I do not agree that it is human nature for one to take care of it's on first, atleast not in Healthcare. I think that would constitute a learned behavior (imho). I also believe it maybe a modeled behavior.Then in time becomes quasi acceptable behavior if not addressed.

I have worked in Long Term Care and have witnessed this type of treatment on occassion, both with disparity of treatment and racial slurs from elderly whites to the minority caretakers, but that is not an excuse! I have been called every name in the book by sick, feeble, mentally ill and demented residents during caretaking but I have not changed the level of care given to those patients. I have changed my approach.

Education is lacking, reverse discrimination is prevelant, any discrimination is unacceptable.

I think tracking the the neglect and approaching the supervisor would be an avenue to start. I think leaving would be the wrong answer. The issue of derogatory language against you by the CNA is workplace harassment .

No easy answers here, but there should be no excuses either.

Michele

Chellyse

160 Posts

Oct 15, 2002

I went to Nursing Polls section and read the minority thread you posted and think it is a great topic of discussion.

It probably got moved because the board moderators felt it was a good nursing poll or meant to be placed in that format.

Here it is:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24165

Thanks for starting the discussion thread and poll.

Michele

night owl

1,134 Posts

Oct 15, 2002

Even though my topic line lacks "umph," I still received alot of caring, encouraging and insiteful

feedback that I wouldn't have otherwise received had I not posted at all. Thank you all for your concern and I am now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of this problem. I will not bring the race bias issue up at all, it will be consistancy and working in a timely manner so that ALL residents receive the care they deserve in a timely manner. I will continue to set my example of "everyone receives the care, gets the caring attitude that goes along with it." Compassion for our elderly no matter what race they happen to be is why we are in this profession. Thank you all again.

NurseDennie, BSN, RN

723 Posts

Oct 15, 2002

Wow. I have been SO lucky. I see that, now! My main bedside care experience was all in one place. Whites outnumbered the blacks in nurses and in patient care techs at about the same ratio.

I think ou have more control in the acute hospital setting. You only have 6-8 patients as opposed to 20-30, so if the tech doesn't get around to the bathing or the feeding, you're behind them and just do it yourself. Nobody went without being fed, being bathed, turned or other comfort measures. So because I was part of it, I've got a good feel for how it really was on that floor.

People got turned, OOB, cleaned, whatever, pretty much in the order of their rooms, not their color. This was neuro and the care is very demanding. Most of the time a couple of techs and the nurse teamed up and ganged up on the patients one at a time. Basically, if the tech was a lazy tech, he or she was lazy with ALL her patients, and vice-versa For example, if "somebody" was the tech for your patients, you just automatically knew that you'd be doing all the mouthcare.

The only exception to that was a certain patient that I got during his stay. He'd had a mild stroke, but he also had a mental illness that was just EXTREMELY offputting to everybody. But you could NOT get him to stop using the "N" word and basically treating the black or other minority nurses, techs, houskeepers (who delivered the trays) and phlebotemists like shyt. After several attempt to "reorient" this dude (no gentleman, he!), I just gave up.

Okay, he'd had a stroke, but he was A&O x 3 and he was just CHOOSING to be mean. I told him I was going to have to do it, and when he continued, I did it! I put a sign on his door, and nobody went into that room but me. Yep - he got his food last, he got his bath last, he got the smallest amount of attention of anybody in that hospital, because NOBODY talked to him but me (and the night nurse) And I'll defend to this day my doing that. I was not punishing him by making him wait for those things. It was a natural consequence of his actions. There's no way I'd expose others to his abuse and mistreatment.

The nurse who precepted me is black, and is pretty temperamental. She's getting close to retirement age, and she's seen a lot and has been put through a lot. She started out as a tech, was an LPN for a while and has been a he!! of a good RN for a LONG time. She asked me once if I was upset when she made suggestions or whatever. Well, she made them in a way that was stressful to me, but the thing is I had zero (none, nill, no, zippo ) nursing experience and she had decades! How stupid would *I* have to be to resent her telling me how to do it? But she had to assume that I would resent it because I'm white and she's black. Or something.

So, thank God I've never had to be in that position. I think I'd have handled it like LVRN said. Just keep it to the facts and the need for consistency. Wow

Love

Dennie

askater11

296 Posts

Oct 16, 2002

We have one CNA that's the worse CNA in the world!!! (any color person purple...green...orange would agree and have)

Anyway it's funny u mention this. She goes in one persons room...mind you when I worked with her it was on midnights. She'd literally talk to one patient for an hour if not more.

We've made written complaints but she still remains. But the funny thing is she gets written statements what a great nurse she is...only from one person. (that one person she takes care of each shift)

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