I listened to a testimonial in church whereby a relative of a patient told a nurse, "Sorry, you're too ugly to care for my grandmother." Another relative retorted, "I'm sorry, but you are too ugly to care for my grandmother." The nurse was hired on a private-duty, hospital basis left immediately and did not return. The congregation in the church laughed in response to hearing the story.
Not a church that I would want to attend. Not everyone in this world is attractive, and for a church to make fun of those people and try to call themselves Christian at the same time, is appauling.
Most people in the world are not photogenically attractive.
There was a scandal out of this area where a church member beat his child to death using techniques for discipline taught at this church. After this church was put in the spotlight it came to be known the church would make its members diet to lose weight and how they were pressured to look perfect.
I am still really confused. Was this part of an anecdote that the PREACHER was relaying? Part of his sermon? Or was this some family members talking amongst themselves during church?
Were they talking about physical ugliness, or the way the nurse behaved?? I tell my little girl all the time when she is misbehaving, "You are acting ugly".
I just don't get enough from the OP's posts to draw a conclusion or make a judgement about the whole thing.
The program was a church-sponsored fundraiser entitled, "Love and Talent." The Pastor was in the audience and NOT a participant. The testimonial was supposed to support the theme of "love" whereby a church "elder" shared a story of the extent that family members would go to facilitate "special care" for their ailing loved one.
I STILL say the statements referring to the nurses's perceived ugliness were NOT FUNNY regardless of the laughter from the congregation.
I thank you all for your responses.
It's healing for me to know that my colleagues KNOW that taking care of the patient and NOT making/faking a beauty statement is what nursing is all about.
I have heard some things in my long career but this one has to be one that surprises me 'too ugly to nurse'
So as long as your face is acceptable it doesnt matter if you can actually carry out your job or not.
Do you think the media is to blame and has a lot to answer for-has anybody ever seen an oversized, plain woman on the TV, Movies or even advertisments in magazines. We are all subjected to happy, pretty slim men and woman. Look at recruitment posters or pages we are all stood in a group smiling and happy-immaculately dressed looking at the camera asking potential RN's to come join us. Come work with us in our excellent facility.
In reality we are just people who can be large or small, tall or short, plain or beautiful, nasty or kind, in a good mood or a bad mood. Any color, nationality and sex. Oh and wear any kind of scrub that has ever been made.
We are individuals who do a great job that 3/4 of the world dont want to do.
This story just makes me feel so sad for everyone involved. Perhaps your telling of this incident will reawaken the spirit of kindness in those of us who have read it. Have a blessed day.
What a horrible family - just goes to show you what stereotypes are still out there of nurses.....I had a crass family member suggest that I "fluffed" baseball players at a game this summer......... AS IF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just because I am a nurse does not mean that I am an ubersexed bimbo!
While I agree with the thoughts already expressed in this thread, I can also see how this scenario wouldn't be so far-fetched, especially if the church's members are primarily ethnic minorities. It is well documented that ethnic minorities (particularly African-Americans) often hold a great deal of distrust toward the medical profession, and I believe that their distrust is supported by historical events.
Any layperson coming into the unfamiliar environment of the hospital will be a little uncertain of his/her surroundings. Since patients and families generally cannot verify our nursing knowledge, they often look at external appearances (hygiene, neatness of the bed, etc) to judge the quality of care. Add to this the long-standing history of cultural issues, and I could see how external appearance could become very important.
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
While I agree with the thoughts already expressed in this thread, I can also see how this scenario wouldn't be so far-fetched, especially if the church's members are primarily ethnic minorities. It is well documented that ethnic minorities (particularly African-Americans) often hold a great deal of distrust toward the medical profession, and I believe that their distrust is supported by historical events.
Any layperson coming into the unfamiliar environment of the hospital will be a little uncertain of his/her surroundings. Since patients and families generally cannot verify our nursing knowledge, they often look at external appearances (hygiene, neatness of the bed, etc) to judge the quality of care. Add to this the long-standing history of cultural issues, and I could see how external appearance could become very important.
Wrong? Yes. Hard to imagine? Not necessarily.
My parents and aunts and uncles all judged nurses on how they interacted with them and the level of their knowledge. They never presumed that someone whose skin color or ethnic background, that was different from theirs, as uneducated. And certainly not being judged as being too ugly. There is something very wrong with this church and it's members. I think that if I had heard the remark, I would have stood up and walked out. No one, church member or not, needs to accept such comments and behavior by the other church members. I have a feeling that this 'church' is not a mainstream one.
AS IF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just because I am a nurse does not mean that I am an ubersexed bimbo! 
I know I look *you know what* when I'm at clinical anyway...
TraumaNurseRN
497 Posts
What is wrong with those people?