Racist Patients

janetrnc · Jun 3, 2009

I, too, have encountered the same kind of attitudes throughout my nursing career. You do what you can to educate those who have misconceptons and pray for those who don't want to be educated. I am the Director of my unit, my name tag clear states my title and credentials and I have been called the housekeeper, secretary, etc. by people of all ethnicities. The last patient who requested a specific type or color of nurse was told "Unless you brought your own nurse, the chances ot that happening are slim to none. I have a limited staff and I will not call someone in on their day off to accomodate your preferences unless you are willing to pay them for their overtime out of YOUR pocket." That usually changes their minds and that statement has the full backing of administration.

stillwant2banurse · Jun 3, 2009

I can relate as well, I work for a hosp and it is not the patients it seems to be the management. I work on a very diverse floor and when we are being scheduled, our mgmt will give the white nurses and techs first pick of the schedule and give the AA the left over. If we need to schedule time off, or pick up a extra shift we have to make sure the white nurses or techs do not need these days or shifts first. You would think senority would count be no, not here, there are several employees that see this but everyone is scared to speakup because we need our job

janetrnc · Jun 3, 2009

In response to sweetsouthernbee:

Those types of incidents go both ways also, check out how many minority women go missing with not a peep yet non minority women remain in the media spotlight for months and years so why don't we a human beings try to put an end to all of the inequalities...

ToxicShock · Jun 3, 2009

In response to sweetsouthernbee:
Those types of incidents go both ways also, check out how many minority women go missing with not a peep yet non minority women remain in the media spotlight for months and years so why don't we a human beings try to put an end to all of the inequalities...

Because people are stupid.

miss_demeanour · Jun 3, 2009

I am sure that people are going to be superoffended by me, because that seems to be the way with me :) I'm not setting out to offend but as usual I am sure I will offend someone.

I am a little bit surprised about how this has become an issue of "black vs white" even on here. There are a lot of white people on here getting irate about how a black person was mean to them once and now they have a massive chip on their shoulder about it. Also, having a white friend who is married to a black man with biracial children doesn't prove anything. Heh, sorry, but that argument was used a LOT. It sounds like my (racist) dad who spends his whole time telling me how he's not racist because he once had a black friend.

It just comes down to respect for other people. The fact that everyone on here is still offended about a white/black/Asian/Hispanic/whoever person shows that they too are kinda racist because they are still concerned with that person's race, rather than the fact that they are a person who ****** you off. It's not "a man ****** me off", it's "a white/black/green/orange/pink/polkadot man ****** me off". People's inability to see past some kind of token, some kind of "difference", really gets my goat. I am a student nurse in the UK working with people with developmental/intellectual disabilities. I am continually annoyed that my patients or clients are referred to as "a downs", "a disabled", "simple", or one of my personal 'favourites', "a learning disabilities". To me, my patients are men and women, some of them are experiencing problems with their mental health, some are experiencing social problems, some want to lose weight, some want to make friends but don't know how. They just happen to have problems with their cognitive functioning. They are PEOPLE. Not a condition, not a syndrome, not a level of melanin, each one is a person in their own right. Same goes with everyone in my life. Each is a person. Some are nice, some are nasty, some of them have darker skin than me, some have lighter skin than me, some have piercings in their face, some don't, some are gay, some are straight, some have covered themselves in tattoos, some are incredibly tall, some are incredibly short, most are happy, some are miserable and I try to help them. They are themselves, their personalities, and I judge them by how they treat me and how they treat other people. As far as I am concerned the fact that they are black, Asian, hispanic, tall, short, have Down's Syndrome, Autism, Schizophrenia or anything else is as relevant to their worth as a person as my high blood pressure and PCOS is to relevant to my worth.

Judge people by their actions, not by the social constructs that have been put around them or the social group they were put in by an accident of birth.

/rant. :)

gladys.torres · Jun 3, 2009

hello,just joined allnurses.com recently-i am an overseas nurse working in the UK, i can't help but to reply to this post because wherever we go there will be people who will look at our color and race and that they will already have pre meditated ideas of who we are as a person just because where we have come from which i believe is unfair.i have received a phone call one night shift i was on,an enquiry about a patient-the caller have not identified herself but soon as she heard my voice she instantly said that she wanted to speak to an english nurse.i was gobsmacked because she even went to complain to the night manager that she cannot speak to an english nurse in this particular ward.when the english manager rang me i have explained my situation and she said she will ring this woman herself and tell her off then she wrote an incident report to support me just in case this woman complain.i have also written an incident report to prove that i have received a phone call that is threatening and is racially motivated.i hope she learned her lesson well..God bless her anyway!

annabanana1219 · Jun 3, 2009

The racist street runs two directions nowadays. I had a black patient that was racist against white nurses. The pt's family member was even more racist. The off going black nurse told me that the family member had called me a name and that she would not even repeat it and that it had to do with being predjudiced. I requested not to take care of the pt and the charge nurse asked a black nurse to switch pt's with me but the black nurse refused to do so. I ended up taking care of the pt and enduring nasty looks and comments all shift long.

alan headbloom · Jun 3, 2009

While the U.S. population is currently 34% "minority" (non-Anglo), only 10% of U.S. nurses are non-Anglo. Until there is a better representation across the board, there will be lots of racial misunderstandings. And, of course, even after racial/ethnic equity is reached, that still won't guarantee that misinformed people won't say/do untoward or ignorant things. Sadly.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jun 3, 2009

I would venture to say that racism is less of a 'two-way' street - as there are waaaay more than two races in this world - and more a function of 'human nature.'

There are always going to be people that, for whatever reason, need to feel superior to others on the basis of skin color, income, material wealth...or whatever. It's unfortunate - and the real losers are the ones with the prejudices.

HippyGreenPeaceChick · Jun 3, 2009

Racism is such a sad and terrible thing in this world. But if you break racism down to its basic component, that is fear. I served in the Marines, I lived and worked with a lot of different races. I also learned as had been taught to me by my hippy parents that I had nothing to fear just because someone was of a different race. Therefore without fear there is not any racism. If I am accepting and calm and respectful to other people I get that in return. If someone patient in the hospital is being unpleasant and racially abusive, I find out what they are truly afraid of. Sometimes that is all it takes to end ones tirades. And often that fear has to do with something else but just surfaces in a easy outlet mistaken for Racism. Therefore I am self assured, calm, respectfull, and pleasant to people who are under stress. I have been able to work easily in situations that have stressed others, I guess I am just lucky with who my parents were and for what the marines have taught me.

Without Fear there is no Racism

LEN-RN · Jun 3, 2009

I can relate as well, I work for a hosp and it is not the patients it seems to be the management. I work on a very diverse floor and when we are being scheduled, our mgmt will give the white nurses and techs first pick of the schedule and give the AA the left over. If we need to schedule time off, or pick up a extra shift we have to make sure the white nurses or techs do not need these days or shifts first. You would think senority would count be no, not here, there are several employees that see this but everyone is scared to speakup because we need our job

That is SO wrong. Its against the law!! If I were you, I would make copies. Keep records. You need to report it, do you have a corporate office? Its best to start there. Then if you have ANY trouble with your job(intimidation, write ups ect) you would have grounds for a lawsuit. There is NO reason ANYONE should be treated like that. And its against the law!!!! Please dont settle.

paganoid · Jun 3, 2009

students and teachers that are of other races, minorities, etc have had snooty attitude towards me in the past(i'm aa) so it's like whatever to me now

i'm white and male. when i heard another student make stupid remarks about a certain a-a friend, i loudly told her, "her words are not important and we cannot hear them. besides, it's not because you're black. she's just jealous because you are so much prettier."

we giggled. all was right with the world again.

i believe as nurses (yes, even as student nurses) we bear the responsibility to put right what is wrong in the world. not the whole world, just the piece of it that's in front of me right now. countering some racist idiocy was the easy one, that day.

my favorite quote from starhawk: "i pick up beer cans in my path, not because i feel guilty when i don't but because i feel empowered when i do."

cheers!

paganoid

ps: today, on my last day of maternity rotation, i was told by my assigned rn that i will be an outstanding nurse! how cool is that? :smokin: