Racism in Nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a Cardiac Monitor Technicican at the best facility in a suburban facility. I've been there 5 years. It used to be a big trauma center, but they had to merge with upmc so it is just a community hospital basically it is a nursing home with a E.R. But anyway i'm African American and I want to be a nurse. I have been in the Nursing field for the last ten years of my life. Working in this field with the majority of the field being middle aged white women and the new white 21-30 year old girls. It is very hard working with these people especially when the are so prejudice or bias. They try to make you feel inferior or something. It's like they can't stand the fact that i want to be a nurse or that i have the facility paying my way to become a nurse. I mean i never knew how much racism there is in this field until i started working in the field. It is very said. It is even with patient care. I see why there is such a huge health desparity. It is crazy. I know because i see it everyday. I hear nurses say BAD things all day about their patients. Make bad jokes about the patients, STEROtype patients, judge their patients. A lot of the nurses i work with are just down right rude to their patients. I can't actually say it is seems to mean that a lot of the nurses are burned out but can't afford to retire or just don't want to. Some nurse on my floor have been there for over 30 years. Some don't even own stethoscopes on a critical care floor. Now how said is that.

Anyway sometimes i find myself getting intimidated of these people but i have never seen a group of evil spirited people. Some of them just make me sick. But on the other hand there are some excellent nurses there too. That actually care about their patients no matter what status they are or what color. That's the kind of nurse i will become.

This is 2008 and i think it is time to shape up or get out of the business. I quess there will always be health care desparitites i don't know but i will try to make a difference once i become a rn.

Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

I'm just curious, has any of these Caucasian nurses ever said that the reason they make you feel inferior is because of your race, or is it maybe that they are licensed nurses and they feel that they have the education and skills that you are still learning as a student? I'm not doubting you because I'm not there, but not everything is about race.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

Also, I have to say that my boss is African American, and that woman knows how to run a floor better than a lot of other unit managers I've seen. No one looks at her and sees her skin color, they see a strong woman who knows how to get it done!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
SICU Queen said:
Also, if there was nothing more to the encounter than what you've written as quoted above, then your statement "Next thing she will know, I will be her boss." is rather unsettling. What are you going to do? Make her life miserable and then fire her because she's white and asked you about your career plans? Please fill us in on the unspoken details... because the way you've written what's quoted above makes you sound just as racist as the people that the OP is talking about.

Umm... how in the world do I sound racist? I may have written little about the incident, but I never said I was going to do anything to her. Just because I disagree with her and stated that I will be her boss some day (because I will) does not mean I will do so to exact revenge! What in my statement brought you to that conclusion????? My ambitions and goals in life have nothing to do with her or any others I encounter outside of my family.

To all that do not know, minorities can have ambition, goals and move into management without turning around and acting unprofessional to those outside of his/her ethnic group. I am just as capable, educated, talented, and professional as any other American with the same aspirations (if not more). If anyone is "hypersensitive" it is you and those that thanked you. :icon_roll

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People please...get OVER it! Nurses are strong minded and opinionated people... generally a tough crowd. Personal sensitivities need to be left at home. If you can't accept this then maybe nursing is not the right career choice for you. I am bi-racial and stating that white people are out to get you is a bit overstated. Racism exists sure, that probably will always be..however before you point a finger look within yourself..I am sure there is room for personal growth.

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sierra1227 said:
People please...get OVER it! Nurses are strong minded and opinionated people... generally a tough crowd. Personal sensitivities need to be left at home. If you can't accept this then maybe nursing is not the right career choice for you. I am bi-racial and stating that white people are out to get you is a bit overstated. Racism exists sure, that probably will always be..however before you point a finger look within yourself..I am sure there is room for personal growth.

Careful, Careful, honeybunch, we really haven't gotten over the field vs the house (you know what yet!) Get out of nursing, no we need more diversity in nursing, right? That healthcare racial disparity thing, is not of anyone's imagination, right? Too many of us are getting out of nursing, last I heard that wasn't good for those left. I, however, see it as job security, IMHO.:redbeathe

unemployed RN

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Specializes in SICU.
MBA2BRN said:
Umm... how in the world do I sound racist? I may have written little about the incident, but I never said I was going to do anything to her. Just because I disagree with her and stated that I will be her boss some day (because I will) does not mean I will do so to exact revenge! What in my statement brought you to that conclusion????? My ambitions and goals in life have nothing to do with her or any others I encounter outside of my family.

To all that do not know, minorities can have ambition, goals and move into management without turning around and acting unprofessional to those outside of his/her ethnic group. I am just as capable, educated, talented, and professional as any other American with the same aspirations (if not more). If anyone is "hypersensitive" it is you and those that thanked you. :icon_roll

Nah, I'm definitely not hypersensitive. Been around too long for that.

The whole tone in your post is what brought me to that conclusion that you could POSSIBLY be sounding racist. Again, I'm asking for some clarification of your story because, again, your story sounds to me like you got upset that a white instructor dared to ask you questions. Why was it insulting for this instructor to be asking you questions? Would it have been better if she'd been black? Why are you laughing about the fact that you're (supposedly) going to be her boss someday, if not to use your position for some sort of retributive process, and if that's not the case, then why mention it?

Honestly, I am rather perturbed at the increasingly common practice of white people being accused of racism simply because they're white, and thus being treated or judged in a manner that is not befitting of the situation. If that's not racism in itself, then I don't know what is.

As to your statement about "minorities can have ambition, goals... without turning around and acting unprofessional...", well that just smacks of posturing. This is not a lecture hall. There is no audience here that needs to be convinced of what you're saying - this thread already indicates that we all respect and support ANY good nurse, no matter what his or her color. We don't need you on some racial high horse to tell us how to act. NO one here is saying that you, or any other minority, are not capable, talented, intelligent, or that you don't have the ability to be an amazing nurse. Is your self-esteem at such a low level that you feel the need to prove something?

So, if there's nothing more to your story, then I'd like to know why a white woman can't ask you questions without you being offended by it? Please, do tell. Because, AGAIN, if there's more to this story - like maybe she was being rude, or she's treated your poorly in the past - that would possibly lend some credence to your response, then I'd love to hear it and at that point will be happy to agree (somewhat) with your reaction . Otherwise, I think you ARE being hypersensitive.

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My recommendation for success (for the original poster) is to ignore race altogether (it will drive some people totally nuts!). Think of yourself as a person who is sincerely trying to do the best possible care for all patients. Strive to excel in all that you do, but neither blame nor credit successes and failures on race, sex, age, or anything beyond what those successes and failures represent. Successes mean you are doing something well, and failures mean there is a need to change strategy (strategery?) a little bit or a lot, depending on the circumstances. It's all about learning and doing the best we can for our patients.

There will always be those who will find fault; if their fault finding is not justified, ignore it and keep moving forward. There are always those who attempt to attach race, age, sex, etc. to everything. This is quite apparent as we read of the statistically longer ER wait times for certain groups, as though the ER's intentionally make certain people wait longer because they are a certain color, sex, age, etc. Do not buy into that crap; just do your very best as much as possible, and hone your "people skills" tro a point where nobody can legitimately find fault.

Best regards as you move onward and upward in Nursing!

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
WindyHill said:
It's interesting that you say that, b/c sometimes I think that this particular attitude is the major thing that causes me to be ambitious. It's true, people will always criticize you no matter what.

Prejudice is instinctual behavior to all people, and it has always been that way - color vs color, rich vs poor, educated vs non-educated, and the list goes on. We all have prejudices, even if they are subconscious. I believe people who display prejudice, whether it be racial or social, are guilty of their own insecurities. We tend to dislike what we do not understand, and what we cannot attain. Jealousy and envy become prejudice. We can't cure it, even with legislation. I don't feed it by showing attitude in return, and I stopped apologizing a long time ago. Stay on the path, sounds like you are headed in the right direction. Along the way, however, you will encounter people who dislike you because you are too smart, or too rich, or because you live in "uppidy" side of town. Can't escape it....

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
SICU Queen said:
Nah, I'm definitely not hypersensitive. Been around too long for that.

The whole tone in your post is what brought me to that conclusion that you could POSSIBLY be sounding racist. Again, I'm asking for some clarification of your story because, again, your story sounds to me like you got upset that a white instructor dared to ask you questions. Why was it insulting for this instructor to be asking you questions? Would it have been better if she'd been black? Why are you laughing about the fact that you're (supposedly) going to be her boss someday, if not to use your position for some sort of retributive process, and if that's not the case, then why mention it?

Honestly, I am rather perturbed at the increasingly common practice of white people being accused of racism simply because they're white, and thus being treated or judged in a manner that is not befitting of the situation. If that's not racism in itself, then I don't know what is.

As to your statement about "minorities can have ambition, goals... without turning around and acting unprofessional...", well that just smacks of posturing. This is not a lecture hall. There is no audience here that needs to be convinced of what you're saying - this thread already indicates that we all respect and support ANY good nurse, no matter what his or her color. We don't need you on some racial high horse to tell us how to act. NO one here is saying that you, or any other minority, are not capable, talented, intelligent, or that you don't have the ability to be an amazing nurse. Is your self-esteem at such a low level that you feel the need to prove something?

So, if there's nothing more to your story, then I'd like to know why a white woman can't ask you questions without you being offended by it? Please, do tell. Because, AGAIN, if there's more to this story - like maybe she was being rude, or she's treated your poorly in the past - that would possibly lend some credence to your response, then I'd love to hear it and at that point will be happy to agree (somewhat) with your reaction . Otherwise, I think you ARE being hypersensitive.

I do not have to explain the entire situation in detail because I was not talking to someone like you who may not understand such situations.... I was talking to the OP and trying to SUPPORT the OP. If you re-read my original post with that in mind you might have a clue to what I had written.

First, I mentioned a co-worker who was negative and threatened by my ambition. I did not state her COLOR, RACE, or NATIONALITY. Instead my example was turned into something negative because it had a "bad" tone. The tone was "bad" to you because I stated that I would be her boss someday???? Give me a break! :bugeyes:

As for my second post, I was commenting on the fact that you made too many assumptions about what I wrote and NO WHERE in my original post made the assertions you stated. Period. Secondly, my second post was not a put down of white people. It was to point out to you and others that think like you (people --not necessarily whites---who turned my original post into something negative and "scary" possibly because a black person wrote it) that black people can be professional and are in NO WAY different then anyone else when it comes to dreams, goals, and aspirations that we can achieve as fellow Americans. Again, something positive rather then negative.

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