Race and Nursing

[Bella RN, BSN, MSN]

Hello,

I have noticed that there are not any Black RN's at a upper management levels in managed care or in the hospital setting. I am in the south. I have seen Black charge nurses and Black supervisors. I have not seen a Black CEO or Director of Nursing in the south. It truly makes me concerned. Our company always gets very poor scores on diversity and inclusion. Upper management at my company are all White males or all White females.

 

I did bring this up at a meeting we had post George Floyd's death and the Whites in upper management stated they never realized that there is such a lack of diversity in upper management, until I brought it up.. No changes were made.

 

It makes me very sad. Black people have so much against them. Especially with everything going in the news.

I do not agree with hiring someone based on the color of their skin, but I notice Black Nurses in the U.S. get the very short end of the stick. Upper management should be diversified across the board which represents the patients and clients that are served.

 

Is there still a good ole boy network within Nursing? I truly hope things change. Everyone deserves a seat at the table and the opportunity to shine. 

Thank you

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I've never worked in the South, just the Midwest and West Coast. I've worked in a number of hospitals where the CNO is a black woman.  Also, the school I attended for my MSN has had a black woman for a dean in the past. This dean was a trailblazer and co-founded the National Black Nurses Association. These are large institutions in urban areas so that does make a difference in how accepting the environment is as far as recognizing individuals with talent regardless of gender or skin color. I agree with you that on a larger scale, there is still work to be done. 

 

[Bella RN, BSN, MSN]

I think you are right. I have seen up north or out West Black RN's in higher level management. But I have not seen that in the south.

 

I have seen White Latina RN's in a mid level management position, but I have not seen a Afro Latina in a upper management roles. I often wonder about this? Is it that they are not applying or not given a chance?

 

I have seen many White colleagues who were friends with someone in Senior Leadership get promoted very quickly WITHOUT a Bachelors degree. I find that very puzzling. But no one appears to notice or say anything. It is concerning to me.

 

Thanks for the reply?

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

On 1/13/2021 at 8:42 AM, Bella RN said:

Hello,

I have noticed that there are not any Black RN's at a upper management levels in managed care or in the hospital setting. I am in the south. I have seen Black charge nurses and Black supervisors. I have not seen a Black CEO or Director of Nursing in the south. It truly makes me concerned....

I did bring this up at a meeting we had post George Floyd's death and the Whites in upper management stated they never realized that there is such a lack of diversity in upper management, until I brought it up.. No changes were made....

 

Hospitals and the health care system in the South are very racist in their hiring practices of senior leaders!  The South will hire black women and men as frontline staff, but that is all (once upon a time they did not even hire black women or men as nurses unless it was in a segregated hospital).  In fact, the upper managers that made that comment to you were lying.  They realize they were surrounded by white people every day and believe me, they like it that way!  If you want to be around diverse groups of senior leaders you need to leave the South.  Nothing is going to change in the South anytime soon, if ever, IMO unless and until they are outed for their racist hiring practices AND unless and until powerful groups make it very clear that it will not be tolerated any more.

[ERArmyRNND]

Not in the south but in CA, blacks and all races are well represented in nursing and in mgt.