When a German airliner flies over Swiss airspace, guess what language the pilot and air traffic controllers are speaking? English. It's the official language of aviation worldwide. That's how it has to be.

English is also the unofficial language of business. Chinese business people study the English language diligently because they know at some point they will be dealing with British, American, Australian, South African, and others whose first language is English. It's the language of the global economy (I hate that term, it is what it is.)

I would not move to a non English speaking country and demand that they learn my language. If I lived overseas, it's always been my understanding that I'd have to learn the native language. When I lived in Jamaica for instance, I tried to learn the dialect. (That's a very difficult dialect to pick up by the way. It would have probably been easier to learn Spanish or French!)

So I don't think being bilingual should be a mandatory job requirement in this country, with a few exceptions of course. That's not to say learning a second language isn't helpful. I know a lot of business people from the UK who are very fluent in languages other than English. That's because in the UK, they start teaching foreign languages in grade school whereas here in the US, we don't offer classes like Spanish or French until high school. That's why we aren't as fluent in other languages as people from the UK. The older you are, the harder it is to learn another language. On my own, I started studying the Greek language last year in order to enhance my understanding of the New Testament. Believe me, it is difficult for an older adult. I've barely scratched the surface.

I also realize having the ability to speak other languages does seem to make an impression on some employers and it does give a small percentage of applicants a competitive advantage in certain businesses. For instance, it's especially helpful in the travel and hotel industries when dealing with foreign tourists and business people. I get it. But beyond that, requiring someone to be bilingual to be considered for a job because that particular business has dealings with people who want to live here but just don't want to learn the English language? No. Absolutely not.

I think making second language as a requirement for medical positions in American hospitals is just wrong. If there is a need for an interpreter. Hire an interpreter. Especially, if you consider, there is a shortage of qualified nurses and doctors in this country. The second language requirement is just exacerbating the problem.

If there is a need for certain specialized workers, medical as one example, or engineering is another, in my opinion, immigration is a plus for our country. It is good for the economy. If you look at other highly developed countries, they don't have the political luxury like our country. These countries have low economic growth, and high employment. With their aging population, these countries eventually will face economic decline, and lower standard of living because they do not have the necessary human resources. I just don't see that for our country.

With that being said, I think our government need to do a better job at educating everyone about where labor shortages are, and make resources available for people to pursue the qualifications needed for those jobs. Eventually, the shortages won't be shortages.

Nancy, I am a 48 yr old woman who applied to the U.S. Navy severval times to be a doctor, plastic surgeon for Real cases, not cosmetic. Even though no answer nor hire except my fight against 'too old', keep with it. The medical field, if you are knowledgable about industries, can be the best venture for one. Good luck.

Nancy I know what you are thinking and talking about. Lets quickly do the educational system. 30-32 people start RN class with you. 14 people will graduate with you. And now only 7 of you will pass the state board and get a RN, MA, or PA license. The failure rate is very high in the medical profession. Even my paramedic fire rescue class started 33 men and women of which 6 of us passed the board and got on the street. So this is why so many people are being attracted to the U. S. A in medicine. Clearly 1/2 of the nursing staff at one Atlanta hospital is from the Islands or Africa. But that's how things go...... The medical profession shortage keeps me employed and never out of work long.

It is my understanding that heathcare industry is a constant growth industry and has been for several years. It is thought that the demand will eventually outgrow the resourses. The real question in this case should be how qualified are these hirees. If society can't keep up with the demand then in any case of shortage of resources, outside sources will is always be the avenue for meeting the demand.

Hello, everyone:

Well, I'll offer my personal perspective on this topic. I am very much interested in pursuing a career in Allied Healthcare as either a Medical Receptionist, Medical Administrative Assistant, or Medical Records Clerk. I went back to school in September 2012, and enrolled in an accelerated online program for Medical Administrative Assistant. I did this all online, and successfully graduated from the program in June of 2013. Since my graduation, I have been unable to find a position that is Entry-Level, although I have had several very good interviews. It seems that many healthcare employers demand 3 to 5 years of experience, which leaves me wondering how a college graduate with a CGPA of 4.0 is able to BEGIN to acquire this experience, when healthcare employers won't take the chance on hiring Entry-Level applicants. Adding to the frustration, is the fact that a lot of healthcare employers expect those of us that are Medical "Administrative" Assistants to be schooled and trained in a wide variety of "clinical" duties such as Phlebotomy, Venipuncture, and Medication Management. It is more cost effective for the employer to have a Medical Assistant who is able to perform both administrative AND clinical duties, rather than hire a phlebotomist to do blood draws, and a Medical Assistant to handle the CLINICAL aspects. I was not trained in any of the CLINICAL aspects of Medical Assisting, only the Administrative end of the spectrum... and so I'm under-qualified. As for my personal opinion about "reliance on immigrant labor", it makes no difference to me what the particular race of a healthcare worker happens to be... if the employee is not "LEGAL", then they will not have a job in a direct caregiver position. If one is qualified and properly licensed to work within the field of healthcare, then I don't give a shit what their ethnicity happens to be.

I haven't thought about this but I heard it was a great idea for people who were interested into health care. Growing in health care and the immigration options should help people who really are trying to care for others especially if they have special needs

I have 25 years of experience working as a X-Ray Tech and also cross-trained in medical assisting. Most of the jobs where I live in Chicago require you to speak either Spanish, or sometimes Polish/Russian. I have only been able to find a temporary, part-time jobs in my field. This is going on 9 years now. I'll move from here when I am able and try to never come back. Chicago is cold, high taxes, and no jobs.

I only do housekeeping only