I will go ahead and state that this may be a sensitive topic, so please forgive me ahead of time if I offend anyone, it is not my intention. I just need some advice from people who may have experienced the same thing I am. This may get a little long-winded.
I am a new grad nurse who just took a position as a charge nurse on a post-acute unit. I absolutely LOVE my job from a clinical standpoint. I love my patients, and the environment is ever changing so it keeps me on my toes. I learned more the first day on the floor than any clinical rotation during school...which is awesome! That being said, my work environment is hostile.
I'm the new kid on the block, and I get that there will be people who don't like me no matter where I work, but this feels like more than that. I am Caucasian, one of only two Caucasians who work on this unit. There is one particular tech who has been here since Jesus was a baby, and she makes my life hell. No matter how politely I ask her to do something, she refuses if it's not something she wants to do right then. Ugh. I've offered to help her in completing certain tasks in an effort to establish that I am not "that nurse" who feels that I am above the work that techs do...still didn't matter. She gives me an attitude, raises her voice above mine every time I speak and just flat out disrespects me any opportunity she gets.
She and I had a disagreement about the way she spoke to a patients family. The family came for a compassionate care visit to see their loved one who was dying from covid complications. This tech was rude, disrespectful and basically made a heartbreaking situation more difficult for this family. I pulled the tech aside and asked her to let me handle the family from that point forward. After the family left she proceeded to attack me and claimed that I think I'm better than her because I am white. Wait, what?!! How did this become a race issue?
Since then there is tension with everyone I work with. I've had several other nurses and techs approach me and ask me if I really did call her the "N" word (which is a term that I have never and will never use or be OK with). The nurse who is on the same rotation as me for night shift is close with this tech. Since the disagreement, the night nurse has gone above and beyond to make it known she does not like me. She leaves nasty notes instructing me to do things, she will chart pertinent information about patients and claim she gave report to day nurse, but actually doesn't tell me about it. She throws me under the bus any chance she can.
There's much more, but that's the gist of it, and it is making the stress of being a new nurse so much worse. I've attempted to speak to both the tech and the night nurse, and that made things so much worse. I went to management and nothing changed. I actually had one manager tell me it's best if I just keep my head down and mouth shut to avoid conflict. Seriously?!!
I'm to the point where I would almost rather play in traffic blindfolded than to come to work. Here in lies the issue... I signed a 2 year contract with a sign-on bonus (which I cannot afford to pay back right now). What else can I do? Has anyone else been in a similar situation where you feel like your voice isn't being heard because of your race, religion, gender etc.?
Its hard to understand white privilege if you assume that everyone is treated the same way. You have to be open or willing to explore race in order to understand that not all people are treated the same way. Truthfully, if you are not there to witness it how would you know? Thanks!
If you look at history and you will see that not everyone is treated the same even in the same race. This is way we need to fight racism when it happens and not cry racism because you don't get your way which only distracts from the acts that are racist and need to be addressed.
It's not always about money. Privileges can be about the ease of being 'accepted' without fear of being rejected. You don't need 'money' to speak socially to anyone.
My thoughts exactly. People will easily say white privilege doesn't exist because they have not experience it. Imagine being turned down by a white patient who wants a white nurse. Those of you that keep saying white privilege does not exist or you don't experience white privilege, how about try being black for a day and see what it feels like.
What a bunch of crab; if white privilege was true why do inner city whites have the same issues as inner city blacks. People who thing that their is white privilege are showing their own racist views. Otherwise why were does their rational come from other than blacks and other minorities have to have special help to get ahead in life because they are inferrer and unable to do it unless they are helped by whites.
I thought this was a professional platform. Using words like " what a bunch of crab" is disrespectful. You don't have to agree with what she said but you can be professional and respectful about it. Just FYI
To OP, thanks for having the courage to bring this up. I wonder sometimes if this is a huge elephant in the room with nursing. Feel free to PM to vent about it, I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. The general laziness, refusal to do things, giving "attitude" when confronted, followed by talking and spreading it all over to poison the waters...sounds SO very familiar. And it's not right. I'm not white, but I've been on the receiving end of this behavior too many times. It's very prevalent, sadly.
I totally agree with you. This behaviors are unacceptable and should be called out whenever it happens. I have been on the receiving end of this type of behaviors from every race and I always called it out. I believe that your are being paid to work and that work needs to be done efficiently. But I have notice way too many times how people overlooked this types of behaviors when it is coming from non black race. No one is perfect. But how come it only gets notice when some people from a certain race does it
I’m sorry this is happening to you. If there is any possible way you can save up some money and get out, I probably would. To me, staying at a job that you’re miserable at is very difficult.
Being a charge nurse as a brand new nurse is very unsafe and can be overwhelming. Usually jobs that force you to sign a contract you should steer clear from (the contract is usually because they have really bad staffing issues).
In the meantime, I would definitely document everything and make HR away of these issues. I’m hoping you’re able to find a resolution ❤️
Hindsight is 20/20. Note to self: never sign an employment contract ??♀️ Thanks for the words of wisdom.
What a bunch of crab; if white privilege was true why do inner city whites have the same issues as inner city blacks.
It's easy for you to brush off because you haven't been on the receiving end. Whites have the same 'issues' as blacks in the inner city. Really? You believe that and KNOW that? So when someone refers to 'inner city', usually they're referring to 'housing', so not sure why you mentioned that.
The small minority of whites in the inner city aren't going to have the same experience as the larger populations of blacks. Have you ridden a bus lately, Jeck, in the inner city? A lot of whites on there, right? I'm sure you have toiled on with the experiences of blacks or minorities on a daily basis in the inner city, haven't' you?
My thoughts exactly. People will easily say white privilege doesn't exist because they have not experience it. Imagine being turned down by a white patient who wants a white nurse. Those of you that keep saying white privilege does not exist or you don't experience white privilege, how about try being black for a day and see what it feels like.
Yes, I've seen that happen on occasion. I've been turned down myself by black patients because I was white. And I've also been turned down by female patients because I was male. I've been turned down by Muslim patients because I wasn't Muslim. I got over it.
Personally, I was always relieved to be removed from those particular patient's care because they generally were more trouble than I felt they were worth. I had plenty of work to do without going where I was not wanted. If they wanted the help, I was happy to give it but I'd be lying if I said I had any patience for those who didn't. Particularly if their reasons were because my eyes were brown instead of blue, skin white (actually more of a khaki) instead of black, or that I wore boxers instead of briefs. I had control over the latter but not the former.
And, at the same time, white people DO ALSO suffer from poverty, health disparities (compared to wealthier people of all races), the opioid epidemic, lack of access to healthcare, police murder, intergenerational trauma, ACEs, etc.
The common thread here is CAPITALISM, racial capitalism. This economic system requires that there is a great big pool of poor people who will do just about anything to survive. It keeps wages low. Prison is there if anyone fights back. Race and racism keep people divided.
Race was an INVENTION. It did not always exist. "White" people were given "privileges" in order to win them over to the side of the ruling class. "Black" people were dehumanized in order to justify slavery. Look up "John Punch".
Rather than squabbling amongst ourselves, we would do well to see our common humanity, recognize the different struggles we all face, and work together to create a world of equity and justice for all people.
Here is an excellent quote from MLK, Jr, that underscores the point about about the creation of race/racism in connection to Jim Crow and segregation:
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Racial segregation as a way of life did not come about as a natural result of hatred between the races immediately after the Civil War. There were no laws segregating the races then. And as the noted historian, C. Vann Woodward, in his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, clearly points out, the segregation of the races was really a political stratagem employed by the emerging Bourbon interests in the South to keep the southern masses divided and southern labor the cheapest in the land. You see, it was a simple thing to keep the poor white masses working for near-starvation wages in the years that followed the Civil War. Why, if the poor white plantation or mill worker became dissatisfied with his low wages, the plantation or mill owner would merely threaten to fire him and hire former Negro slaves and pay him even less. Thus, the southern wage level was kept almost unbearably low.
Toward the end of the Reconstruction era, something very significant happened. That is what was known as the Populist Movement. The leaders of this movement began awakening the poor white masses and the former Negro slaves to the fact that they were being fleeced by the emerging Bourbon interests. Not only that, but they began uniting the Negro and white masses into a voting bloc that threatened to drive the Bourbon interests from the command posts of political power in the South.
To meet this threat, the southern aristocracy began immediately to engineer this development of a segregated society. I want you to follow me through here because this is very important to see the roots of racism and the denial of the right to vote. Through their control of mass media, they revised the doctrine of white supremacy. They saturated the thinking of the poor white masses with it, thus clouding their minds to the real issue involved in the Populist Movement. They then directed the placement on the books of the South of laws that made it a crime for Negroes and whites to come together as equals at any level. And that did it. That crippled and eventually destroyed the Populist Movement of the nineteenth century.
If it may be said of the slavery era that the white man took the world and gave the Negro Jesus, then it may be said of the Reconstruction era that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. He gave him Jim Crow. And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man. And he ate Jim Crow. And when his undernourished children cried out for the necessities that his low wages could not provide, he showed them the Jim Crow signs on the buses and in the stores, on the streets and in the public buildings. And his children, too, learned to feed upon Jim Crow, their last outpost of psychological oblivion.
I feel like your job set you up to fail. Why on earth would they allow a brand spanking new nurse to be charge over a unit they know is staffed with difficult people. Being charge is hard enough when you have experience and your unit trusts you. On top of that make you sign your life away for 2 years. So you can’t even step down. That’s hell to me. I’m not surprised that they are acting like that towards you. They don’t respect nor trust you at all. Your job took advantage of you.
I sometimes travel nurse and generally you pretty much end up in places where there's trouble. I like my license and for some reason I frequently end up being in charge. I will not allow anyone to jeopardize my license by their incompetence, stupidity or laziness. I take patient care very seriously.
My formula is to immediately identify the people who are competent regardless of age, experience or whatever. These are the people I rely on exclusively when I make out assignments and place them in charge. During handing out assignments I let everyone know how I feel about my license and that I will not tolerate anyone shirking their duties and I will immediately report them to the management and write them up. I'm not there to make friends. This is work!
I usually work psych if I travel nurse by the way. And part of my contract is to always be able to obtain an email source from the facility to communicate difficulties. I liase with my supervisor beforehand and in writing or during orientation with witnesses, let them know that this is my plan if I am placed in charge. I lay out the fact that this is a difficult unit and if they have an alternative solution to let us know. I also alert my travel company (BCC) if I send an email.
I also keep an attorney on retainer and they receive updates taking into account confidentiality. This formula hasn't failed me yet. Even when I am working my regular job. You also have the added bonus, that the friends that you do make are genuine people who value competence and are less likely to be superficial. It helps that I am not even remotely interested in being liked and fortunately possess withering wit, which helps to keep people at bay.
You are there for the patients. They are compromised and your care and concern whether medical or Psych make a difference. By the way, I handle difficult Drs exactly the same way. I chart everything or always have a witness if possible. I have found that almost always, whenever a unit is difficult, it's because management is incompetent and very likely to throw you under the bus given the opportunity.
Re your situation, I would make assignments and be extremely clear as to what you expect. Any deviations get written up. I would also mention to management after consulting a lawyer, that I intend to sue for slander! Draw a line and don't let them cross it!
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
I forget where I found this article, however for this white girl it explained white privlidge really well.
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1. When I was 3, my family moved into an upper-middle-class, all-white neighborhood. We had a big backyard, so my parents built a pool. Not the only pool on the block, but the only one neighborhood boys started throwing rocks into. White boys. One day my mom ID’d one as the boy from across the street, went to his house, told his mother, and, fortunately, his mother believed mine. My mom not only got an apology, but also had that boy jump in our pool and retrieve every single rock. No more rocks after that. Then mom even invited him to come over to swim sometime if he asked permission. Everyone became friends. This one has a happy ending because my mom was and is badass about matters like these, but I hope you can see that the white privilege in this situation is being able to move into a “nice” neighborhood and be accepted not harassed, made to feel unwelcome, or prone to acts of vandalism and hostility.
Being a white woman, it was pretty humbling reading this article. I consider myself fairly open, non judgemental etc and yes, no matter how much I may not want to admit it, white privilege really does exist. People get treated differently based on the colour of their skin. And sure, while we cant undo all the injustice thats happened to people of non european descent, as responsible healthcare providers we must be aware of this and actively seek to counter balance the impact of it
Hope this makes sense. (its been a really long week and cant guarantee my words make sense)
Jeckrn1, ADN, BSN
270 Posts
If you look at history and you will see that not everyone is treated the same even in the same race. This is way we need to fight racism when it happens and not cry racism because you don't get your way which only distracts from the acts that are racist and need to be addressed.