Somali (Maternity) Patients

[- Femme -]

Hello,

 

I sometimes read a popular nursing board and recently came across this thread discussing Somali maternity patients. I highlighted a few points:

 

The issues seem to be regarding infant bonding and also the mother's self cares after delivery. None of the patients we have had are interested in holding their babies. At all. In fact, they act almost angry when you ask them to hold the baby.

 

Then, the nurses feel like the patients are very demanding and rude to them in the postpartum area. I feel like that probably relates to the language barrier, but it is leaving a very bad taste the nurses' mouths. The patients also do not want to get out of bed and very dependent on the nurses for every little thing.

They were very loud also, and even screamed, wailed, closed their legs and grabbed the caregivers hands with extremely gently cervical exams. They would refuse male caregivers which sometimes meant a very increased workload if the only female available was a postpartum nurse because the other was a male CNA. They will refuse even for males to enter their rooms. And here they don't move or do things for themselves either.

They are often very vocal in labour and wail throught labour very loudly. They will remove the hijab whilst in labour but the rest of the long gons they often keep

I have worked with Somali pts in the chronic outpt hemodialysis setting and they are the same way- angry, rude, demanding, push staff away from them. This happens with pts who are strong and pretty healthy not at all acute, so I don't think it's related to the pain/stress of birth.

I've wittnessed Somalis hit staff and spit at them.

 

I just think that their culture is very different- very unique..

Wow. Doesn't sound very good does it?

[Che -Guevara]

These people have been snoozing in their HIPAA course or seminars (I'm assuming they are yanks).

[Juxa]

well beentood maaha umadaan somalida ah are very difficult but nonetheless waa shaqadooda so they should get on it.

 

ps: hooyo somali wont refuse to hold her baby grrrrrrrrrrr how dare they?

[- Femme -]

Juxa;733563 wrote:

well beentood maaha umadaan somalida ah are very difficult but nonetheless waa shaqadooda so they should get on it.

 

ps: hooyo somali wont refuse to hold her baby grrrrrrrrrrr how dare they?

You really believe that Juxa? I bet you won't tolerate difficult/rude people at your workplace but nurses are supposed to suck it up and "get on with it"? My job is not to coddle pts but to help them get better.

 

Che, it's not violating HIPAA as long as there aren't any pt identifiers. They are talking in general terms and no personal information has been given.

 

Anyway - I find that a lot of people, Somalis or not, are getting very rude and entitled. There is no respect anymore and people view the hospital as a hotel and themselves as customers instead of patients. If more and more nurses leave the bedside in the coming years I wouldn't be suprised. I certainly would not be staying there.

[ElPunto]

^Nursing is not like working at Walmart or being an accountant. You're dealing with sick, ailing, stressed out ppl and their families. Your patience and tolerance must necessarily be sky-high. If you're going to be offended or pissed off in these situations regularly - maybe nursing isn't the best career for you(not you specifically). I'm not saying one should tolerate the intolerable but you have to be able to cope and then gently inform your patients what and where the boundaries are. From personal experience - I find too many nurses have become desensitized and utterly lack any raxmad or sit at the nursing stations and just chitchat away when the call button is ringing or when patients actually need them.

 

I'm not sure I see a huge difference between a customer and patient. At the end of the day - you want both of them to leave healthy and happy with the service provided. Clearly nurses aren't paid enough to be personal maids to patients but then you can still view the patient as a customer without necessarily being slavish.

[NGONGE]

Silly nurses with their sweeping generalisations.

[Juxa]

Femme abaayo no one knows about rude somali than i do, believe me kibir iyo edab daro bey isku darsadeen.

 

Having said that here in the UK the nurses themselves are rude, arrogant and every other day there are reports of inappropriate care given to patients. I have seen myself they ignore expectant somali mothers intentionally when they see they cant speak english. at labour ward i have seen them refusing to give them pain killers or leaving them by themselves for hours.

 

I would personally expect nurses to be little bit passionate about what they do and have little compassion.

[Malika]

Somali's against the world huh? If its not the nurses, its the teachers, police, housing officers,welfare officers, social workers, employers, neighbours, communities etc etc. Yaa Salaam!

 

I wonder if Somalis were this rude back home? I know in other parts of Africa you dare be rude to the midwife, wey kuu dilbaxii..lol

[NGONGE]

^^ Are you rude to nurses, teachers, police or neighbours? Is Juxa? How about Femme?

Some Somalis are rude (exaclty like some cadaan, madow or tima jilic are). But, by nature, Somalis are only ever rude to each other not other people. Femme should go wild in that nursing forum and tell them what's what (or is she worried they might think she's being rude?).

[Malika]

^My daughter says, am rude to people - especially to shop assistants, other drivers.. and am a diluted kinda of Somali..

[NGONGE]

^^ Daughters don't count. If you tell them to clean their room, they think you're rude.

[Kool_Kat]

Most Somalis are rude! Even their body language is rude...I'm glad I am not in a field where I have to deal with dadkeena on daily basis! Igu soo roor ma'aha...

 

With that said, most nurses I came across have not been on the nice side either...I find most of them to be rude, impatient and insensative at times...Some even lack a sense of professionalism...Marka waa isku fiican yihiin, or as I like to say it "jug iyo mac ee isku yihiin"!

[- Femme -]

Nope, not passionate. It's just a job. It's wrong to assume people in health care have a 'calling'. I do my job well but the moment my shift ends 'Adios baby, I'm out' and I've already forgotten about everyone and everything.

 

Anyway the thread was about Somali patients and I'm not really talking about them specifically but patients in general. Patients are often times rude, familys are nightmares from hell, doctors are arrogant fools, and managers were created purely for entertainment. Wow, another diversion. *coming off a nightshift and can't sleep*

 

El Pulno, what experience are you talking about? I hope you realize in that in every profession, there are good and bad. And to be honest if a perfectly able bodied pt calls me in for ****** reason *pull up my blanket, hand me the remote, help me sit up, etc* yeah I'm going to take my time coming to the room. I don't need that bullshit when I have six billion other important things to do on a very busy, acute floor.

 

P.S. I don't have a problem with people who are rude to everyone - but if you are rude to nurses but are sweet as sugar to the doctors, your visitors, family members etc. Then yeah - that's a big NO NO.

[Jacpher]

And to be honest if a perfectly able bodied pt calls me in for ****** reason *pull up my blanket, hand me the remote, help me sit up, etc* yeah I'm going to take my time coming to the room. I don't need that bullshit when I have six billion other important things to do on a very busy, acute floor.

If you're not a people person, perhaps, a change of career would be a suggestion. As the old saying goes, it ain't personal and the customer is always right. It's your business to a provide a quality care service to your patients. Not drag your feet around when they buzz you for assistance. Somali, Chinese, White, Yellow, Green, doesn't matter. You are there to give comfort and quality care patient care. If that's ain't your thing, get out of the kitchen. I am glad Somalis are learning to get what's theirs and not take crap from no one. I have seen so many my qoxooti beebol lagu abuse gareeyo everywhere. I have seen gabar soomaaliyeed oo madaxa looga jiro oo large hospital lagula dhaqmaayo like xoolo. Other nurses pretending nothing of it until loo report gareeyay head of the department. Marka sometimes it pays to be difficult. Asking the nurses inay hayyaan baby-ga over night while the mother rests the first night ma aha baby naceyb. Or asking for extra barkin, shukumaan etc. Those come with the job.

 

Waxaan la yaabaa qof dumar oo dhowr female doctors la socon jireen oo aheyd inay ka dhaliyaan baa the last minute loo diyaarinaa male doctor inuu ka dhaliyo? How stupidh of them especially when they knew for nine long months this patient and previous years has always asked for a female doctor? Hodhoow baad maqli yagoo ku xamanaaya waa difficult patient.

[- Femme -]

^LOL. Good luck coming in with that attitude. And NO, the customer is not always right. Remember, this is not Burger King, you can't always have it your way.

 

If a femaledoctor is not available, tough cookies. What are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to anticipate the time of your birth and make sure to have a female doc? If they want female care - midwifery is an option. A midwife can deliver in hospital too - so that covers the safety issue.

 

We can't accomodate everyone's request.

 

BTW, I'm not a maternity nurse.