Everyone is white?

[eacue]

I am posting this because I need some feedback. I work at a SW Florida hospital and well just like the title says, everyone is white lol. The entire executive team, all the board members, and to be honest, in a department with over 50 employees, I am the only minority. The hospital has this website where staff can post questions to upper management and then they post an answer. I am tempted to ask why the disparity however to be honest I am afraid that I will be terminated if I do so. Has anyone else experienced this kind of discrimination and if so did you speak up about it? Please don't ask me what hospital or what department as I have to be anonymous for fear of retribution.

[blr3, BSN, RN]

Personally, I’d want to be hired for my skills and what I can bring to the company. Not by the color of my skin. I’d also want to work with people who were competent and not just hired to make things “even.”

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Many of us face the reverse so what, go do your job be the best you can be,work hard,be nice , if it is still not to your liking find another job.There are plenty of other jobs.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

23 hours ago, thinbluelineRN said:

"white" is not very descriptive. For example, mu husband, looks Caucasian but in actuality is Mexican American.

Hey fyi,there are also white Mexicans,Chileans,Cubans,Spaniards etc etc etc, also,dont feed the ignorant.

[kakamegamama]

If you were hired, how is there discrimination? Just because a group of people are of a majority race/color, it doesn't mean discrimination. It could mean they are the best qualified for their positions.

I have been the only white female in an African village hospital/clinic. I have been only one of 5 white Americans in an Asian city who worked in healthcare. I have been the only white person on a unit in a hospital in a major metropolitan city in the United States and the nurses refused to speak English at the nurses' station. So what. There are worse things in life, I promise.

If you have been passed over for promotion because of your race , then you might have a legitimate complaint. If it's simply because the facility head honchos are white, and discrimination can't be proven and you set out to complain about your perceptions, you will only encounter trouble.

[irvine123]

A lot of semantics in this topic, in any case having 1 group of people controlling everything with no input from other groups is not democratic or ethical, and shows that laws aren't being enforced. Talk to the labor board about it https://www.eeoc.gov/employees/charge.cfm and the hospital I work at do this and are mainly filipino

[RNinheart]

On 8/21/2019 at 9:33 PM, AbstracRN said:

I live in Florida and worked at a 503c healthcare organization, where there were no black people in upper management. Despite the fear mongering that goes on in our country, 73% of our country is still majority white. And some people get upset because that includes Hispanics/Latinos, but Spain is in Europe. So you can meet alot of Hispanics/Latinos with a high percentage of European ancestry not to mention it shows in their phenotype. Back to my old job it was super racist and with very few black nurses. I am wary of companies that don't even have a floor supervisor of another race. Because I doubt their aren't other races with the education or experience applying. But racism is insidious and people don't want to talk about it but it is often reflected in every day life( like your job). Even with the Asian nurses as someone mentioned, alot of them have told me horror stories about prejudice and discrimination they have experienced. I got a right to sue from the EEOC regarding my old job. People that have privilege, won't understand your post because they have never dealt with the macro and micro-aggresions people of color experience due to racism,prejudice and discrimination.

That is crazy! I have worked with a variety of nationalities and have never seen anything like that! Some of our physicians can barely speak English, so what! This is very sad

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

On 8/21/2019 at 2:41 PM, Asystole RN said:

"White" is a pretty loose term. I am a minority who currently lives in a Caucasian dominated area of the country but there are strong European roots. There are Germans, Norwegians, and some Irish. They take offense if they are pooled together because there are distinct cultural and heritage differences.

I used to work in an area where there were a lot of Africans. The Africans HATED the term African American because they generally only thought those who are from or who still hold cultural ties to Africa should be called "African American." The Dominicans I worked hated being called African American because they were Dominican.

Point is, painting a broad brush of "white" and assuming cultural or ethnic homogeneity is close to the same racism you fear.

Look beyond the color of someone's skin and see them for the unique ethnocentric person they are.

The term African-American refers to the descendants of the slave trade. We come from multiple tribes, so it fits us.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

On 8/21/2019 at 10:29 AM, caliotter3 said:

I started out working in long term care facilities and faced discrimination from the very beginning, until I left that venue, because I did not belong to the favored majority. As a matter of fact, before I took my first job as a CNA, the hiring/training manager made it a point to warn me about how I would be treated and why. I thought that was odd when it happened. At that point in time, and for a couple of reasons, I had not had contact with the majority who work in LTC in that area. How did I deal with it? I left long term care permanently. I entered a venue where I can take steps to avoid people who make my work life that difficult. And I also keep in mind that my work life would not be that difficult if any of the people up the chain would insure that discrimination and other negative behavior were not a factor in their facilities. You can't blame people for taking advantage of the circumstances made available to them.

What did the boss say to you? How were you going to be treated?

[neuron]

There is not much you can do about the hierarchy, but they hired you to do a job. They liked you for some reason.

It is uncomfortable being the only minority, especially on the social scene when people are chatty, but to me when something has to be done people with the same values tend to collaborate and stick together.

[ConstantGardener]

On 8/21/2019 at 4:29 AM, eacue said:

I am posting this because I need some feedback. I work at a SW Florida hospital and well just like the title says, everyone is white lol. The entire executive team, all the board members, and to be honest, in a department with over 50 employees, I am the only minority. The hospital has this website where staff can post questions to upper management and then they post an answer. I am tempted to ask why the disparity however to be honest I am afraid that I will be terminated if I do so. Has anyone else experienced this kind of discrimination and if so did you speak up about it? Please don't ask me what hospital or what department as I have to be anonymous for fear of retribution.

This is Florida in general. Having grown up in South and Central Florida and then setting foot on University of Florida, the socio economic disparity is just shocking. Going from about 40 to 50% minorities in upper middle class suburbs to University of Florida's 20% minorities at best was disheartening.

Also, SW Florida is less urban then SE and Central Florida, thus has attracted fewer Hispanic immigrants putting down roots, so it's super pasty.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 1:40 PM, ConstantGardener said:

This is Florida in general. Having grown up in South and Central Florida and then setting foot on University of Florida, the socio economic disparity is just shocking. Going from about 40 to 50% minorities in upper middle class suburbs to University of Florida's 20% minorities at best was disheartening.

Also, SW Florida is less urban then SE and Central Florida, thus has attracted fewer Hispanic immigrants putting down roots, so it's super pasty.

This made me laugh as I gaze down at my pastiness.

I love that there is open discussion going on in this thread about racism, ethnocentricity, heritage and the impact of skin color on opportunities and perception of potential. I also love the wry sense of humor that some bring to the table. It levels the playing field and makes it easier, as a white person, to discuss the privilege we have lived within and how to break down those walls. Thank you.

[Snatchedwig, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN]

On 8/22/2019 at 2:43 AM, Jayce said:

wow. Ok so who discriminated against you? Did someone threaten you? If that’s the case then you really should get a lawyer to help you. But making large statements about how your board of directors is possibly racist, because they appear white, on social media is pretty...unwise. I’m Hispanic and I actually believe America is one of the least racist countries in the world! Yes, America is far from perfect and needs help in many ways. Please remember that there were 360,000 white men who sacrificed their lives because they believed slavery was wrong! and they were republicans... There are racist people out there. Don’t be one of them. Who knows maybe if you show yourself to be a hard worker, industrious, self motivated and enthusiastic, those old white guys will give you a nice raise?