Discrimination in Nursing

Discrimination is alive and well in today's society, and nursing is not immune to its effects. For instance, the Australian Human Rights Commission received 550 complaints under the Racial Discrimination Act, 532 complaints under the Sex Discrimination Act and 1,057 complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act for the years 2009 and 2010. These statistics, though on the larger scale of society, reflect an alarming trend of prejudice that exists within nursing. By exposing how these currents are still active within our profession, we can take steps to eradicate them once and for all.

Race in Nursing

Discrimination against nurses of different races can happen in many ways. Patients are one of the primary offenders and can often refuse treatment from nurses who are not of the "correct" racial type. This can cause hurt and confusion for the nurse who just wants to help and do their job. That is not where racial discrimination stops, though. In a study cited in "Minority Nurse," 60 percent of African-American nurses, 53 percent of Asian/ Pacific Islander nurses and 46 percent of Hispanic nurses felt they were overlooked for promotion due to their race. Sometimes co-workers and doctors can use racially motivated put-downs to silence a nurse they do not agree with in an attempt to bully them. Comments like "go back where you came from" are rare but generally lead to feelings of hostility between co-workers.

Males in Nursing

One of the biggest causes of discrimination in nursing comes from accepting men as nurses. The Australian Human Rights Commission received 101 complaints from men under the Sex Discrimination Act in 2009 and 2010, but these numbers cannot fully encompass how much male nurses struggle for acceptance in this profession. A study conducted on 498 male nurse found that the reason for so few men in nursing is the negative stereotypes, the domination of women in the field and the lack of male role models, according to the "Journal of Professional Nursing." Other studies have pointed to textbooks that always refer to nurses as "she" and nursing school faculty that are outwardly hostile to men who pursue a nursing degree. Men are also not welcomed in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, and men are often uncomfortable when examining the genitalia of female patients. This is because they are not taught proper techniques and approaches for men due to a gender bias in nursing schools. If nursing could learn to embrace the idea of men as nurses, then male nurses could give better care to their patients.

Disabilities in Nursing

Nurses with disabilities are often discriminated against because of the fear that they will harm the patient. Yet with reasonable accommodation, nurses who have a range of disabilities can become contributing members of the team. Nurses who have hearing loss can get amplified stethoscopes and use pagers that vibrate to answer calls from patients. If a nurse has attention deficit disorder, he or she can learn methods to focus his or her attention or take medications to control the condition. Even physical disabilities, such as paraplegia, are not a barrier to becoming a successful nurse. A nurse with this disability could work in nursing informatics, telephone triage or work for an insurance company. Many avenues exist for a differently-abled person to use the knowledge that nursing would give them, and they have the right to learn it, regardless of their disability.

References:

Australian Human Rights Commission; Complaints Statistics; 2010

http://www.hreoc.gov.au/about/publications/annual_reports/2009_2010/complaint-statistics.html

Minority Nurse; Combating Bias in the Workplace; Ruth Carol; 2005

http://www.minoritynurse.com/discrimination/combating-bias-nursing-workplace

Journal of Professional Nursing; Gender Discrimination and Nursing: A Literature Review; Christiana Kouta, PhD and Charis P. Kaite, Msc; January 2011

http://www.professionalnursing.org/article/S8755-7223%2810%2900146-8/fulltext

Minority Nurse; Nurses with Disabilities: Another Minority Group; Ruth Carol; 2002

http://www.minoritynurse.com/minority-nurse-leaders/nurses-disabilities-another-minority-group