Hello, everyone out there in the world of allnurses.com I just need to get something that's been bothering me for a while off of my chest. I just want to talk about this issue especially affecting minority nurses. And that issue is that it can be hard to be a nurse of color.
I am part Somoan/part African-American and consider myself Black for the most part. Well, I just feel that after all these years, minority nurses still don't get as much respect as their white colleagues.
Always being mistaken for for support staff even though my name tag boldly states who I am and my credentials. And I even feel that sometimes, patients feel insulted by me being their nurse. It seems like that when I first go into the patient's room, before I can introduce myself properly, they always assume I am a CNA. After I explain that I am their nurse, they seem to loose that "glow". It's like they don't want ME to be their nurse. And when a previous nurse that happens to be white reports how pleasant a patient was, I don't get that "pleasant" behavior from the same patient.
We as nurses know that patients can often be demanding, rude, and downright ridiculous with any nurse. But, to the minority nurses out there, do you sometimes feel that you are being treated with less respect because your a minority? Do you feel like you get treated differently from the other nurses by the same patient?
No gender, race, religion, orientation, or other category has the market cornered on hatred toward or assigning stereotypes to folks in other categories.
let me preface this post by saying that i think people of color have attained tremendous strides in u.s. society, over the years.
what was considered acceptable 50 yrs ago, is considered unthinkable today.
i read these posts and feel that it is somewhat divisive.
of course, i think that everyone should have a place to air their frustrations.
but i see prejudice in so many forms.
and one isn't worse than the other.
whether it's race, age, gender, weight, level of attractiveness, handicaps, gender preference, religious affiliation, prejudice attacks so many.
while i find it unconscionable that black nurses are exposed to the belittling abuses from their pts, i can assure you that nurses of all races/ethnicities have experienced the same level of personal, degrading and abusive attacks.
on a personal level, i don't understand prejudice.
my son's first girlfriend was black and after months of a lovely relationship, they decided to break up.
it wasn't their decision.
but they couldn't tolerate the protests of some family and friends.
they weren't old/mature enough to defy the ignorance pervading their everyday life together.
my dtr's best friend, killed himself a couple of yrs ago.
he couldn't live w/himself being gay.
we had our windows smashed, tires slit, eggs thrown at our house, as well as being beat up, because we were jewish.
ignorance is everywhere, directed at everyone, in some shape or form.
you can choose to avoid those who are toxic to your world:
or you can choose to feel pity (not the same as sympathy) while holding your head and values, high.
you can seek others who share your values.
but whatever you do, do not take it personally.
when you think about it, it's not about you.
it's about them...because it is their problem.
whether it is in your personal or professional life, prejudice will always persist.
it is only when you can still choose to treat others, with the very respect that you would expect for yourself, that you remain walking with God.
love yourself.
keep your faith.
and stay true to all that is pure.
nothing more, nothing less.
leslie
Thanks for your reply. Oh, I know that all people experience discrimination from others due to many different reasons. But right now, I'm talking about my experience. I feel that racial discrimination is the strongest issue that comes up out there most of the time.
I am a white female, but have occasionally run into reverse discrimination (isn't that an oxymoron:lol2:) as I live and work in a largely Hispanic area. As someone pointed out earlier, it isn't really the same, but it does give a little taste of it.
I met an AA traveling nurse one night, and asked her how she was being treated traveling (not with racial overtomes in the question). She responded with how she hadn't had any problems at our hospital being AA, when all I was asking was how she was doing traveling, as some other travelers had said they often were treated badly since they were on short contracts. Sometimes I think people have been so sensitized to racial remarks, they hear racism where none was intended. This is not to discount anyone's being insulted or belittled! Just that innocent remarks can be taken wrongly.
Sorry that you have, too, experienced discrimination as well. Yes, there have been times that I, too, maybe have taken things too seriously. But, more times than not, that wasn't the case. These people that do this know exactly what they are doing and they don't care. If they cared, they woudn't do it. And it's all because of this superiority complex some people have. It's just something that people need to stop and we don't need to accept even the smallest infraction.
i am soo glad that someone has addressed this issue. We people of color have been used and abused both in ways you can easily prove and those that are difficult to prove. Even when our fellow co-workers are unfair, management most times looks the other way. Being of color is extremely difficult. I am disgusted by hospitals that launch diversity programs for PR purposes. we people of color are rarely acknowledged by patients and fellow staff. I see several thank you notes posted but we are always left out. We are always left out when it comes to leadership roles even when we are equally or sometimes more qualified.
Unwritten rule first and last admissions, Isolations hand them to nurses of color.
Where in God's name did we go wrong. Many times I have contemplated giving it all up but it's no different as long as my color stays the same.
Thanks to you all
You're welcome and thank you for your reply. Yes, the treatment that employees of color sometimes receive is often overlooked. Most of the time, the responses I have had was a discount of my account. I would get a reply something to the effect of "Oh, she/he's just from a dfferent time period." And I tell them, "Well, it's the year 2007, it's time to change". I don't care how old they are. That's why racism is still alive because it is carried down from generation to generation. Somebody needs to step in and stop it. It is so sad. But, you know that the Bible says that things won't always be the same. Things will change ONE DAY. I don't know if I'll be here to see it, but it will happen before it's all over.
Yes, discrimination can be seen and felt in all walks of life. However, in the nursing field where there are maybe 10% African American nurses, we will feel discrimination even more. In my LTC facility, there are no African American nurses anymore! Wanna know why? Because they were forced out! They had to prove twice as hard that they deserved to be there. They were nit picked for every little thing and when they stood up for themselves, they were angry Black women. I know there is discrimination for being on the plus side (fat should not be used because that is a derogatory word and as long as we use that to describe volumptous people(of which I'm one) then discrimination will continue! But a volumptous Caucasian nurse will still be respected more over a thin African American nurse because people are used to seeing Caucasian nurses. At the school that I attend, there are 96 people in my class. Of those, 8 are African American and the rest are Caucasian. Of the Caucasians, there are 15 males! By the way, there are two instructors who are African American. They speak their mind when needed and don't allow people to walk over them. Of course, they are also viewed as angry Black women. It just never stops!
The OP was not saying whoa is the African American nurse because there is nothing to feel sad about. The OP posted this just to shed light on a subject that is very prevalent and it was on her/his mind and they felt the need to speak on it which I thought was right on point!
We don't need to sweep these kinds of topics under the rug just because African Americans have made "great strides in the last 50 yrs".
This forum is designed to respectfully speak on all nursing issues and this is certainly one of them.
Thank you for this post. It's so right. While I have not been labled angry just yet (just give me a few more years of this and I will LOL!), I have heard black nurses who were degraded because they spoke up about issues. I know it happens and it's not right. I definitely wanted to get this issue in the forefront because if we forget all the advances that have been made, we will slip backwards.
While I know there is plenty of prejudice from majorities toward minorities, there is also plenty of prejudice from minorities toward majorities. I have been on the receiving end plenty of times. If I dare to say the "N" word, I'd be crucified. But blacks where I have worked can say anything they like - N, whitey, honky, white folks do this or that (and it's always something negative), etc. The ironic thing is, neither my family nor I has ever done a single thing to create hardship for any minority, yet, I have to pay the price for what other whites did years ago. That is unfair.
Furthermore, I happen to be in the minority racially where I work. Yet, whites are not a protected class so the majority (who are minorities) get to say and do whatever they please. That is unfair.
Also, those minority nurses who often experience disrespect, discomfort, rudeness, etc. from whites - are you perhaps expecting it and, therefore, seeing it, feeling it?
Maybe you could try to forget the race issue and other differences, if any, and just do your work and you be you and let them be them and never mind "perceptions". What difference does it really make, anyway, what someone thinks about you? You still have to make a living, I assume. Just be a competent, professional nurse and leave it at that.
Also, don't think for a minute that being white is an automatic trust-builder or guarantee of being respected. That is totally untrue.
I know I'll probably be slammed for saying this, as it not PC, but that's what I think. I wish you well in all that you endeavor to do for Nursing.
So just because a few ignorant people that happen to be black use racial slurs, you want to know why you can't? Are you serious? It's not okay for anybody to use those slurs, I don't care what color the user of those words is. And you say that you have to pay the price for what whites did years ago. Well may I ask, just how exactly have you paid? Please do tell. I'm dying to hear just one example of how you have paid for the sins of dead white people? I don't feel that anybody blames you for what your ancestors may have done. If they do, then they're ignorant and don't deserve to talk to you.
I'm sorry you work with a bunch of morons, but you don't sound very adult-like when you say that it's "unfair" that somebody else gets to get away with bad behavior and you don't. It's like you want to be able to get away with it, too. And please, don't try to discount my experiences by saying that I may be expecting it or seeing something that isn't there. Oh it's there alright. What I've dealt with is real and it needed to be brought out. I am not the one coming in with preconceived notions about people I don't know. I am on the receiving end of such people. So, please, don't do that. You're insensitive to the fact and that's too bad. I am not asking for yor sympathy if that's what you think. I'm just facing the issue head on and discussing it with others that feel the same way.
And I will forget the issue of race when it's not brought up in my face on a daily basis. Until then, I'll talk about it and deal with it. And I do happen to care about what my patients think of me. Because if they're racist, then they won't care if I'm competent or not. They'll make sure I am crucified before the day is over. That's what racist people do because they don't feel that someone of another color deserves to have anything. They'll spend their energy on destroying someone that they dont' like.
Oh,well, maybe you don't or won't understand what I've experiened. But, that doesn't make it any less real. Again, I'm so sorry for your experiences. However, just because you can't understand what I've gone through doesn't mean you get to discount it. Thanks for your reply.
i am a nursing student, and also a minority - asian. i never really had any "in my face" racial attitude, although there were a couple of occasions when people asked me if i was "brought" to this country by my husband, assuming i guess that he "rescued" from some poor third world country, and now i am just stuck at home, cooking and serving him :) no, i met him while finishing my masters, and no, i am not locked in at home, thankyouverymuch. i also faced some pretty tacky general assumptions that people associate with asian race, such as woman being extremely submissive, etc etc. i let the comments roll off. your narrow mind is not my problem. your perception of me is not my reality.....that's all.
this is what i know: .....underneath our skin we are all same. same feelings, same emotions, we all get hurt, we all experience moments of joy. we all love to be loved and respected. life is so short, why waste it hating other human beings? our life would be so much more fun and happy if we just accept other people as they are. and love them. don't look at the skin color, but look into that nurse's eyes....is she caring? is she a great professional? is he supportive and reliable? can she teach you something you have been struggling with?
when people know their stuff, and do their job well - it's magic! i don't care if you are purple, or orange, or bronze, if you are a great nurse - i am gonna stick with you! :biere: :balloons::loveya:
oh, what a wonderful day it would be when we could all be treated equally.
if anything, employers cater to the aa population, fearing a retaliatory threat to eeoc.
a black, female employee once told me, "if they want to see one angry black b*tch, make a stink...."
and she did.
and i happen to know that she was not as qualified for this promotion.
the other white candidate had a masters.
if anything, where i live, i see blacks dominating our culture, loudly asserting and proclaiming their rights.
and damn it, they're getting what they want, even at the expense of blatant reverse discrimination.
many blacks INDEED play the race card.
sorry, i'm not feeling the sympathy.
leslie
Now why does you not feeling the sympathy suprise me? I knew you didn't feel any and I didn't ask you for any. Like I told TrudyRN, why stick around on a thread you don't like?
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I have observed that many nurses of color, including myself, have shared their stories, trials, tribulations, and pains associated with racism on this thread.
I have also noted that a handful of people have subtly attempted to minimize or discount our personal experiences with discrimination in the workplace, as if nurses of color are merely 'complainers' or always blowing things out of proportion.
To the many users who have attempted to sympathize with the struggles that nurses of color experience, I am thanking you.
I waited to see where this post would head before I added to it. I am white, but was raised by parents who were liberal and thought people should be treated equally. Does that make my 73 year old mother use the term African American, Latina or Hispanic? NO...unfortunately, she too is a product of her generation. All AA are "Colored"-and unfortunately, all hispanics/latinos are "Puerto Rican". So the mother who raised me to believe everyone is equal, would come across to nurses of color or hispanic descent as prejudiced.
I am fortunate that I live in a ethnically diverse area of the country. Our ER is staffed by a varied array of personnel. Our patients too, are very varied. Is prejudice present daily? You bet! Do I treat patients differently? I hope not. I attempt to be only for them, regardless of attitudes I may encounter. I also treat my peers similarly. If I don't like someone I can guarentee it is their personality, not their skin color or any other quality that a person could be prejudiced against.
My two children are now college aged-one in Florida and one in Philadelphia. I disseminated the same ideas of equality, and the need to judge people on their accomplishments and "selves" rather than their skin color (or any other attribute that others use as a reason for prejudice).
What I find interesting is that my daughter has taken this to a very new level. Her friends are so diverse that sometimes I am amazed! They are from everywhere, and are every color. I hope to see this continue after she leaves college. I find it amazing and am very proud of her! My husband once asked me how I'd feel if she brought home a boyfriend of a different race. Truthfully, I don't know. I think it's so hard to have a relationship when there are no other hurdles to jump-racial, or religious differences can put problems over an edge. I would also worry that unless they stayed and lived on either coast near a city. Their lives would be a nightmare! Other areas of the country may not be so welcoming.
My son's friends are his high school friends. They say things to each other that make me and I am sure his friends parents cringe! Derogatory terminology is used constantly, I worry that someone who doesn't know them would think they are prejudiced! The worst part is that they too are a mix of society white, black, phillipino, and hispanic. They sound terrible, yet these guys have been friends for years and continue to speak this way. I know they are great friends, but I fear for them sometimes. My biggest fear, is that as he attends school in Philly-he will slip with a college friend and call him a negative name around others, then being seen as white guy who is prejudiced and not really a friend. This is a topic of conversation often-but it always goes to the same place. He says mom I'm not prejudiced, these are my friends, any friend I had would know that. No changing his mind.
Are prejudicial attitudes still there? Of course. I have had AA ask for a AA nurse if I had trouble with an IV, I don't speak spanish fluently-do hispanics want a nurse that does?- sure. Older people are afraid the unknown and rumors they may have heard all their lives. Even among nurses of color-AA may not want a Haitian nurse, or Island Blacks want no part of AA nurse.
I don't believe white/black/hispanic prejudice against each other is any worse than it has ever been. If anything, I think it's much better. You need to have a thick skin when you deal with the public. Everyone can't love you, but as a healthcare professional you must try to overcome any personal issues you have. Prejudice is always caused by misunderstanding, fear, and past, poor experiences or no exposure to a certain racial group, and can't forget family influence.
How can we stop groups from hating? Maybe stop the interracial prejudice-Are all people of color for each other? No. African Americans, Africans, Haitians, Islanders, Black South Americans-they practice prejudicial behaviours against each other. What about South Americans, Central Americans, Puerto Ricans, Islanders, Mexicans, and Spaniards? I know from personnel experience that some groups feel superior to others. Whites bring it to a new level, including ethnic, religion, weight, sexuality, economic class, looks and so on.....
Maybe when we have all assimilated in the next couple of hundred years and no longer have any defining attributes due to intermarriage we will all get along. I remember my father saying that if the world was populated with all gods and goddesses, it would be a very boring place, without diversity there is nothing interesting in this world.
Maisy;)
Maisy, I am so glad that there is so much love amongst your children and their peers. That's they way it should be. We shoudn't even look at the color of another person's skin, we should only care about respecting one another. It feels great to hear stories such as the ones that you are telling. This is wonderful. And don't worry, good will prevail over evil in the end.
While there is no doubt that many different groups have experienced discrimination in this country, African Americans and others of African descent have been hamstrung by the law. None of the other groups represented herein have been chattel, such as a horse or cow. African Americans have been deliberately and harshly excluded from the protections the constitution affords all men because they were not viewed as fully human.
We talk of "those days" as if they are in the deep, dark past. Well, when I was born "separate but equal" was still the law of the land. Miscegnation, or intermarriage, was illegal in many states. "Mulatto" implies the interbreeding of separate species.
As a woman I have, indeed, experienced some sexism. But as an educated, middle class white woman I was also well protected by society as a whole, because I was valued simply for the status conferred upon me by birth.
I cringe when whites find it necessary to whine about the alleged "advantages" black folks have. And even if this were true across the board, and not sweeping statements made from a few anecdotal experiences, which I sincerely doubt, why can't the women and men of color in this thread be allowed to vent? Their experiences do not negate yours and yours do not negate theirs. And they also don't equate.
Let everyone vent. Sheesh.
Thank you for your post. I am so glad you posted this. So many people just don't understand nor do they want to. You are an angel and I hope you colorblindness spreads amongst the rainbow of God's people. If everyone was like you and saw the truth for what it really is, then the world would be 1000% better.:balloons:
Music in My Heart
1 Article; 4,111 Posts
Bigots of all flavors disgust me.
No gender, race, religion, orientation, or other category has the market cornered on hatred toward or assigning stereotypes to folks in other categories.