Effects of a Short-Term Linguistic Class on Communication Competence Of International Nurses: Implications For Practice, Policy, and Research.
Shen, Jay J.; Xu, Yu; Bolstad, Anne L.; Covelli, Margaret; Torpey, Miriam; Colosimo, Roseann
[Article] Nursing Economics. 30(1):21-28, January/February 2012.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

* International nurses face a host of challenges in their transition and adaptation to the U.S. health care environment.

* Language and communication barriers have been ranked consistently as a top concern by employers, regulatory agencies, and international nurses themselves.

* Researchers in this study examined the effects of a 10-week linguistic class on the reduction of phonologic errors affecting foreign accent in a sample of international nurses.

* The linguistic course appeared to be effective in improving the international nurses' linguistic competence by reducing their phonologic errors significantly.

* Moreover, the intervention narrowed the linguistic gap between international nurses from non-English and English-speaking countries.

* Findings from this study have important implications for practice, policy, and research regarding quality of care, as well as for the transition, job satisfaction, and retention of international nurses.

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