Why do minorities have more respect for nurses?

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I have been a nurse for over 20 years. I currently work in Miami. The hospital is in an area where we get a lot of Cuban and Haitian patients. I have been at this hospital for 6 years. The patients and families we get are so very respectful of nurses. I know this is a sensitive subject but I'm just stating my experience. I am white myself and receive far less respect from white pts and families like I do minorities. Before working in this area of Miami, I worked in white areas of south Florida like Orlando,Del Rey, Boca Raton and West Palm beach. It was a nightmare working there as the pts and families(mostly white)had Zero respect for the nurses. I took more verbal abuse working in white areas of Florida than when i was in the Army! Why are minorities more respectful of nurses than white people? Overall from my experience white people simply don't respect nurses like minorities!

I'm not really offended. We NYers have thick skins. :)

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I'm not really offended. We NYers have thick skins. :)

Well, you ARE a bit pushy, though....goes with the territory ;)

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Well, you ARE a bit pushy, though....goes with the territory ;)

I prefer outspoken.

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I prefer outspoken.

Ha! I think it's safe to say that whenever we speak in generalities, someone is bound to feel that the description doesn't fit. And while sometimes that non-fit makes it offensive..sometimes it's just a funny misconception. Pretty hard to avoid one or the other when using public message boards such as this!

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Ha! I think it's safe to say that whenever we speak in generalities, someone is bound to feel that the description doesn't fit. And while sometimes that non-fit makes it offensive..sometimes it's just a funny misconception. Pretty hard to avoid one or the other when using public message boards such as this!

I'm actually just killing time. I don't know what to do with myself on Yellow anymore.

Most of my patients and families have been fine. Across the board. If I had to state the most difficult it would be 40-50 something white males. And nurses.

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I'm actually just killing time. I don't know what to do with myself on Yellow anymore.

Most of my patients and families have been fine. Across the board. If I had to state the most difficult it would be 40-50 something white males. And nurses.

I hear ya!

I think my most difficult patients, when I worked med-surge that is, HAD to be males in their early 20's....followed fairly closely by females of the same age bracket, right up until about age 50. So....yeah, young males tended to be the ones who were the most needy and least likely to handle a reasonable pain threshold, GENERALLY speaking.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I am a black nurse who works with a patient population that is primarily black American, and many are extremely rude and disrespectful. The patients from other countries aren't.

I think it is more cultural than racial. Americans take for granted that they can walk into an ED and know they can't be turn away due to lack of money. In other poorer countries, healthcare is a scarce resource and therefore more valued. There is no hotel complex.

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Specializes in Peri-Op.
Well, it may be harder than the NCLEX. Anyone here taken NCLEX and the LSAT? I wonder what their take on it would be.

As proud as I am of being a nurse, I'm not dreaming that passing the NCLEX would be as hard as passing the BAR exam.

They are both difficult in their own way. Just like anything, you study for the test and you pass it. I spent no more time studying for either one. I am not a lawyer though.....

They are for two different reasons though. One an admission exam and one licensing test. I put more stress on the NCLEX because of this. The LSAT didn't have as much pressure to it. Now the BAR exam would be the pressure test. Law school and becoming a lawyer is a little step in education further than Nursing ADN or BSN. I don't think an MSN would have anything on going through law school either plus you don't have to take any harder exam afterwards to be an RN. If you want to be a CRNA then the exam for that would likely hold as much stress as a BAR in my eyes. But the stress leading up to it and the knowledge needed to pass are two different things entirely....

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Specializes in Postpartum, Med Surg, Home Health.
Wow, you guys get respect??

When I get a patient's family that is *NICE* to me, let alone respectful of my work - it's like a GOOD day.

I can imagine that the pediatric population must be hard to work with. Having a sick kid is extremely stressful and taxing emotionally and physically, I can't imagine what and pray to God that I won't have to ever go through what those parents go through. I think being a peds nurse or nicu nurse is one of the hardest nursing jobs for multiple reasons...I am glad that for now I work with well babies, but some day I may be working in the nicu, will see. Thank you for doing what you do.

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I am a nurse in Canada and I have found the same thing in regards to minorities and immigrants.

But not to sound racially biast, the only exception to this has been for East Indian patients. Their families look down on nurses and treat them as if they are their servants. They don't lift a finger for their loved ones and expect the nurse to attend to their family members most basic need, all the while they sit and watch. Anyone experience this? I often wonder if it is because back home in India the more well to do families that can afford to migrate to North America often have had the luxury of maids back home. Not trying to generalize, just trying to make sense of something I have experienced quite a bit.

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Well, it may be harder than the NCLEX. Anyone here taken NCLEX and the LSAT? I wonder what their take on it would be.

As proud as I am of being a nurse, I'm not dreaming that passing the NCLEX would be as hard as passing the BAR exam.

Not sure if anyone responded to this or not, but the LSAT and bar are two different tests. LSAT is taken before you begin law school. Different schools require a certain score to apply. I've taken that one before, and it's a basic exam with a lot of "logic" and comprehension questions. It's not too hard. I've never taken the bar though.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
I am a nurse in Canada and I have found the same thing in regards to minorities and immigrants.

But not to sound racially biast, the only exception to this has been for East Indian patients. Their families look down on nurses and treat them as if they are their servants. They don't lift a finger for their loved ones and

expect the nurse to attend to their family members most basic need, all the while they sit and watch. Anyone experience this? I often wonder if it is because

back home in India the more well to do families that can afford to

migrate to North America often have had the luxury of maids

back home. Not trying to generalize, just trying to make sense of something I have experienced quite a bit.

The language barrier, refusal to use the call light, refusal to assist the patient whatsoever, along with the unrealistic expectation of having constant personal attention make it taxing to deal with this population.

The patient has to be taught to use the language line.

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