What in the world are we supposed to do when a patient makes it known that they "don't want any nurses of color taking care of them"?
There was a patient on my unit last week who mentioned this (I have no idea who she told this to, administration, the doctors, I have no idea who she notified). She was in her 20s and was not on the unit for mental illness issues at all, she had an OBGYN related surgery and was not under any sedative medications, she was able-bodied with full mental capacity! Thank goodness for the patient none of the nurses (all of whom but 2 out of 50-something nurses are people of color) knew about this patient's odd request until she was discharged from the hospital.
What I really wanted to do and say were unprofessional. What are we supposed to do when someone comes to hospital with this request?
I think in this day and age if a 20 something year old says that then they must have had a traumatic experience that makes them uncomfortable with a certain race. I'm not saying that it is ok. I think the only thing you can do is respect their wish.
The first time that I read the post, that was my exact thought too. Just for a second pretend that you are the patient, you don't have your clothes, you have this gown that has your butt hanging out, and on top of that you may have the risk of someone who's taking care of you, seeing you naked, and touching your naked body that you probably unfairly associate with someone who raped or molested you. I'm not saying that's what the issue was, but it may have been. It may also have been something completely inappropriate.
I think no matter how crazy the request, I would try not to assume bigot on the first shot and ask the patient about it. I'd wish and hope that their answer is not racist, but if it is then treat accordingly. Otherwise, it may be nice to conjure up some kindness for the things this person may have been through.
Sex discrimination is justifiable on legal grounds? What if racial discrimination falls within someone's religious belief system? Suppose a member of a Christian identity sect says that he refuses to be treated by non-Aryan medical personnel. Would that be accepted as an ordinary religious request, the way a patient might choose meals that meet his religious requirements?
What happens in an emergency room, when an ultra-Orthodox Jew or Muslim is brought in, and only a female physician is available? Does the spouse have his/her demands met when he/she insists that each person that comes into contact with the patient matches the patient's gender? No. Where is the line drawn?
Remember what happened when the Taliban in Afghanistan insisted that women could not treat men, or vice versa? Guess which gender no longer recieved medical care, including for childbirth complications, in many locales?
I remember this topic coming up in school when we were talking about how some patients would prefer not to have a male care for them.
I've seen the male issue 'in real life,' but never the race issue so far.
I remember in the discussion though it was said that a request like that shouldn't be honored and the patient should be respectfully told NO.
I wish I have never seen the race issue, it almost physically makes me ill. It disgusts me THAT much.
I was on a travel assignment once shortly after Obama was elected. The assignment was very close to John McCain's home. I actually had to change my neuro assessment questions to avoid "Who is the president?"
The answers to that question were so vehemently vile that I could not take it night after night.
What if this woman was raped by a black man and stated she didn't want to have a black nurse. Should she have that right without announcing to the entire hospital staff it is because she had been raped by a black man in her past? Or should we just accept some people have preferences? Some women will only see a female OB/GYN, others want male only. I am pretty certain many women would also prefer an OB/GYN to be the same race they are.
Why would a patient not want to be treated by a black woman, if it was a black man who raped her? There are gender differences between black men and women. I guess some just see the color Black, not male or female, but just BLACK. Pure ignorance. How many women are out there raping people anyway? Not many. In addition I am not buying the traumatic experience excuse, it just a justification for racial bigotry.
People open their mouths a lot these days. More people used to just keep it to themselves in past decades. A lot of people are "racist" out there, and in some ways your facility might be as well. So, in other words it's not going away.
You said that you were hard pressed to find a nurse who was not of color. Best defense for everybody is to be diverse. I tell ya, if a facility seems to hire one race of nurses, that is a warning flag for me, and it should be for others including those of that race as well.
People open their mouths a lot these days. More people used to just keep it to themselves in past decades. A lot of people are "racist" out there, and in some ways your facility might be as well. So, in other words it's not going away.
You said that you were hard pressed to find a nurse who was not of color. Best defense for everybody is to be diverse. I tell ya, if a facility seems to hire one race of nurses, that is a warning flag for me, and it should be for others including those of that race as well.
Maybe it's not that the facility CHOOSES to hire a particular race. Maybe it's the location of the facility that causes certain races not to apply. Just a thought.
Maybe it's not that the facility CHOOSES to hire a particular race. Maybe it's the location of the facility that causes certain races not to apply. Just a thought.
There is a mid sized hospital not far from me that is an area with a very small minority population, I would expect the vast majority of their employees to be white. It has nothing to do with racism just geography.
MStar
45 Posts
The first time that I read the post, that was my exact thought too. Just for a second pretend that you are the patient, you don't have your clothes, you have this gown that has your butt hanging out, and on top of that you may have the risk of someone who's taking care of you, seeing you naked, and touching your naked body that you probably unfairly associate with someone who raped or molested you. I'm not saying that's what the issue was, but it may have been. It may also have been something completely inappropriate.
I think no matter how crazy the request, I would try not to assume bigot on the first shot and ask the patient about it. I'd wish and hope that their answer is not racist, but if it is then treat accordingly. Otherwise, it may be nice to conjure up some kindness for the things this person may have been through.