Are you afraid to approach minority staff members? WHY?

[LasVegasRN]

It's been said that racism and discrimination runs both ways. White nurses complain that minorities gather together and exclude them from conversations. Minorities say that they are passed over for "cream of the crop" jobs that are given to white nurses. Staff members report that minority CNA's and support staff give preferential treatment to their own.

IS THIS ALL TRUE?

Yep, it is. But I want to hear from everyone out there. What's your beef? What's the problem? How can it be addressed?

Don't be shy. Don't be skerred. Are we not professionals? Isn't this the place to discuss these sensitive issues? If you don't contribute how are we going to learn from each other?

So, come on. Leave your inhibitions at the door. Don your flaming suits, get out the dictionaries and thesaurus' and let's get SOME DISCUSSION GOING ON THIS.

Maybe, just maybe we'll learn some great things through discussion. :)

[Chellyse]

You can find it here:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24165

Note: Merged threads together. Karen

[cactus wren]

Here in Az. i work in a small hospital that has mainly White nurses, the Cnas are either Hispanic or Native American...We had a couple of NA nurses, but they left to go to work at IHS.

While in NM (also a rural hospital) White was the exception...Most staff were NA or Hispanic....Went to nursing school in Gallup, NM....30 students...5 White,4 Hispanic,1 from Pakistan, and the rest came from 4 different tribes, Was very Inforative, I learned lots about the difference between different tribes.....many don`t like each other......

But, I have trouble with "Indian time" Over the years I have had many friends and coworkers who are NA, and I`ve decided that they just don`t comprehend"White mans time".Pretty soon may mean anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 weeks.....drives me kinda nuts.....( Side note....husband was NA, and he was always late....even to his own funeral...truth...butthat`s another story).

Other than that quirk, I have never had any problem with any coworkers....but maybe that`s just me...I`ve always judged people by their actions, not their skin color or religion, or any other of that type of difference......

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

Yay!!! This thread is on general, where it belongs!!!!

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Our VP for Nursing is African American. (Female)

The VP for Childrens Hospital is Hispanic.(Female)

The Risk Manager/Nurse Attorney is Asian.(Female)

Weekend Director is African American. (Male)

Assistant Nurse Manager is Hispanic.

I'm crazy about all of them. So as far as I'm concerned

no problems at all.

[shannonRN, BSN, RN]

awesome topic...you are one brave lady!

i do not treat people differently based on sex, religion, race, age...to me a human-being is a human-being and deserves to be treated like one. just the other day there was a family sleeping on the floor of one of our waiting areas. had the pillows and blankets laid out on the floor (you get the picture). well, was walking out with some coworkers, some black and some white. i asked if we should have security talk to them. the one replied no, leave them alone they are black (she was too). i said would you report them if they were white (i am white) and she said yes?! wtf? if it is inappropriate for some then why isn't it inappropriate for all?

Originally posted by cactus wren I`ve always judged people by their actions, not their skin color or religion, or any other of that type of difference......

and i think that is how it should be!

[Chellyse]

Ok here goes:

1. Professionally speaking (no pun intended)

It bothers me when any group of individuals begins speaking in a different rhetoric in front of patients families and co-workers which is excluding in nature and intentionally (ex. Filipino, Haitian,african american slang,creole) I think you should be aware of people around you and how it makes them feel.

2. It bothers me when excuses are made for anyones behavior when discrimination is the undertone

(ie. She was brought up in the South, or White people owe the black people, He or she is gay/ lesbian)

You need to be responsible regardless!!!

3. I bothers me when management does not want to address an an issue because it "might become racial", or an african american claims "they are doing it because I am black" (I am not saying that there are no cases when this is a truth I am expressing I have seen this issue exploited too)

4. Professionals that claim I do not understand something because of the language culture barrier but are using it as an excuse to get out of a particular work related scenario, I have seen this happen too frequently.

5. It bothers me when someone of my race approaches me and uses derogatory slurs under there breath about someone else, and I call them out for it.

It is like they assume I am going to automatically agree because I am of the same race.

I hope I am expressing myself correctly, it is difficult to write about these things easier for me to express verbally.

6. I do not like disparity of treatment for any reason, racially, sexually, mentally ill, poor, rich.....And people do this!!

Just my honest ramblings

Michele

[TheLionessRN, RN]

I am from a very small town. I had not worked with a lot of people of color in my life. When I started nursing, I finally got to work with a few black ladies. A clerk, a CNA and an RN. I made friend with the secretary when I got to day shift. I would ask her anything, because I was curious about her upbringing. She and I have almost nothing in common,...she is older than I am, and she grew up in this town from birth, etc, but what connected us the most was the fact that we are both Christians, and in that, we are sisters. Because she came to know my heart, I felt comfortable asking her about things I was genuinely curious about with regards to the experience of growing up black in the south during segregation. We had great talks when there was time to talk.

I think that connecting with humans on any level possible is the best way to live life. Having grown up in two different cultures, I think I was priveleged to see two different patterns of thought. (moved to TN from MI when I was 11) Racism on any level, coming from any direction is distressing to me. I don't personally understand it, and have tried to rais my children to be color blind.

What I am saying in a round about way is, I am curious about black people. I don't seek out or avoid anyone....heaven knows I barely leave the house when I don't work. Whenever I have the opportunity to be with a black person, I go out of my way to get to know that person, because that is how one learns. So, is this wrong? Is it "condecending"? I would honestly like to know.

More later, my eyes are drooping. Thanks for the opportunity to vent in here, LV.

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

Professionalism comes in all colors.

Ignorance comes in all colors.

Love comes in all colors.

Hate comes in all colors.

That said, I have never had any problems with coworkers of any race. I find that people (of any intelligence) will treat you according to how they are treated by you. Those that don't fit in the above category I don't worry about.

I WILL say, however, that I have been looked upon with "curiosity" ?...(for lack of a better word)... by some fellow whites when mingling with blacks or taking their side on some issues. But, that, too, goes both ways. I have found that much is geographical...where you are in the country...and how much personal exposure you have had to races different from your own.

My thought has always been "how can you get to know someone or about their race/culture if you don't mingle, ask honest questions, even be honest enough to share your previous misconceptions instilled by hearsay of your own race?"

My dad had a neat little wooden plaque in the foyer when I was growing up:

" If white is good and black is bad..then all my friends are striped and plaid."

[stressedlpn]

I get to win all the way around, my family is affectionaly called the rainbow bunch, daughter is filipino, son is black, mom was Indian, dad is irish, sometimes we get stares where we go, most of the time we dont, we live in mostly an all white community( sorry yall it is to early in the morning for me to try to spell all the politicaly correct terms)

As for at work I do not see in differance between the races, we all mingle down in the trenches so to speak, sometimes the pts get a little cruel but we just slug it off, I had one pt who asked ,e what are you any way your not all white, but you dont look hispanic either ,(she was white) I just laughed at her and told her I was of exotic stock, most of our docs in this area are from India, or hispanic, they are the most popular docs,

now as for racisim in hte community, I may have to relocate when the kids get older, I have had numerous people not of white skin tell me I was raising the kids to be too white, the white folks ask me how I plan on raising them, my answer is simply they will be strong christian adults with the values I pass on to them, I do try to educate the kids on their histories, I have several filipino friends that are teaching lori, and several black friends that are around chris.

at work we are all treated like crap no matter the color of our skin, we are treated equally sh@#%y

Great thread Vegas,

[researchrabbit]

My working groups have always been racially mixed. In small groups there are always some problems on both sides but rarely ever enough to poison the working relationship (more whiny than anything and tends to go away over time if everyone ignores it); I've noticed a lot more tension between day shift and night shift (regardless of race, religion, and sexual orientation) than between ethnic groups.

When I moved to Kansas for five years, I worked at the University. Being the person I am (I think I was a puppy in a former life), I always talk to people I see every day whether I know them or not (a friend once described this as "face friends")...in Oklahoma, where strangers of whatever origin will spontaneously discuss macaroni brands with you in the grocery store, this was not weird. In Kansas, it was not the norm.

White people & Asian Americans at my institution generally walked down the halls quickly and without looking at me or anyone else. African Americans were more likely to look at me and smile, and respond if I said something. Hispanic folks smiled if I smiled first, but it took awhile for them to warm up and talk to me.

Now, when I worked there I was in the halls and on the floors every day. I got so tired of being invisible that when I saw someone I'd seen before I'd wave so hugely that they couldn't miss me...you can't imagine the startled looks I got at first. It took a while for some people to warm up to me (it took one older Asian American male MD two years to finally break into a little smile and wave back).

Sometimes it's prejudice when people don't interact. But more often I think it's shyness, or "we've never done it that way". Sometimes it's fear of rejection by the other group. Or cultural differences that each group may perceive as rejection or conceit from the other group. Whatever...no one gets out of interacting with me!

:)

[itsme]

I work in a very small facility, and we have 2 foreign staff members. I find them interesting, and very qualified to do there work. They teach me phrases in there language, and I teach them what some of our so called slang means! We have a wonderful relationship, and treat each other as equals. Not everyone there does though. I just like to think that you can learn something from anyone if you give them a chance and are sincere.

[live4today, RN]

stressedlpn.....I, like you, am from 'EXOTIC STOCK'...

A little of this......a little of that......who knows....I'm just HERE...that's about all I know. :chuckle

Although I have encountered racial indifference from others of all races (including my own), I have never once in my life mistreated anyone because of their ethnic, cultural, racial, or religious background. So, when I die, it will be known by all who really knew me that I embraced every man, woman, and child that ever crossed paths in my life....regardless of whether they liked me or not. Ya'll have a nice day, and be good to one another. Life is short.....we are all just one breath away from meeting Old Man Winter (Death). :kiss :balloons: