Do you see ethnic tensions at work?

Nurses Relations

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Do you see ethnic tensions at work? I noticed that many nurses and doctors seem to be coming in from other countries. Many of the doctors and nurses from other countries have customs that are different from the culture of the USA.

I feel like some of the doctors and nurses seem to spend too much time either talking about the countries they left or they spend too much time talking in their languages. I also noticed sometimes the foreign nurses may mistreat patients.

If we complain about the foreign nurses, we get labeled racist. Yet the foreign nurse seem to have their own forms of racism and act disrespectful towards patients or coworkers simply because they do not have the same culture.

The most bizarre thing I ever witnessed was watching a nurse from Asia disrespect an American person of Asian descent simply because the patient was not able to speak his "native language" or the fact he spoke only English.

Another concern is about the doctors who canot speak English very well because they might mistakes and injure patients.

I hope to have a civil discussion. I would like to se everybody give opinions.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I am located in the South, and therefore, see racial/ethnic tensions of a different sort: racial refusals. We have the occasional patient or family member who refuses staff members based on race.

More often than not, it is usually an 'older' Caucasian patient who refuses African-American staff, often dropping the 'N'-word bomb along with the rejection.

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I get the impression you just want to stir the pot a bit.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

Another concern is about the doctors who canot speak English very well because they might mistakes and injure patients.

Look at the stone hurtling toward the glass house.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
I am located in the South, and therefore, see racial/ethnic tensions of a different sort: racial refusals. We have the occasional patient or family member who refuses staff members based on race.

More often than not, it is usually an 'older' Caucasian patient who refuses African-American staff, often dropping the 'N'-word bomb along with the rejection.

Just to clarify, Midwest is the same.

P.S. someone, please disable Nursingaround1 VPN code... and TOR, too. I've got 100+ pages to read and work tomorrow, and here comes the best entertainment in months:cry:

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Do you see ethnic tensions at work? I noticed that many nurses and doctors seem to be coming in from other countries. Many of the doctors and nurses from other countries have customs that are different from the culture of the USA.

I feel like some of the doctors and nurses seem to spend too much time either talking about the countries they left or they spend too much time talking in their languages. I also noticed sometimes the foreign nurses may mistreat patients.

If we complain about the foreign nurses, we get labeled racist. Yet the foreign nurse seem to have their own forms of racism and act disrespectful towards patients or coworkers simply because they do not have the same culture.

The most bizarre thing I ever witnessed was watching a nurse from Asia disrespect an American person of Asian descent simply because the patient was not able to speak his "native language" or the fact he spoke only English.

Another concern is about the doctors who canot speak English very well because they might mistakes and injure patients.

I hope to have a civil discussion. I would like to se everybody give opinions.

As a caucasian, where I work, I am in the minority. And if I had to guess, I'd guess that anywhere between 25-50% of the workforce at my hospital is originally from a different country. That said, I have not had any of the experiences that you are speaking about. Do employees often speak to each other in their native tongue when they are working together? Sure they do. Is it a problem? Not as long as they can effectively communicate in English with their English-speaking patients and coworkers. In fact, they have saved my bacon on more than one occasion by helping me to effectively communicate with my non-English speaking patients.

There's a name for what you're experiencing; it's called cultural relativism. Google it. You have a learning opportunity here that I think you should embrace.

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A perfect example I can think of is the doctors. Here a lot of our doctors come from India, and I know of the caste system over there, and there are some who bring that over here. You hear it in the way they talk to you. The words "please" and "thank you" appear to be missing from their vocabulary. In fact, they don't even ask you to do something, they tell you to do something. Maybe that's just me splitting hairs when it comes to etiquette and courtesy, but I think that just degrades the person to whom you're speaking. And the way they act - they leave charts on the desk when they're done with them so you or somebody else can clean up after them or if you ask to clarify an order, and if they deem your question stupid, they'll say something along the lines of "they don't teach this in nursing school?"

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Popcorn time for a post from a newbie?

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I'm in the PNW and Alaska. Parts of Alaska are more culturally diverse than any were else in the nation.

Hometown U: Data show Mountain View is most diverse neighborhood in America | Alaska Dispatch News

I personally haven't noticed cultural diversity being a negative in school or the workplace but then again I and most people I know place a high value on accepting the challenges of integrating multiple cultures.

I'm not gonna lie it does require a degree of flexibility and sometimes overlooking or asking for reciprocal changes in order to work better together. ie like a previous poster described doctors of a certain culture not using the same pleasantries common to Americans, or expecting others to pick up after them. There is a bluntness to many cultures that can come across as abrasive if you are not aware of where that comes from. Yes it can feel awkward, but personally I try to embrace that.

I do have one acquaintance who worked with a group of CNAs that all spoke another primary language and she felt left out. I can understand that, yet I can understand why a minority of people would converse in their primary language when given the opportunuty. It'd be a relief and hard not to join in.

I'm not saying it's wrong or right just I can understand.

I guess I'm going nowhere with this.:down:

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On its own merit, it is not an issue that whomever is of whatever ethnicity.

What gets a little tiring, however, is the powers that be using ethnicity as some sort of gold star badge of "diversity" to their own benefit.

"I am a super duper good manager because I hire culturally diverse nurses!! Aren't I the epitome of all that is warm, welcoming and awesome sauce!!"

.....and here's your bonus!!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

What amazes me is how you'll read travel tips recommending you adapt to the corresponding country, as a form of respect. YET .... here in America we cannot expect anyone to learn OUR customs /etiquette / formalities...

Expecting foreigners to learn our culture and customs? that's just racist. How DARE we even think about that. (Please read my sarcasm).

UGH. It's mind twisting.

Don't get me wrong. I love traveling and love other cultures (going to Spain soon) BUT this whole "let's not offend us" mentality doesn't even come from the foreigners .... it comes from extremely liberal Americans that say " Don't offend them ".

People in Spain will find it rude if you back away from the one kiss per cheek greet... and because I KNOW that's their custom I wouldn't be so rude to back off and extend my hand instead. I would be culturally competent and go with the flow...

There are foreigners (namely the middle east) where handshakes and direct eye contact are a NO NO... and frankly I'm tired of lousy handshakes and zero eye contact. I'm an American, we're in America.

Shake my hand and look into my eyes please. It's a sign I can trust you!.

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I am in an area where the majority of the nurses are people of color. There are few if any white people where I work. Most of the racism and discrimination is between the different ethnic groups / people of color. Actually, the majority of discrimination I witness is between the foreign born asian doctors and nurses vs. American born asian people.

I have literally witnessed an Indian born doctor tell a mixed race patient that Indian people were the hardest working immigrants and that the "American born people of color are lazy and make everybody else look bad.". Yes, this is the environment I am trying to get away from. Not trying to stir the pot. I noticed that many countries do have a caste system where the lighter skinned people are on top. The irony is that when the people who come from the caste countries arrive in America, they complain about being on the lower totem pole while disrespecting other immigrants. I also noticed that some foreign nurses and doctors have internalized racism and act nice to white people while bullying coworkers who may be perceived as being competitors simply by being from nonwhite countries or rival ethnicities. ok. if you disagree, fine. I just need this forum to vent and find direction on how to cope with my work. I have had Asian doctors insinuate that a person is a "trick baby" and ask if the father was a marine and mother was a bar girl.

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