My article describes what racial discrimination is and how it can be present in the nursing profession. I included a personal story of my own experience with racial discrimination and the negative effects that it had on me. I also provided a few tips on how to deal with racial discrimination appropriately and ended the article with an opening for other potential comments or stories.
NursesGeneral NursingArticle
Racial discrimination is the discrimination of minority individuals based on their race, skin color, or ethnicity. Racial discrimination is a popular topic today evidenced by instances of police shooting unarmed suspects and individuals calling the police on minorities for no reason. The problem is exacerbated by social media videos and political influences. Racial discrimination can occur in any setting including your work setting, stores and restaurants, a job interview, and even applying for credit.
The nursing profession is not immune to the problem of racial discrimination either. Less than 25% of the nursing workforce in the United States are minorities. Racial discrimination can be the basis for failures to promote, termination, patient requests, and disciplinary actions. Have you ever been told that the patient requested "only white nurses", or they stated that they "did not want a black nurse"? These are some examples of racial discrimination demonstrated by patients in the nursing profession. Minority nurses may experience racially motivated bullying and feel as if they are being talked down to by other members of the interprofessional healthcare team, such as physicians, managers, supervisors, administrators, and even colleagues and coworkers. The failure to promote based on racial discrimination has been happening for years and is the basis for many discrimination lawsuits.
My Story: My own personal experience with racial discrimination in nursing stemmed from a situation of failure to promote. I had been an employee working for a healthcare facility for approximately three years. In the course of my employment, I had obtained a Bachelor Degree in Nursing and was working on a Master's Degree in Nursing Administration. A month or so prior to the incident, I was trained in the charge nurse/supervisor role and began to fill in in the absence of the supervisor. When the supervisor was promoted to the nurse manager position it was expected that I would move into the open supervisor position. The position was posted and there were both internal and external candidates. During the application and interview process, I continued to fill in in the supervisor position, which lasted for a little over a month. I was eventually notified that the position had been given to another internal candidate who had not even completed the 90-day probation period. Other contraindications for this promotion included the selected candidate not having a bachelor's degree and not being already trained in the position. We both had charge nurse and supervisory experience, although she had been a nurse longer than me, I had more experience in that specialty and setting. The only major difference between us was race. How can a new employee with less experience and credentials be chosen for promotion over a 3-year employee with the experience and credentials, and already trained and doing the job? I asked myself the same question. Even after the other nurse was promoted, I continued to fill in as the relief charge nurse. So did that mean I was good enough to fill in but not good enough to be the permanent supervisor? The whole situation affected me very negatively. I lost confidence in myself and began to think about quitting the master's degree program. I began to question if it even mattered that I had an advanced degree because my race and skin color would block me from moving up in the nursing profession. I became so discouraged and disillusioned with being in nursing administration and eventually changed my concentration to nursing education. For days it clouded my thoughts and judgment. I had trouble sleeping and just felt bad in general. Eventually, I decided that I had to address the situation in order to move on.
There are measures you can take to protect yourself against racial discrimination. Racial discrimination is a violation of the "Civil Rights Act of 1964". Minority nurses who feel that their civil rights have been violated should first file a complaint with their organization's human resource office. In some cases, a complaint must be filed with your organization's corporate human resources office. If the issue is not resolved, the nurse may choose to take action outside of the company and retain an attorney for the potential of filing a Civil Action Lawsuit. In some instances of racial discrimination, you may react negatively lashing out or becoming indignant. This is the wrong action to take. When dealing with instances of racial discrimination in nursing remember to:
Confront the situation but stay professional
Keep a written record of occurrences
Do not quit your job
Attempt to resolve the issue internally
Seek outside counsel if necessary
Being racially discriminated against may not be a big deal to some, but the truth is discrimination can affect you mentally, emotionally, and even physically. No one should be allowed to make you feel diminished or second best based on the color of your skin. Are there any other minority nurses out there who have experienced racial discrimination in nursing?
