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?
O.k. let me regain my composure. Where the hell do you people live?:angryfire
THANK GOD our institution definately does not have this problem. We are a HUGE University affiliated hospital, Level 1 trauma center and having worked there 27 plus years I can tell you we are color blind. Perhaps I view my institution with rose colored glasses, but I truly believe this.
We have an extremely diverse staff, encompassing people from all over the world, this is not a black, white, latin issue. Our world is far greater than these few groups. We eat together, party together, get drunk together, date each other (carry this to the next logical step), marry each other.
We go to our friends houses, church or go to classes together. We travel together, not just to educational events, but take real vacations together. We have baby showers and visit our colleagues if they are in the hospital. We celebrate birthdays and holidays..we even have a celebration of cultures where we bring in foods that reflect our cultural background.
And yes..as I have stated in other posts, we fight!!!!!!!!!!we argue!!!!we may not talk to someone for a few days. But we are a family and none of this is racially based.
We have had discussions about race and politics and interpersonal relationships. We do have some differences, but this is not a major part of our professional and personal relationships. It is natural to discuss these issues.
Occasionally you have a patient and/or family who clearly demonstrate prejudice against a person of color. Some clients demand only female nurses. I have witnessed patients and families representing several minority groups who also demonstrate prejudice against professional nurses who are also of color (God I hate that term!!!) Why fight? Make them happy, who cares? Move on, take care of the patient and don't worry what people think of you.
I have been referred to as "that white woman", but where is the insult? where is the injury? why would I care? I am secure in my profession, I am essentially a good person, I tend to be optimistic and I like people.
Frankly there is toooo much discussion of racial differences. To quote one of America's favorite criminals...
"Why can't we all just get along?":balloons:
If you do work with staff or clients who are obsessed with race, whether it is a nurse or a patient or family members..remember, racism is a two way street. The trick is not to personalize it or focus on the negative stereotypes applied to you. Your own insecurity is your greatest enemy, it will eat like a cancer into your soul until you see the world simplified into an "us" against "them" battlefield with predictable results.
I know you believe this, but I don't. Not for one minute, do I believe that your entire institution is held hostage by Black people who act as they please and do what they want because of the fear of lawsuits. If that's true, it's because your managers are morons not because we wield the all-powerful race card and your resentment is misdirected.
Oh my gosh, SharonH, THANK YOU FOR THIS! I am sitting at work reading and my mouth dropped open at some of the posts I read. I';m just sitting here in shock, wondering how to respond. You put it well. Very well said!
Specializes in Ortho Rehab, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry.
My only experiences working as a nurse have been in California. Most people assume because California has a reputation for being so "liberal" and diverse that discrimination must not be an issue. I only wish that were true.
I have on numerous occassions seen nurses asked to trade patients with a fully competent nurse who happened to be Asian or African American. Why? Because a patient didn't want to be cared for by them because they were Asian or African American. Nurses I have admired and respected have been treated with such callous and disrespect that it isn't something you can just ignore, "get over", move on from... I have personally taken offense FOR them because these were my colleagues and often times my friends.
I have heard other nurses of all nationalities making negative/derrogatory comments about other nurses speaking to other nurses, doctors, CNA's in their native languages. Why? Who knows, their own insecurity perhaps? Why is it if someone speaks a language around someone who doesn't understand it that people assume they must be talking about them? How arrogant is it to assume that someone would be talking about you?
I happen to be a Caucasian woman (Italian, Irish & Lakota). I grew up with parents who were very much NOT racist. I went to school in San Francisco where I grew up with people from all nationalities and racial backgrounds. I was fortunate to be exposed to so much culture and I feel that it helped make me the woman I am today. It occured to me how lucky I was to know so many people from so many places. I'm multilingual (Spanish & Italian) and have lived outside of the US.
It baffles my mind that there are still so many simple minded people in 2007. And I don't mean the elderly population... I mean my peers. 20 and 30 somethings who are still so ignorant to think that racism isn't a prevalent and harmful presence in society. It exists whether or not you want to acknowledge it. Maybe your experience has afforded you the opportunity to not be exposed to it... if so, please don't think for a minute because you haven't seen, heard or experienced it that it simply doesn't exist. Count yourself LUCKY if you haven't had to deal with racism and discrimination personally.
I recently moved to SE Texas (December 2006). I just received my Texas nursing license the end of July and will be starting my 1st job in this state on Sept. 18th. So far it appears that the place I'll be working is racially diverse. I'm happy about that.
I have to admit that moving to the South I have some biases... Funny that they should be about Caucasians. I realize that not all Southern Caucasians are racists or rednecks, but a lot of what I have encountered thus far in the Nursing community here has made me really nervous. I hope that if there are racist nurses where I work, that they will keep their comments to themselves, as I don't want to hear them.
To those of you who have personally had to experience discrimination first hand, know that for every ignorant person out there making the comments or making assumptions about you... there are people like me who will only see you as a colleague and fellow nurse regardless of what color your skin is or where your ancestry originates from. Keep your heads up and continue to provide professional nursing care with compassion and integrity. We may not be able to change the hearts of others, but if we are able to lead by example some of those hearts will change on their own.
My only experiences working as a nurse have been in California. Most people assume because California has a reputation for being so "liberal" and diverse that discrimination must not be an issue. I only wish that were true.
I have on numerous occassions seen nurses asked to trade patients with a fully competent nurse who happened to be Asian or African American. Why? Because a patient didn't want to be cared for by them because they were Asian or African American. Nurses I have admired and respected have been treated with such callous and disrespect that it isn't something you can just ignore, "get over", move on from... I have personally taken offense FOR them because these were my colleagues and often times my friends.
I have heard other nurses of all nationalities making negative/derrogatory comments about other nurses speaking to other nurses, doctors, CNA's in their native languages. Why? Who knows, their own insecurity perhaps? Why is it if someone speaks a language around someone who doesn't understand it that people assume they must be talking about them? How arrogant is it to assume that someone would be talking about you?
I happen to be a Caucasian woman (Italian, Irish & Lakota). I grew up with parents who were very much NOT racist. I went to school in San Francisco where I grew up with people from all nationalities and racial backgrounds. I was fortunate to be exposed to so much culture and I feel that it helped make me the woman I am today. It occured to me how lucky I was to know so many people from so many places. I'm multilingual (Spanish & Italian) and have lived outside of the US.
It baffles my mind that there are still so many simple minded people in 2007. And I don't mean the elderly population... I mean my peers. 20 and 30 somethings who are still so ignorant to think that racism isn't a prevalent and harmful presence in society. It exists whether or not you want to acknowledge it. Maybe your experience has afforded you the opportunity to not be exposed to it... if so, please don't think for a minute because you haven't seen, heard or experienced it that it simply doesn't exist. Count yourself LUCKY if you haven't had to deal with racism and discrimination personally.
I recently moved to SE Texas (December 2006). I just received my Texas nursing license the end of July and will be starting my 1st job in this state on Sept. 18th. So far it appears that the place I'll be working is racially diverse. I'm happy about that.
I have to admit that moving to the South I have some biases... Funny that they should be about Caucasians. I realize that not all Southern Caucasians are racists or rednecks, but a lot of what I have encountered thus far in the Nursing community here has made me really nervous. I hope that if there are racist nurses where I work, that they will keep their comments to themselves, as I don't want to hear them.
To those of you who have personally had to experience discrimination first hand, know that for every ignorant person out there making the comments or making assumptions about you... there are people like me who will only see you as a colleague and fellow nurse regardless of what color your skin is or where your ancestry originates from. Keep your heads up and continue to provide professional nursing care with compassion and integrity. We may not be able to change the hearts of others, but if we are able to lead by example some of those hearts will change on their own.
***************
Now this brought tears to my eyes. I am moved immensely. It's good to know that there are people out there like you. I don't know you but I would have been pleased and honored to know you. Thank you again for this very uplifting and heartwarming message.
Tweety, I feel that you, as a male nurse, also face discrimination. I have seen male nurses treated as worse, if not worser, than other minority nurse. And there is also a lot of discrimination against gays as well. I feel that we both feel the struggle. And we will continue to educate and confront people on these issues. Thanks a lot for posting, Tweety.
My best friend when I worked at the nursing home was a gay male CNA.
We would laugh and cut up and had the best time together. There were no expectations or hang ups about how we appeared to each other we could just be who we were.
It takes all kinds, as they say. What a boring place it would be if we were all the same.
m-mama according to a article i read a few days ago 2/3 of americans are overweight or actually obese...YEA YEA this makes be a member of a majority for the first time in my life i need to celebrate and look around for some skinny minnie to discriminate against
discriminated minority in the world.
But I was at Wal-Mart yesterday, and it looks like the minority is making great strides to become the majority.
I wanna pack my bags and run from the midwest. I have visited other places and i think they might be more welcoming. It's time for me to move on. I will update you on whatever the Good Lord brings me.
More on my racist encounters. I worked a local LTC as a regular floor RN, a supervisory postion was later vacated by an LPN and i applied for and was given the Job. Only to find out I was offered 3 dollars/hour less than what the LPN made. confronted the DON about this and she promised me a raise in a month. This never happened and i quit 8 mos later. They only loved me as long as i put in mega hours both as a supervisor and as a floor nurse coz they were constantly short of nurses. I later dropped my hours down to straight 40hrs/week. And their nusty skeletons came right out.
I wander how people can live with themselves when they are so nusty.
More on my racist encounters. I worked a local LTC as a regular floor RN, a supervisory postion was later vacated by an LPN and i applied for and was given the Job. Only to find out I was offered 3 dollars/hour less than what the LPN made. confronted the DON about this and she promised me a raise in a month. This never happened and i quit 8 mos later. They only loved me as long as i put in mega hours both as a supervisor and as a floor nurse coz they were constantly short of nurses. I later dropped my hours down to straight 40hrs/week. And their nusty skeletons came right out.
I wander how people can live with themselves when they are so nusty.
Honey, that one wasn't racism, it was opportunistic cheapness.
End Game RN, RN
57 Posts
O.k. let me regain my composure. Where the hell do you people live?:angryfire
THANK GOD our institution definately does not have this problem. We are a HUGE University affiliated hospital, Level 1 trauma center and having worked there 27 plus years I can tell you we are color blind. Perhaps I view my institution with rose colored glasses, but I truly believe this.
We have an extremely diverse staff, encompassing people from all over the world, this is not a black, white, latin issue. Our world is far greater than these few groups. We eat together, party together, get drunk together, date each other (carry this to the next logical step), marry each other.
We go to our friends houses, church or go to classes together. We travel together, not just to educational events, but take real vacations together. We have baby showers and visit our colleagues if they are in the hospital. We celebrate birthdays and holidays..we even have a celebration of cultures where we bring in foods that reflect our cultural background.
And yes..as I have stated in other posts, we fight!!!!!!!!!!we argue!!!!we may not talk to someone for a few days. But we are a family and none of this is racially based.
We have had discussions about race and politics and interpersonal relationships. We do have some differences, but this is not a major part of our professional and personal relationships. It is natural to discuss these issues.
Occasionally you have a patient and/or family who clearly demonstrate prejudice against a person of color. Some clients demand only female nurses. I have witnessed patients and families representing several minority groups who also demonstrate prejudice against professional nurses who are also of color (God I hate that term!!!) Why fight? Make them happy, who cares? Move on, take care of the patient and don't worry what people think of you.
I have been referred to as "that white woman", but where is the insult? where is the injury? why would I care? I am secure in my profession, I am essentially a good person, I tend to be optimistic and I like people.
Frankly there is toooo much discussion of racial differences. To quote one of America's favorite criminals...
"Why can't we all just get along?":balloons:
If you do work with staff or clients who are obsessed with race,
whether it is a nurse or a patient or family members..remember, racism is a two way street. The trick is not to personalize it or focus on the negative stereotypes applied to you. Your own insecurity is your greatest enemy, it will eat like a cancer into your soul until you see the world simplified into an "us" against "them" battlefield with predictable results.
So..what do you think?
Eeka End Game RN:welcome: