RACISM BY PATIENTS???

Nurses Relations

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I would like to know as a future nurse, do alot of you deal with racism by patients? How do you deal with it, and how do they treat you if they allow you to help them? Thanks

Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
I once had a pt who refused to be cared for by an AA nurse. We did accomodate his wishes and I was assigned to him. I gave him the very best care I could that night... I even kept trying to get that IV in after the 5th or 6th stick, even though I could usually get it on the first try and wouldn't normally stick someone more than twice, I just knew I could do it and was really determined to give this pt the care he deserved...

That's very passive-aggressive.

I understand WHY, you did it. But I wouldn't do that.

Just tell the man he is an @$$ and get it over with.

Specializes in ER/EHR Trainer.

My sister is very Irish looking as is her son; my BIL is from Columbia and of course his surname is Latin. When my sister was living in West Virginia my BIL decided to coach the local recreation soccer team for my nephew...all the women were talking about the new Puerto Rican who was going to be the coach....and how could this person afford to buy a house in their neighborhood and so forth and so on....my sister walked into this little conclave after it had begun....and she thought the Puerto Rican and her husband must be coaching together. Imagine her surprise when the PR(for short) was her husband....imagine the parents surprise when they realized my sister and her very Irish looking son belonged with him and imagine my BIL who has always lived in a metropolitan area being called a Puerto Rican just because he has a Latin surname.

Prejudice most certainly exists and in this case it's just a matter of exposure to people....the West Virginians of Parkersburg only knew about Puerto Ricans and Mexicans...how sad that all Latinos are lumped together.

To bring it one step further, my BIL is also very prejudiced....he will tell you he is Columbian however he has no Indian blood and is a pure Spaniard (from Spain) and makes this distinction often...in other words he is Caucasian....drives my sister crazy....and in my opinion is no different than saying whites are better than any darker skin color. He refuses the designation of Latin or Hispanic-and his attitude reigns throughout the hispanic world...lighter and darker....country to country....even the speaking of Spanish as a language.

Racism exists pure and simple....patients, family, coworkers, employers, countries, churches....it's everywhere...

M

Specializes in Acute Rehab.

I had an experience recently with an elderly caucasian geriatric patient with dementia. She was one of the pleasant demented patients to be around. Extremely nice to me, would request me for take care of her, and her face would light up when i entered the room. Towards the end of the day, one of the speech pathologists tells me that she had a conversation with said patient and that the patient was confused on what to call me (she always said my name when talking to me).

patient: "i love the little black boy who's taking care of me! or is it negro? which should i call him"

The ST replied: "How about his name :), Matthew "

patient: "O ok."

i wasn't offended, but it did catch me off guard. It's not my first run in with off center comments regarding my race. . . probably the most memorable. Shortly after this, another co worker told me they had a similar conversation with her as well. Before and after their encounters with her, she always said my name, i don't know why she got hung up when talking to other employees. . .

Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).

It's truly amazing how your true self and or your life's experiences reveal themselves when you drink, take drugs or are experiencing mental disease.

M

I don't dispute your general point, but I do think the part of our minds that tells us not to say the first thing that pops into our head is very much a part of our true selves, and when people lose that internal censor through no fault of their own, as with dementia or brain injury, what we see are the evil impulses all of us have, but most are able to choose to supress. My very religious grandmother began using some very blue language in her later years; it would almost have been funny, except when realizing how embarrassed she would have been.

So, when an elderly patient starts spouting racial epithets, they may indeed be revealing something about the culture they grew up in, but in at least some cases they not be feeling quite themselves. To have lost the self they chose to be, well, it's hard to imagine what's more tragic.

Thanks for the feed back ladies and gents! Just what I was looking for...

Oh boy, I really stepped in it...

I was taking a little literary license and trying to put a "cute" or "mischievous" spin on my anecdote. A little wink wink nudge nudge, if you will.

FAIL.

OK, here are the no-spin, boring, and probably more relevant facts. I was one of two RNs on the night shift, the other being a fantastic AA nurse. Since the patient refused her care, I took him. Normally I would not do an IV stick more than twice, maybe three times if it looked good, and then I would ask the other RN on the floor to try. However, he had refused to let her touch him, so... I did stick him either five or six times, to get the IV access he had to have. I did not intentionally fail to get a good stick. Did I feel bad about it? Nope. Did he get the care he deserved? Yep. He got the care he chose.

Is it possible I got a tiny bit of satisfaction out of a situation that normally I would have felt terrible about? It's possible...

it is really sad to see that you cannot be proud of who you are and where you are from. We are all proud of who we are no matter if we are yellow, grey, spanish, brazilian or whatever we are. When I work in nursing homes, I often hear a thing or two. Its often older people that have something to say.

It is funny how we are supposed to look up to older people, when they in fact are behaving less acceptable than most people are. You loose your respect for them because they should know better. Or at least you hope, sometimes 80-90 years isnt even enough..

People will always have something to say in life, sometimes it satisfies you, sometimes it doesnt. Many times, it wont and at that time no matter how sad, humilated and angry you feel, just ignore it. Because you know, and I know that you are so much better than those people. Thank god for us having learned that we are all the same and at the end, we should all be united instead of devided.

My 94 yo grandmother had to go to a nursing home when my aunt could no longer care for her at home. She was a strong personality in a frail body and her dependence on others really chafed. She grew up in a small town where there were only white people. I don't think she ever saw a black or Hispanic person until she was well into adulthood. Then in her final days, she had black and Hispanic caregivers, and she was frightened of these people who seemed so different from her family and friends.

The girls (as everyone referred to them) could see her "cold" attitude, but they knew it was based on fear and ignorance and not at all on them as people. They could have held her outdated ideas against her, but instead, they just told her it was okay that she didn't like them to begin with; they would just take such good care of her that they would win her over. And that is exactly what they did. They bridged the gap with their kindness and humor and love. It took time, but eventually she would ask for certain ones. And she'd inquire about their families because they had showed her pictures of their kids and talked about their spouses and parents and siblings. They gave of themselves despite her initial reticence and their warmth and inclusion helped her more than any amount of indignation or judgment ever would have.

The ultimate victory came near the end. She had been scared to pieces by a ginormous black male CNA who was built like a line-backer. But when she reached the point where she was in a lot of pain and the Hoyer lift made it worse, she was finally willing to let him lift her. He was so gentle and kind that she would ask him to move her after that, even if it meant waiting until he was available. A few months earlier, he was her worst nightmare, but he became one of her dearest caregivers.

In the end, she left small bequests for her regular caregivers, having come to see them as friends who were much more like her than different.

None of this would have been possible if they had taken offense. They just considered that this terrified old white woman needed TLC despite her prejudices and their love won her over. Part of this change occurred because there really was no other choice of staff. But the more important part was their absolute refusal to meet hate with anger, prejudice with judgment, and ignorance with hostility. Instead, they offered kindness, understanding and love. With their many acts of skill and professionalism along with a healthy dose of humor, they chipped away at a guarded heart and helped my grandmother's last days change from a time of horror to one of comfort.

We were really touched when some of these blessed people came to her funeral and told us how much they would miss her. We thanked them many times during the course of her care and after she passed for their incredible dedication and caring. I will never forget them.

Miracles do happen.

Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

rn/writer, thank you so much for sharing that story with us. it really touched me.

i like your sense of humour haha

i like your sense of humour haha

You do realize that this thread is five years old, don't you?

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

Several years ago a patient visiting from out of state suffered an MI.

In report we were told, "He only wants a white nurse."

The charge nurse assigned him to a Black nurse and went to his bedside to introduce him to his nurse.

She told him and his adult children, "You are very sick. As charge nurse I'm assigning you to the registered nurse with the education and experience to care for you and who is expert in caring for patients requiring the intra=aortic balloon pump"

As his nurse assessed him she explained what she was doing and why. She explained the IABP and the reason for it and the drips, O2, and such. She only left the room when the charge nurse relieved her for a break.

In the morning she accompanied him to the OR for a CABG. He told her he wanted her to take care of him after surgery.

She told him he would be assigned to an RN with vast experience caring for people after open heart surgery.

He recovered and was discharged. The kindness and competence of his nurse made the difference for him.

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