Practicing a language while practising pharmacy

A typical day in pharmacy practice can be quite routine, both in our actions and our words. When communicating with patients, there are many common phrases that are used in everyday practice: “Pharmacist speaking, how can I help you?” “Do you have any allergies?” and “What symptoms are you experiencing?” are phrases that I use almost automatically in practice. As someone who grew up in a predominantly English-speaking environment and who was trained and licensed in English, I have been accustomed to using these pharmacy phrases in English. What would happen if I were to use these phrases in a language other than English? It's a question I did not think about a lot until this past year.My most recent pharmacy work experience has given me the opportunity to practise pharmacy in a primarily French-speaking environment. In the spring of last year, a pharmacy colleague shared a pharmacy manager opportunity in a rural town east of Ottawa. I expressed interest and set up an interview for the role. During the interview, one of the first questions I received was “how is your French?” I responded honestly that I hadn’t used French in almost 13 years, since high school. I was informed that most of the patients in the area spoke primarily French, however, most of them could also speak or understand English and that all the pharmacy assistants were bilingual. I eventually received an offer for the position and I decided to take on the job.Initially I was nervous about this opportunity as I had never actively spoken French outside of grade school. On the flip side, I saw this as a great opportunity to learn and practice French. As a Canadian pharmacist, it would be ideal if I could communicate and provide pharmacy services in both official languages, and the best way to learn and appreciate a language would be to immerse myself in it. This opportunity reminded me of my summer breaks in high school spent abroad in Taiwan. I was forced to speak in Mandarin Chinese to get around and gained an appreciation for the language. In my early childhood, I rarely spoke Mandarin with my family as everyone outside my home spoke to me in English. After immersing myself in the language overseas, I speak Mandarin regularly with my family now and find opportunities to practice speaking and reading. My first month on the new job was definitely an adjustment period. When I started, I had difficulty understanding anything the staff would say to each other or to patients in French. I remember feeling so afraid of being judged for my poor French but the staff and patients were very friendly, which made it easy for me to practice and learn. Sometimes, patients would use English if they noticed I was having difficulty and would encourage me to keep practicing French. Other times, I had patients who could not speak English and I would ask an assistant for help or use Google Translate. Having never practiced pharmacy in French, I struggled to find and use some of the common phrases that rolled off my tongue so easily and naturally in English. With time, I began to familiarize myself with these phrases in French and the more I practiced the language, the more confident I was in using it in my day to day practice. Having been in my job now for almost a year, I can say that my French has improved since I first started. Phrases such as “Avez-vous des allergies?” and “Est-ce que c’est un nouveau médicament pour vous?” come out more confidently. I am relying less on translation assistance (but still use it when necessary) and I go to work excited for opportunities to speak and practice French, both in person and over the phone. Outside of work, I am taking French lessons, listening to the French radio, and have changed my phone and computer settings to French to immerse myself more in the language.My recent work experience has allowed me to appreciate the process of learning and practicing a language. I have worked with many pharmacy colleagues whose first language was not English and I can now better understand the difficulties in overcoming language barriers. Having this opportunity has taught me that learning and maintaining language skills takes time and patience, similar to pharmacy practice. My continuing goal is to improve my French and to become more fluent in conversation, both inside and outside the dispensary. J'espère que vous avez apprécié cet article, à la prochaine fois! Read more blogs written by pharmacists here.

Practicing a language while practising pharmacy

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