Racism in Nursing

[lpnnursingstudent33]

I am a Cardiac Monitor Technicican at the best facility in a suburban facility. I've been there 5 years. It used to be a big trauma center, but they had to merge with upmc so it is just a community hospital basically it is a nursing home with a E.R. But anyway i'm African American and I want to be a nurse. I have been in the Nursing field for the last ten years of my life. Working in this field with the majority of the field being middle aged white women and the new white 21-30 year old girls. It is very hard working with these people especially when the are so prejudice or bias. They try to make you feel inferior or something. It's like they can't stand the fact that i want to be a nurse or that i have the facility paying my way to become a nurse. I mean i never knew how much racism there is in this field until i started working in the field. It is very said. It is even with patient care. I see why there is such a huge health desparity. It is crazy. I know because i see it everyday. I hear nurses say BAD things all day about their patients. Make bad jokes about the patients, STEROtype patients, judge their patients. A lot of the nurses i work with are just down right rude to their patients. I can't actually say it is seems to mean that a lot of the nurses are burned out but can't afford to retire or just don't want to. Some nurse on my floor have been there for over 30 years. Some don't even own stethoscopes on a critical care floor. Now how said is that.

Anyway sometimes i find myself getting intimidated of these people but i have never seen a group of evil spirited people. Some of them just make me sick. But on the other hand there are some excellent nurses there too. That actually care about their patients no matter what status they are or what color. That's the kind of nurse i will become.

This is 2008 and i think it is time to shape up or get out of the business. I quess there will always be health care desparitites i don't know but i will try to make a difference once i become a rn.

[EmmaG, RN]

I don't know what you've experienced and can't speak to that specifically, but I do know that much of what I've seen similar to what you're describing is a bias not so much based upon race as it is some nurses being disrespectful of staff they consider to be 'beneath' them...

Did that make any sense at all?

In any case, I'm sorry you've experienced this attitude (regardless of the reason) and wish you all the best in your schooling and career :)

[Emma123]

I am so very sorry that you have had to go through feeling prejudiced against. I don't know the specifics, but it will be helpful to you to document, document, document....the specifics. (ie: date, time, what was said, and the person saying it) and REPORT it. Your facility, as should any, should have policies in place to protect against descrimination of any sort. Descrimination, correct me if I'm wrong, is grounds for legal recourse, or at least termination. Do not tolerate it. And do not let it keep you from reaching your dream and being the best nurse ever. As silly as this sounds, I was just experiencing something similiar; my boss told me my hair looked trashy, because it is blonde. As for patients, that is a tough one. They can refuse care from any caregiver, as it is their right to do so, for any reason. I'm telling you this because unfortunately it may be something you will run into in the future. You're right...it's 2008, but some people are stuck in their ways and and have little hope to change. That doesn't mean that you have to endure the abuse however. If you find yourself being discriminated against by a patient because of your color, you could offer to switch patients with another staff member. Sometimes female patients refuse care because the RN is a male. Sometimes patients refuse care because the caregiver is an LPN, not an RN. We can't do much to change the patients, but you do have the RIGHT to work in peace and not be discriminated against.

Best wishes,

Emma

[widi96]

Well, I'm a young white nurse and I'll tell you what - we are always looking for nurses and aides - you can certainly come work with me - before and after you graduate nursing school.

If you are a good nurse, I don't care if you are black, white, green or purple - you'd be welcome to work with me.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

as an african american student i have run into a few racist nurses as well. not as many as you since i am new to this side of health care and i work in a diverse area. however, imo many are absolutely intimidated and jealous of me!

i do not allow them to get to me because i am too strong. i see them for the weak pathetic sick beings they are and so i am not offended. honestly, i know it might be hard for you to believe because over the years you have allowed those people to break you down to the point where you feel the inferiority they see, but it is true.

i suggest that you remove yourself from that work environment so you can become stronger and be able to look at them from the outside-in. if you are not able to because of the benefits of the working there, then i suggest that you gain strength in something bigger then you, like god (i am not trying to push my beliefs on you, it is just a suggestion). otherwise, just ignore them.

the other day a nurse who is also a ci at my school (not mine) was asking me about my aspirations as a rn. she put down everything i said. i wanted to laugh in her face but i am too professional. i just nodded as if i heard/understood what she was saying (have you ever heard the saying "never let them see you coming?" next thing she will know, i will be her boss). i even gave her the impression that i cared or valued her opinion. in reality, i see her as having low self esteem and being threatened by my ambition. thus, she in no way affects me emotionally because my esteem is far too superior to take the tiny punches she threw. gl!

[bigsyis]

lpnnursingstudent33 said:

But on the other hand there are some excellent nurses there too. That actually care about their patients no matter what status they are or what color. That's the kind of nurse I will become.

This is 2008 and I think it is time to shape up or get out of the business. I quess there will always be health care desparitites I don't know but I will try to make a difference once I become a RN.

I know because you have been the recipient of this bad behavior that you may think it is based on color/race, but believe me, if you read enough threads at allnurses.com you will find that that kind of disrespect is widespread and irrespective of person in Nursing. We have discussed the whys and hows of what we need to do to change this atmosphere, but I believe that it only comes from within a person. You sound as though you care about patients, and when you become a Nurse I imagine that you will be a good patient advocate. As you have seen from some of the Nurses that you work with, it is our job to care about the patient as a whole being, which includes not only the illness they have but their culture and beliefs, as well. We know that fussing and fighting don't promote racial equality but caring and kindness can help.

I wish you well as you embark on your new career!

[calliesue]

Although you have nothing to prove your success will silence your critics. OK that is not true.

There will always be hate filled ignorant people in the world .

People who won't like you because of the color of your skin, but

we need you in nursing.

We need your strength and caring so don't let them slow you down.

Just keep on working towards your goals.

You will make a difference in the lives of patients .

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

You obviously like the healthcare arena, you've spent a great many years within! You sound so positive in your ambitions, I have know doubt you will succeed. Sel-awareness is far better than not having a self-awareness clue!

I wish you the best in your future career and I believe your patients will benefit from your compassion, let alone skill;)

[Fanilow]

Here is a really good quote that may give you something to think about, sorry I don't know the author's name.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great"

[WindyhillBSN]

calliesue said:

Although you have nothing to prove your success will silence your critics. OK that is not true.
There will always be hate filled ignorant people in the world. 

People who won't like you because of the color of your skin, but

We need you in nursing.

We need your strength and caring so don't let them slow you down.

Just keep on working towards your goals.

You will make a difference in the lives of patients.

 

it's interesting that you say that, b/c sometimes I think that this particular attitude is the major thing that causes me to be ambitious. it's true, people will always criticize you no matter what.

[MichaelFloridaRN]

There will always be someone who seems to be in your way of achievement, or at the very least envious of it. Race is not the only attribute that will seem to be their target, it may be Gender, Religious orientation, Weight!(yes I was once very fat and this will make you a target), national origin, you name it.

Bottom line:

YOU GO AND BECOME A NURSE !

Do not allow anyone to stand in your way. And once you have reached your goal do everything you can to overcome such stupidity by being the best you can be. Be a teacher and a mentor for all those you are still on their path, and in a gentle way, let those who are foolish become aware that perhaps they need to consider their outlook on life.

[abooker]

Fanilow said:

Here is a really good quote that may give you something to think about, sorry I don't know the author's name.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great"

Mark Twain!

Why does this garbage still happen? Maybe some small people just want to feel special. You know ... the ones who walked four miles in seven feet of snow every day just to get to clinicals. They can't deal with what you've got to deal with (I.e. nursing school + racism) and that you'll make it anyway, and that's threatening to them.

Maybe they like to believe it is some rare ability or some deep, personal struggle it takes to be a successful RN. Implying a motivated and determined individual can do it seems to take away from their "specialness" or whatever. I can't imagine what the idea of a motivated and determined and Black individual must do to a racist's self-inflated image.

Many people try to be "helpful" by pointing out the "reality" of being an RN. Lots of people drop out; many are unhappy ... But that's true for every profession. It is profoundly insulting for someone to assume that because they're not successful or satisfied, than you wouldn't be, either.

Some nurses want to regulate the number and type of newcomers entering the profession. The BSN as a minimum standard for sitting for the NCLEX, the rejection of LPNs as new hires in hospitals, and making the NCLEX more difficult to pass all limit the number of new nurses entering the profession even as the nursing shortage becomes more severe. More nurses = more competition for jobs = less opportunity for racist jerks to flourish in the workplace.

I'm guilty, I suppose, of racism myself. I recently handed a young African American woman from Agency a shower list, stressed the importance of charting our residents' BMs, and told her to ask the other CNAs if she had any questions. She just kept standing there, looking mildly amused. The regular CNAs, all Black, were stifling giggles. Finally, she asked; "Do you want to give me report first, or shall we count the narcs?" Turns out she was my relief. They tell me I must have assumed she was a CNA based on her age. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. :omy: