Does regional prejudice exist in nursing?

[rpmccoy1986]

I've got a significant other going for their nursing degree in Wisconsin. We're looking at moving in together and her mother has stated she needs to finish going to school in Wisconsin because people hire nurses from Wisconsin more. When asked why I was told that nurses in Wisconsin were trained better and thus preferred over nurses from the south.

Is this just a prejudice that's spawned from the whole North versus South feeling? I don't like calling people liars but this seems a bit far fetched and I've only got word of mouth to go on not actual experiences or written statements proving it. Was hoping people could chime in and let me know experiences / preferences.

[soulofme]

What do ya Xpect from a cheese head:coollook: LOL

[Fiona59]

In tough economic times, preference always seems to go to locally trained people.

Experienced it myself when we had to move provinces a few years back. Locally trained got hired over people who moved to the area. They would never come out and say it but it was really obvious.

Especially to the people down at the unemployment office. Locally hired fresh new grad (from a programme which prepared PNs to the level required to pass national exams or a fully experienced nurse, from one of the best programmes in the country (which had a 99% pass rate)?

[Jules A, MSN]

I'm sure there are great nurses and horrible nurses in any state and the same goes for schools and quality of education. It sounds like she has a vested interest in keeping you close. :) I'd ignore that part of her warning but do consider the climate of nursing jobs in whatever state you decide to live in.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I know masters prepared nurse educator who told me she took a class to learn "standard English" rather than her southern accent. She said some people assume southern means dumb.

[iteachob, MSN, RN]

Well....I've never heard of such a thing, but I suppose it's out there. I was originally trained in Texas (BSN), and have worked in Texas, Kentucky, and Maine. No problems or perceptions of discrimination anywhere (or maybe I'm just clueless)!

I got my Master's degree in Louisville.....no classes for "standard English" required!

I've never worked with a nurse from Wisconsin, so I really can't say whether they are better or not....

[lilag02]

I'm sorry, but "standard English"? That one literally made me LOL! I was born and raised in Houston, so I suppose I've been learning Texas English (our accent isn't really the typical southern drawl) all of these years. The stereotypes that are still around astound me, and they're here, too. Hopefully your girlfriend's mother is just trying to keep her close.

Just to give you a bit of perspective, many of the schools in Houston and the surrounding areas do their clinicals in the medical center here (many of them are located there, too!). People fly from not only around the country, but around the world, to receive care at some of the hospitals that make up the medical center. My point? If the south is that bad, why do we have such a great medical center here? There will be good and bad no matter where you train.

Good luck with your decision!

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I agree. here in California we have people from all over the world. some physicians get quite upset when we read their orders back to them.

Even those with an accent I find difficult to understand.

Why would a charming AMERICAN accent be a drawback?

An RN from another country took the same class with her to "talk like a local".

Both claim it was a patient that made them self conscious.

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

Tell yer girlfriend's mamma thar ain't no truth in what she's a sayin! She's a pullin your dad-burned leg to keep her youngin close ta home.

Seriously, I've never heard of such a thing. I lived in the south for 5 years and saw excellent nursing care. My children were born in the south and the only difference I can tell (if you had to pick one) was that they just seemed a tad more kind and nurturing than what I've seen elsewhere. A quality that would fare well in any interview, if you ask me.

I didn't pick up any accent while we lived there, and neither did our children when they learned to talk.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I don't blame her mother for wanting to keep her daughter close by, but think she needs to find a better reason. :redbeathe

[RNperdiem, RN]

In my part of North Carolina, there are plenty of Northerners and people from just about everywhere else.

A northerner would not be singled out as exotic around here.

"The South" is too generalized a term for the whole region.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

She was from Alabama.

Graduated from Auburn.

Great university. She let an ignorant sick person hurt her.

She spoke like a charming lady.

Now she sometimes speaks like a newscaster.

Either was she is a great nurse.

I came to the West Coast from Oklahoma. Got teased and made lifelong friends.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

HEY now, no picking on us cheeseheads. :)

I haven't the slightest idea as far as whether the training is considered "better." I HAVE heard in passing that there are some states that it's considered "harder" to pass the boards in (Florida, Cali, and WI being among them). I don't know that there is any truth to this, however, so I hope no one takes that as being what I actually think, because I have no idea. Just what I have "heard," and I couldn't even tell you from whom at this point any more, it's been a long time.