Why are culturally stereotypical behaviors so tolerated?

[mclennan]

At a new job and once again I am seeing, seemingly for the umpteenth time, some very negative, destructive and disruptive behavior being displayed by a predominantly representative cultural group.

Before you all jump down my throat screaming racism, let's be real here. I'm well aware *anyone* is capable of negative behavior. I'm well aware all groups, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, what-have-you, have their weaknesses and foibles. I am a member of a marginalized ethnic group myself. I'm not a bigot. I'm not intolerant or anti-immigrant. I'm a big fat brown leftist. I love the melting pot and the rainbow coalition as much as any dumb liberal, I am not special.

But why....WHY do I consistently see the same group of people seemingly causing so much trouble and heartache in the nursing profession? Over and over I see it demonstrated again, across environments and specialties. For years!!! The drama. The soap operas. The back stabbing. The trash talking. The secrets. The cliques. The passive aggressiveness. The insults. The mind games. The personality conflicts. The abuse of power. The speaking of languages other than English in front of co-workers, patients and families who don't understand. The rudeness!!!!

And this is from people who are intelligent, educated and articulate citizens of society!

I am fed up with how pervasive this behavior has become. It has become so commonplace that the detrimental affects of it are now just accepted, tolerated.....and in some workplaces......embraced........

Don't people see what stereotypes they are? Is there no reflection? Why is this so difficult to talk about without it erupting into emotional and accusatory conflict?

[CriticalCareRN1]

@joyouter, interesting comments. Just speaking for me, cause I can't speak for anybody else, but I knew management was the problem and misunderstanding a "culture," if that's what the the OP and other posters say that the behavior these group of people display on a consistent basis, and that, "you will go batty" trying to addres it. Ethnographic theory, the book touches on it, and your right, there is not an in-depth look at this. But I have a problem with it cause now you are stereotyping a whole ethnic group (what they eat, how they observe life, and religious beliefs). I laughed at some of the stereotypes the book I mentioned to read when it touched on this subject. Not everybody in one ethnic group will engage in the same behavior. So I believe today is why modern management texts for nursing programs don't go as deep as you mention. I'm sure ethnic diversity classes are appropriately placed in your doctorate and PhD levels. I would love to read an unbiased text on account of this subject. Are u in the UK, because you spelled behavior behaviour..

[CriticalCareRN1]

@toomuchbalo... re-read the post you're commenting on. Clarity in reading and understanding the content is a must, especially when responding to someone. No one said they didn't teach it ("they may or may not"), LOL!! But those of you who have done RN-BSN programs, leadership and management was apart of your curriculum, as well as research and community. So what does that say about the ADN curriculum? I didn't make the curriculum, four year universities did. You should aspire to get your BSN, as well as higher level education, because it broadens your way of thinking.

[eroc]

@eroc, great! But you fail to read in my post that this is a "learned skill" that just needs to be practiced over and over, which is why YOUR organization must PROVIDE ONGOING CLASSES to SUPPORT what you learned. If learning everything you learned in nursing school was all you need to learn, then there wouldn't be a need for graduate nursing programs in the hospital right?! No such need for preceptors and tons of money these hospitals shell out to train these "new" nurses. Every skill needs polishing and refinement. We already know that theory doesnt always work in reality, but atleast you have something to go by, and can tweak it a lIttle. That is the whole basis of EBP, and why I strongly believe nurses should inundate themselves in this, to strengthen their minds, and learn to think outside of the box, and stop pigeon-holing your thinking. That book I referenced are by two extraordinary nurses (which is very important when picking your references) and their content spans across many genras of management fRom the hiring process to dealing with the firing. It also focuses on the importance of self-reflection-the need to knOw thyself before you start managing ANYBODY. Its a great book for all to read. @suzie, lets start to say that you must first have to learn people skills and common sense. I know you've been around some dodo managers. Managing people is a "people person" skill, regardless of the arena you work, because you are dealing with people. Using this book, and EBP will help you be an effective manager. I hope Dr. Hurston is reading this, strongly PRing this book.. Can I get a check? Lol..

I read your post and understand the mind set you have. I just disagree that a BSN nurse is more prepared than an ASN nurse. Nursing management theories are just that…theories. (Maybe if one has no life experience related to leadership..but even then it's minuscule.)

I rarely read any of the presented/required material and still graduated Magna cum laude for my BSN. I did not learn leadership from a book and it cannot be taught in a classroom, now management is definitely a scholastic learned trait.

Now if you received your ASN then achieved your BSN maybe your experience was different form mine. But if you took the traditional BSN route there should be no debate, as that would put you at a lack of knowledge/experience to discuss the matter.

I am open to being wrong…which is the trait of a leader. I have come across several "managers" in my time that are just that, and will never comprehend what it takes to be a leader. And most of these managers heavily relied on citing literature. But for some reason their unit could never function to standard.

Some nursing research definitely has substantial value, but most leadership and management ideas have been "borrowed" from outside the nursing discipline.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I actually knew which nationality the OP was referring to right from the first post.

I'm Filipino and I'm aware of bad traits that have been identified with us as a people. However, I do believe that we're seeing this because we have a large number of nurses from the Philippines in major cities in California, New York, Florida, and maybe Texas. Any time a group of foreign nationals (not just Filipinos) converge, it's human nature to revert to the kinship and familiarity of a shared cultural identity. It's not always done with malicious intent. Without taking away from the OP's feelings, it is in fact annoying as an outsider to be subjected to it constantly.

Be aware that Filipino society and culture is not homogeneous. The country has at least 20 various regional linguistic groups united via a common national language (Tagalog) and supposedly acceptable English fluency by US standards. Even in the Philippines, I have experienced being left out in social conversations if I'm in a group of people who predominantly speak a regional language I am not fluent in. Filipinos are not all subservient types who don't complain either. There are good and bad apples in any culture.

Having said this, I do think that management has a big role in why this is allowed to happen in some places. I've worked in many units where the Filipino nurse staff are the majority in a geographical area where there is a large population of Filipino-American residents (California has a few cities that match this description). It can be a double-edged sword - on one hand, the largely Filipino nursing staff are culturally competent to care for the largely Filipino patient population but on the other hand, the setting becomes very unfriendly to those outside of that ethnic group and you can certainly sense a "them vs us" dynamic between the nurses.

I personally did not enjoy working in places notorious for these kinds of behavior. I prefer racial diversity in my workplace but not at the cost of sacrificing an environment where everyone feels welcome. I also don't speak Tagalog in the workplace except for when I'm speaking exclusively with those who can understand the language such as when speaking to Filipino patients and their families or on break with a fellow Filipino co-worker. I have been mistaken for being non-Filipino even by fellow Filipinos because I speak English as if I was born here.

I am not a rare case. There are other Filipino nurses like me who are either more sensitive to these issues or are more willing to branch out than tend to stick together with those of the same cultural background. Times are changing, nurse migration from the Philippines to the US is no longer a viable option. As California's nursing workforce become more saturated with locally raised nurses of various cultural backgrounds, we will see less of this behavior happening.

I do wonder why the OP continue to find him/herself being employed in places with the same issues and problems. I disagree that this is a California thing. There are better places to work out here and it's not worth it to stay in a place one is unhappy with.

Well said.

[toomuchbaloney]

@toomuchbalo... re-read the post you're commenting on. Clarity in reading and understanding the content is a must, especially when responding to someone. No one said they didn't teach it ("they may or may not"), LOL!! But those of you who have done RN-BSN programs, leadership and management was apart of your curriculum, as well as research and community. So what does that say about the ADN curriculum? I didn't make the curriculum, four year universities did. You should aspire to get your BSN, as well as higher level education, because it broadens your way of thinking.

And what part of that curriculum makes the BSN graduate better prepared for management or leadership than an ADN graduate? What evidence do you have that newly minted BSN graduates actually perform at a higher level than the newly minted ADN graduate in leadership or management settings?

Are you under some illusion that I am not an advocate of higher education? Who are you encouraging to broaden their thinking? Were you trying to insult me by suggesting that I didn't understand your content? Perhaps your content didn't convey what you thought that it did.

[kakamegamama]

Interesting thread. I've worked with several Filipina nurses, as well as nurses of various other non-white /non-American cultures and thankfully always was able to work well with them. I even told one group who were speaking in their heart language in front of me that they sure made it difficult for me to eavesdrop :). It's funny now in that I find myself in the major minority (American, only English speaker or one of very few among Russian speakers/Kazak speakers), so needless to say, I always have a translator with me. All that being said---it IS frustrating as a patient or a family member, or a fellow nurse when the language used by the caregiver is either difficult to understand due to a heavy accent, or not understandable at all because of use of a non-English language. Those who speak English, should use English at the bedside of the English speaking patient. Those who speak Russian/Spanish/whatever language inserted here, should do the same with patients who speak a different language. Or, if that is not possible, get a translator. it's about the patient, not us. In giving care in America, I've had to even modify my speech as a native English speaker at times at the bedside since I speak primarily Texan English. That in and of itself can often present a challenge to others listening who have not grown up using it/listening to it.

[Guest03/15/15, BSN, RN]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is "Tagalog" ?

[caliotter3]

Tagalog is one of the many, many languages spoken in the Philippines.

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

Seriously.....you couldn't Google it?

[Fiona59]

Seriously.....you couldn't Google it?

duh, that would show initiative!

[SmilingBluEyes]

Transcultural Nursing Society

And you don't need a BSN to understand transcultural nursing issues and considerations.

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

Transcultural Nursing Society

And you don't need a BSN to understand transcultural nursing issues and considerations.

Yes you do

Neener neener neeeeeener