Question for those who work with a majority of Filipino nurses

[samirish]

Our local hospital is staffed with approximately 80% Filipino nurses. I am doing my pre reqs to get into one of the health care programs at our community college and I was wondering, for those of you that work with a majority of filipino nurses, are they friendly and helpful to you or are they very cliquesh and standoffish in general?

Of course, everyone is an individual and may or may not act differently than someone else but Im talking in general here.

One of the reason's (there a few others) I have for thinking of skipping the RN program is that the majority of the RN's in my towns hospital are filipino and I dont want them to be hostile towards me or treat me like an outsider since I'm American.

Are my fears justified?

[FloridaGatorRN]

ummm... no? I work with several nurses from the east and they are all sweet, kind, and great teachers! :)

[RaziRN]

I worked with several filipino nurses and two of them precepted me. They were great! And I loved trying all the filipino food they brought in! :)

[magnum68]

I worked with several filipino nurses and two of them precepted me. They were great! And I loved trying all the filipino food they brought in! :)

The filipino nurses are the best nurses I have ever worked with.

[Florencebyondthepale]

I really hate categorizing a whole group of people based on their ethnicity. Particularly because I am a minority and I hate when it is done to me. However, I have to say that the Filipino staff that I work with are some of the friendliest and kindest people ever and very welcoming to newcomers.

[Faeriewand, ASN, RN]

I started out with and continue to work with >90% Filipino staff on my unit and they are wonderful and welcoming! They were very helpful to me when I was a new grad and continue to be today. :) When they bring in Filipino dishes be sure you contribute something too. (For me, I always provide the coffee creamer) and sometimes have my daughter bake some really good blueberry soft cookies that go well with coffee.

[j464335]

Gosh, It sounds likw I would RATHER work with the Filipino Nurses,

sounds better than how the American Nurses treat each other,lol :)

[netglow, ASN, RN]

OP, it just depends on the area. If you really want to know, you need to talk to some nurses, and students currently in hospital rotations where you are.

During my clinical time, there was one hospital with all you fear. Several of the students in my class were actually confronted angrily and told they were not welcome and questioned as to why they were there because they will never have the chance to work within this large hospital network. Well, I was in the break room during this little information session, I said nothing, but then told my instructor about it. Later another group of students got the same thing on pm shift, and one was bullied outright by one of the nurses - she, an older student, took immediate action and picked up the phone and reported that nurse. A few nurses on the unit had apologized for that behavior, and mumbled that unfortunately it is characteristic of that hospital network. The next day, I was treated poorly by guess what, the same nurse (she was doing a 12). I balked and rather loudly repeated what she had said to me, asking if I got it right, and made fun of her for it in front of all including physicians on the unit. Between clinical days the night student had told me of her incident, and I told her of mine. My next clinical, in report this bully said she "felt sick" suddenly as I was given an NP this time for a preceptor, and I knew she had been reprimanded. Needless to say, I made sure everybody I know received "report" of my experiences with the staff at this local hospital. I have a marketing background, aint that a drag for them, huh?!

This was my experience. At my other clinical sites I did not witness/experience this behavior. Those sites hire a mix of people.

I know some will flip when they read this. But that's just too bad. Those who know me, know I am a straight shooter. What's bad is bad, what's good is good. No making one the other.

[josinda421]

Yea, I've also worked with Filipino nurses in the past, and they're nicer to work with in some cases than the American nurses.

[iNurseUK, RN]

I had a very bad experience with a clique of same-ethnicity nurses on one ward. They spoke in their own language, excluding me from interaction and helped each other out but left me to cope on my own with no help.

This was allowed to go on by a ward sister who was the same ethnicity. Patients continually complained that they had problems communicating with this clique but this was dismissed by Sister.

Nothing to be done. Ethnic minorities can play the race card where nurses who are indigenous cannot. I'm no racist but I saw this time and time again.

[workingspaz]

my experience was that the Filipino (sp?) nurses were more helpful and nuturing to me than any of the other nurses on the unit. and i was an RN they were LVN. of course what happens to one person cannot be the rule for all others experiences- go with your gut instinct. if they ae kind and helpful/welcoming now, chances are they will be the same later. best of luck :)

[Altra, BSN, RN]

If your local hospital's nursing staff is weighted that heavily in one demographic group, I would think that there are enough members of that group that you interact with them elsewhere in the community at large, too.