Embrace has fundamentally changed the way I practice as a labor & delivery nurse. Working in the Atlanta area, I often encounter patients who do not speak English. Prior to Embrace, I would attempt to communicate in English if the patient seemed to understand. But now I have come to see the importance of interpretive services. Rather than seeing the language line as a last resort for those who “really don’t speak English,” I see it as a gesture of hospitality. I see it as a way to invite patients to participate in their own care, to truly feel heard, understood, and cared for in their native tongue. This change in my practice came because as an embrace volunteer, I find that healthcare providers often walk into the room and look past the patient and to me- the English speaker. I understand this tendency. It’s faster and easier for the provider, but it excludes the patient from conversations focused on them and can leave them feeling isolated and unheard. My goal as a nurse and a person is to make space for people to be heard and supported. So thank you embrace for helping me learn to do that well!
~Nila Underwood, BSN, RN
~Nila Underwood, BSN, RN
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