There are going to be times when you and your patient do not speak the same language. This is common especially when thinking about all of the different types of cultures and people that live in the United States. It is important to not freak out and start panicking. There are a few things that you can do to try and communicate with your patient.
One way to overcome the language barrier is to use gestures and hand movements to get the patient to mirror you. You as a radiology technologist can use visual cues to try and guide your patient into the position that you need them to be in. For example, I was with a patient who did not speak English, but after demonstrating the position that I needed her to be in, she was able to read and mirror my body language.
The next thing that a radiology technologist can do is use a language phone that hospitals have. These phones have two receivers that allow a technologist to be able to find someone who can translate for them. While they can be frustrating to use at times, it is still a patient’s right to understand a procedure.
X-ray X-pert 