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?
Well so far I have not experienced that. I work in a hospital that has a very diverse staff. I happen to be the only hispanic/Mexican on my floor. I haven't even been a RN that long & at the hospital that long (under a year) .Last month just made employee of the month for the hospital.To me that's a pretty good example to set. Sometimes it's the things that we don't say that makes a difference. I put my best foot forward. I just start each day optimistic. I believe in treating everyone equal. Hopefully I don't have to experience interacting w/ ignorant people. I learned that you just need to let go of the things you have no control over.
Well so far I have not experienced that. I work in a hospital that has a very diverse staff. I happen to be the only hispanic/Mexican on my floor. I haven't even been a RN that long & at the hospital that long (under a year) .Last month just made employee of the month for the hospital.To me that's a pretty good example to set. Sometimes it's the things that we don't say that makes a difference. I put my best foot forward. I just start each day optimistic. I believe in treating everyone equal. Hopefully I don't have to experience interacting w/ ignorant people. I learned that you just need to let go of the things you have no control over.
Thanks for your reply. I am glad that you have not had to face this ugly issue head-on. Thank God for it and pray that you will never have to. Letting it go is easier said than done. Especially when you have to deal with it on a daily basis. I won't say that we have control over it, but I will say that change will come to all that perservere.
Have experienced the issue on the other side of the bed. I was a white pt in a primarily black hsopital after an accident. The comments flew about the "cracker" (? sp.) in bed 2. I've seen nurses get irritated with a somalian nurse that has difficulty with english. I've seen it with my mom and dad who came from Scotland. They were veiwed as" lower class " in the community I grew up in. The celts were considered "stupid ..drunks". Even though my dad was a professional. When traveling over seas, we were treated very rude because we were Americans,(in Germany). Infact there were signs on the doors of some places that said . "no Americans". . We were in England and they wouldn't take our scottish pound note to buy somthing in an English store. The interesting thing was the English store was selling scottish products. (go figure). We were called " damn Yankies" in a hotel we stayed in. So I guess what I'm trying to say is it happens everywhere, it's not isolated to one race. It's not right no matter where it happens. But, I'm convinced that how the person that is offended responds, is what will change individuals on person at a time in a perfect world.
Specializes in ED, Cardiac Medicine, Retail Health.
Racism is a fact of life. In a perfect world we would all get along but our world is far from perfect. I try to educate those who are different than I, and learn about those from other cultures. In my opinion racism is fear of the unknown and when the unknown becomes known there is more acceptance.
Racism goes beyond black and white. There is racism within ethnic groups (lighter skin vs darker skin AA), Dominican vs Puerto Rican, Canadian and French Canadian to name a few. Several Africans where I work despise African American and often do not associate with them. So as an African American I see racism as a global issue vs a local issue. It would be nice if we all could live harmoniously but it wont happen in my life time I am sure of that. I have made a concerted effort to understand some ones difference and accept them for who they are not where they come from.
It would be nice if all threads posted by one individual was read before subsequent answers are taken out of context and commented on by our esteemed colleagues. I guess that's part of the problem when there are so many posts-it's hard to remember and read everything.
For people whose life experience has sensitized them to racism, abuse, or whatever the bad thing may be, it's hard to see how little things can upset someone, if you're not in their position.
Fortunately for me, I've known some very gracious people, both at work and otherwise, who let me know how certain little things affected them and their families. Honestly, I wouldn't have known otherwise. Now I pick up on a few things and make an effort not to say or do some things. Or I can help smooth out a situation when I see a patient whose family feels they can't communicate well with the medical providers. This happens a lot.
So for those of you who feel it's discouraging being who you are, and experiencing discrimination, keep in mind that a little education is sometimes required. Young people do need to be told when they offend, and we are grateful for the people who teach us instead of cutting off communication.
For people whose life experience has sensitized them to racism, abuse, or whatever the bad thing may be, it's hard to see how little things can upset someone, if you're not in their position.
Fortunately for me, I've known some very gracious people, both at work and otherwise, who let me know how certain little things affected them and their families. Honestly, I wouldn't have known otherwise. Now I pick up on a few things and make an effort not to say or do some things. Or I can help smooth out a situation when I see a patient whose family feels they can't communicate well with the medical providers. This happens a lot.
So for those of you who feel it's discouraging being who you are, and experiencing discrimination, keep in mind that a little education is sometimes required. Young people do need to be told when they offend, and we are grateful for the people who teach us instead of cutting off communication.
Yes, well said. Two things most nurses do well , care for others and teach . These situations allow opportunity for both. That's how we can make the world a better place one person at a time. Even if we can't fix the world, maybe we can make someone elses world a little better by our actions.
I have been an RN in a rural southern hospital for over 25 years and the problem still exists. I am certified in my field, have a BSN and a Masters degree in Health care adm and am the Director of the Maternity Center and still have people who think I'm the housekeeper, secretary, etc despite the fact I wear identification. I have learned to just ignore it when I can, rise above it so to speak. I once had a patient say she didn't want a black nurse and I said unless you brought your own nurse with you, I'm it Mam! The docs always back me up and they get really upset with those type of patients!
I'm a first-generation Vietnamese-American nursing student, and am happy to have read this thread. I think it's important to be talking about these issues instead of suffering in silence, alone. The amount of animosity that shows up whenever race is discussed is disconcerting, but at the same time, the strength of the members who stood up to that animosity is inspiring.
I think everyone here can agree that race, its history and meaning and treatment is THE MOST boggling thing to understand. Everyone wants to do what's right and fair, but it's impossible to do that without giving room for discussion. Mods, if this thread is deleted i will have lost faith in the democracy of this board. Members, keep posting. Again, the thing that unifies us all on this board is that we want to help race issues. They are real, they are still here, and they matter. Thanks for having the bravery to share your thoughts. :balloons:
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maximaxi
34 Posts
Hello,
Well so far I have not experienced that. I work in a hospital that has a very diverse staff. I happen to be the only hispanic/Mexican on my floor. I haven't even been a RN that long & at the hospital that long (under a year) .Last month just made employee of the month for the hospital.To me that's a pretty good example to set. Sometimes it's the things that we don't say that makes a difference. I put my best foot forward. I just start each day optimistic. I believe in treating everyone equal. Hopefully I don't have to experience interacting w/ ignorant people. I learned that you just need to let go of the things you have no control over.