them," Sun says.
Sun, who majored in foreign nursing care, went through a three-month language course at the Weihai training center before working at the Almana General Hospital in Al-Hofuf, the first overseas hospital she worked at.
But she still faced many difficulties in communicating with patients during the first three months.
"The first thing we did after getting off work was to summarize and memorize new words we learned that day," Sun says.
"Usually, it will take a Chinese nurse at least six months to communicate well with the patients who will not slow down their speech just because you are a foreign nurse," Sun says.
"If you speak good English, you will be more competitive than other applicants in the job interviews," Sun says.
When interviewers from Saudi German Hospital came to Weihai to hire nurses, they chose Sun without hesitation after knowing that she had worked in Almana General Hospital for five years.
Sun instructs her students to focus on language.
Besides English, nurses who want to work in Saudi Arabia need to learn some Arabic.
"We give them 12-hour training sessions on simple Arabic before they leave for Saudi Arabia, as most elderly people in Saudi Arabia speak only Arabic," Sun says.
She also shares knowledge on local laws and culture with her students.
"Thanks to the seven-year experience in Saudi Arabia, I understand the country's laws, culture and lifestyle very well," Sun says.
Sun always tells each of her students to pay attention to their image and protect patients' privacy.
"The uniform should be washed and ironed every day," she says.
"In Saudi Arabia, a nurse's image is as important as her professional skills."
zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn
