Yes, Holly, this is a tricky situation. What frustrates me is that, as a nurse, I would never attempt to perform a clinical skill unless I was 100% competent which means having the skill verified by a clinical supervisor. It seems to me that clinicians are simply over-confident with their language skills. They need to understand that it is great that they can greet a patient and introduce themselves, but that when it comes to communicating clinical information (history, physical assessment, patient education, etc.), they need to defer to the expert (i.e., interpreter). It is good that you stayed on-site, this is the best for patient safety. I don’t know that there is an easy way to address this type of issue with the provider in the moment. And if the person is, as you say, abrasive then perhaps you should not address it with the provider at all. However, it is a good idea to find out WHO the proper person would be that you could mention it to tactfully (e.g., charge nurse, risk management, etc.).
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