Yet I am not here to scold us.

Have I used a family member as an interpreter before because I did not want to take the extra three minutes to pull up the interpreter on my phone and provide them — for the 10^th  time — with my name, location, and my patient’s medical record number? Yes. Have I used Google translate to prepare discharge instructions and handed them to a patient without calling an interpreter to review them verbally? Yes. Have I held up my phone with a short phrase translated into another language to have my patient read and respond with a nod or shake of their head? Yes.

I am only human, as we all are.

We work in chaotic environments where we are flooded with patients and their concerns, often asked to perform more tasks than are humanly possible to accomplish in a 12-hour shift, and we do so with limited resources. Every day there is a new rule or regulation or hospital policy put in place that we attempt to file away in our already oversaturated brains. We cannot possibly be perfect and do everything exactly as it should be done.

Yet this matter, the fundamental communication between doctor and patient, should not be  skipped. The ability to listen to and understand our patients is vital; they deserve to understand what we are saying. This is not the place to cut corners or worry about extra time and effort. This is where we must place our energy.

My point being?

Take a few extra minutes when working with your patients who speak another language. Check that their language is properly documented in the chart. Familiarize yourself with all the ways in which you can get an interpreter in your workplace. (For example, we have a phone number we can call and have a few video tablets available). Document your interpreter use. Be prepared to call an interpreter when you review results, give updates, and provide discharge paperwork.

Communicating and the art of language is just as much a part of our job as knowing the differential diagnosis and ordering the proper diagnostic studies. Remember that as you continue picking up patient after patient, you will become a better physician and one who is learning to listen.

Dr. Zvonar is a third-year resident at The Mount Sinai-Elmhurst Emergency Residency Program in New York City.