ER nurse manager racist/sexist?

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Hello I am an Asian male nursing student in Hawaii. I am concerned about a ER nurse manager at a large hospital. This past summer, I applied for a internship like program and got no calls, no emails, no interviews, no contact what so ever when we were suppose to get at least an interview by what the program description said at our school. It is kind is skeptical. My asian (male/female) and male Caucasian classmates who applied there, and those who had "asian" names had the same things happen to them, NO CONTACT period.

Some of these classmates were ACLS, EKG, and had other certifications and some of them even worked at this large hospital for 2 years as a unit clerk in another department so they know the system of the hospital. Some of these classmates had no experience or ACLS and EKG, etc.

We all found out that the nurse manager hired two Caucasian females who had no prior experience working in a hospital, no ACLS, no EKG certifications. Now, for our last semester of nursing school, which we graduate in spring 2009, for our complex semester, the same Caucasian female had been interviewed again by the same nurse manager and offered the complex position at the ER in this large hospital, while ignoring other Asian classmates and male Caucasians. I found out the nurse manager did call other Caucasian females though.

Does this seem like a racists/sexist behavior by the nurse manager? What do I do? I emailed my professor who is coordinating the last semester complex assignents but I'm awaiting for her response. For next semester, I chose 1) ICU, 2) ER, 3) Telemetry.

Just a thought and I have no intentions on offending anybody, if I got my NP degree, would I be able to have easier time dealing with this type of behavior? Like for example, would I be able to have more legal heirachal power over this person? (THIS IS JUST A THOUGHT AND I DONT INTEND ON BEING AN A-HO

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Specializes in dialysis (mostly) some L&D, Rehab/LTC.

Sounds fishy to me...isn't there a large Asian population there tho? Not sure of my facts!

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The practitioners normally answer to the medical staff, not nursing, so I think that no, you would not have more "control," but, since med has more pull than nursing, it could shake out that way.

I don't know what her problem is. Or if she has one. You don't have all of the facts, either, so I would be wary of assuming that it's discrimination. It might well be, but that's quite hard to prove.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Having visited Hawaii on several occasions, the Asians and those with Asian-sounding names are in the majority. Unless you have your facts in order, I would just continue on and continue to apply. Also, you stated you have ACLS and EKG classes - are you RNs? I wasn't aware that students could take ACLS? At any rate, if you are in school, I'm sure you've learned to pick your battles. Personally, this one doesn't seem winnable.

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Specializes in FNP-C.
Having visited Hawaii on several occasions, the Asians and those with Asian-sounding names are in the majority. Unless you have your facts in order, I would just continue on and continue to apply. Also, you stated you have ACLS and EKG classes - are you RNs? I wasn't aware that students could take ACLS? At any rate, if you are in school, I'm sure you've learned to pick your battles. Personally, this one doesn't seem winnable.

Yes, majority of the population here in Hawaii are Hawaiians/Asians. Sorry I did not mean to state that I personally have my ACLS or EKG, I have none of them. My classmates took EKG classes from the hospital and the ACLS I don't really remember where they got it from. I believe the students who got their EKG and ACLS was when they were working for the hospital before as aides/techs in certain departments and their managers offered it to the nursing students. I am not yet an RN but a student in the BSN program finishing the last year.

You're right Trauma, I don't have any evidential facts together and yes it seems that this situation is not winnable by myself. Especially politically at this stage in my time of being a nursing student, I have no power. I will continue to apply though in the future. Although my ultimate goal is to get into an ACNP program and I believe ICU experience would be more beneficial. Its just that I wanted to get some experience working in an ER.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
Yes, majority of the population here in Hawaii are Hawaiians/Asians. Sorry I did not mean to state that I personally have my ACLS or EKG, I have none of them. My classmates took EKG classes from the hospital and the ACLS I don't really remember where they got it from. I believe the students who got their EKG and ACLS was when they were working for the hospital before as aides/techs in certain departments and their managers offered it to the nursing students. I am not yet an RN but a student in the BSN program finishing the last year.

You're right Trauma, I don't have any evidential facts together and yes it seems that this situation is not winnable by myself. Especially politically at this stage in my time of being a nursing student, I have no power. I will continue to apply though in the future. Although my ultimate goal is to get into an ACNP program and I believe ICU experience would be more beneficial. Its just that I wanted to get some experience working in an ER.

Without having either ACLS or EKG experience it may make it difficult to make your point that you should have been interviewed for this position but I believe you do have the right to ask the hospital to put in writing why you were not considered for the position or granted an interview. But most likely they are going to say it was because you don't have EKG or ACLS experience (even if the people who were hired didn't either) I think some fellow posters on here will agree with me that anything to do with hospitals, hospital HR and hospital positions has a certain degree of politics associated with it and sometimes its all in who you know. I'm not saying that this is the case for all hospitals and all situations but I think its definitely not uncommon. Sometimes getting into internships and really good positions in a hospital require you to take an entry level position first or volunteer for the hospital in order to get an "in" so to speak. Good luck!

!Chris :specs:

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Specializes in FNP-C.
Without having either ACLS or EKG experience it may make it difficult to make your point that you should have been interviewed for this position

Thanks for the reply! But we were told that we were not required to have ACLS or EKG prior to going into the ER because the hospital will provide classes for them before we start working in the internship position. So I was really bumbed after all this.

I just had to suck it up and tell myself that after I grad and get an RN license, it may be easier for me to get certifications and be more qualified in the positions I want to work in such as the ER or ICU. :mad:

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Sorry to hear about your situation. Even though there's no evidence of discrimination that you can prove, but I personally find it hard to swallow that. Being a person of color myself, I think we are more sensitive when it comes to issues like this. If I were you, I would go to the HR and ask the HR manager why I did not get a call or interview, and so forth. Sometimes, being the minority, you have to be more aggressive, or else you will be brushed aside. Also, I would try to apply elsewhere if the hospital doesn't have a slight interest in me (or have their own favoritism), I would not waste my time.

Good luck to you! Don't give up hope yet!

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Specializes in Operating Room.

i always think that the best way to get a job or at least a job interview is to go to the unit and speak with the manager. be aggressive and confident. go up to the clerk and ask nicely to speak to the manager regarding your application. a face to face is usually whats needed for someone to see who you really are. Since nursing school, i have worked in 3 different hospitals, and all 3 times I walked my application into the manager bypassing HR for some face time. Granted all 3 places spoke to me briefly and instructed me to bring my app to HR, they all had an idea of who i was and what i was about. that helped me get the job quicker than someone who just went through the HR route. then again, that ER manager might just be racist. You never know.

Read my blog

p1malenurse.blogspot.com

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

My question for the original poster is this. After you submitted your application did you get a call back from anyone? Someone from HR? Someone from the ER? Did you get an interview with anyone at all? If you didn't get an interview with anyone (either someone from HR or the ER manager) then its most likely that HR didn't put your application through, this would mean that you need to call HR directly and keep reminding them that your interested. Hospital HR depts. are notorious for taking a long time to call people back. Call them and remind them, then give it three or four days and call again until you can get someone to do something. In the meantime, you should do everything you can to buff up your skills and make you stick out from other candidates. Take a class in something that could help you get the job, become certified and find out volunteer opportunities so you can start to meet people and make connections to help to find the job that you want. Good luck!

!Chris :specs:

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May I propose. for consideration, the potential "other side"?

My son and step son were both stationed in HI. There is a *HUGE* animosity issue over there with the whites....ie: "Why don't you go back to the Mainland?!" Is it possible that this manager is encouraging "minority" hiring?

Too often traditional minorities attempt to "blame" racism for issues instead of searching for a genuine cause. I hear about so much "discrimination" accusations in states like Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi....YET, the African Americans are not only the majority of the population, they also hold the majority of the political positions!

I am not saying that is isn't racism.....I am saying there may be an entirely different decision making process that you are unaware of.

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It sounds like she might've known the females she hired.

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