Managing Multilingual Training

The ethnic composition of the U.S. is changing faster and faster. According to the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine, “Minoritized individuals account for 50% of the population of those 18 years and younger. If current trends continue, minoritized individuals will account for a majority of the U.S. population between 2042 and 2045.”

Diversity With a Capital “D”

Whether in the exam room or the optical, eyecare professionals need to speak the language(s) of their patients. That means they must conduct multilingual optical training as well.

This a challenge Damaris Raymondi, O.D., has met head-on at Sur Eye Care, located in the heart of Jackson Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, NY, that the BBC once referred to as “one of the most diverse places on Earth.”

“Our seven employees reflect that diversity,” says Dr. Raymondi. “Other than English, we speak Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, French, and Hindi. We all serve as interpreters in our small, 700-square-foot office.”

Here, she shares how she handles multilingual training in her practice.

Talking The Talk

→ WHY. “Having an interpreter or speaker who is knowledgeable about eye health and, of course, optical is so important. It ensures that our message is not lost in translation. It also allows for our patients to receive the highest-possible quality of care.”

→ WHO. “I grew up speaking Spanish at home, so I go over terms and do role-playing with Spanish-speaking team members myself.”

→ PATIENTS + PATIENCE. “Our team has to educate patients a lot in terms of eye care, and they have to exhibit patience as well.”

→ SUPPORT + ALTERNATE. “As interpreters, we take turns and support one another.”

→ STEREOTYPES. “Training includes reminding the team that stereotypes cannot dictate what they present.”

→ MYOPIA. “I’ve made a lot of my own brochures in English and Spanish, especially those that inform our patients about myopia management.”

→ MEDICATIONS. “With any new medication, I ask reps to provide flyers in Spanish and Chinese as well as English.”

→ CULTIVATING COMMUNITY. “With our Hispanic community, once you do a great job on one patient, the rest of the family will come.”

→ ASIAN PATIENTS. “The amazing thing about our Asian community is that those with school-aged children come in already knowing about myopia management. That makes things very simple for our team when it comes to presenting them with treatment options.”

How does she feel about her admittedly complicated approach? “I love our multilingual community. While it can be a little chaotic at times, it’s a beautiful chaos.”