I have been a nurse for 28 years. I started out as a tech at one hospital and they kept me on once I graduated as a nurse in 1994. After a year I applied to the critical care internship. All of my co-workers that I graduated with that worked at that same hospital who applied got accepted, except me. I applied for a critical care internship at another hospital soon after. I was accepted and of course I was the only black nurse or person of color. I was so happy to see that there was another black nurse in the unit. Sondra G was fantastic!!!! Everyone loved her. I felt they liked me too. I rarely felt uncomfortable. We were the only two for YEARS! When the third black nurse came on it was a different story. I felt they treated her different. She was black, female and extremely over weight. She was a resp. therapist at this same hospital before becoming a nurse. Super smart and unbothered by them. They could not break her. I transferred to same day surgery and was the only black nurse....period! There was not even a black nurse in surgery or recovery. Whew! Next was a small free standing surgery center (same company). Again, I was the only black nurse. After a few years I wanted to get back to that same hospital to be closer to home. And for the first time I really felt like I was being discriminated against. The nurse recruiter rejected my request to transfer back many many many times. I ended up at another hospital further from home but with the same company. Once again, I was the only black nurse on the tele unit. Crazy right! I was determined to get back to the first hospital. When I finally did......the manager is BLACK, assistant manager BLACK, charge nurse BLACK, half the nurses are BLACK. Y'all this is the first time in 28 years where at least half of my co-workers look like me!!! I will say this, I feel very fortunate that I rarely was made to feel uncomfortable because I'm black. Kendra, I love your content. This is a great subject. Keep these videos coming!!! (sorry for the long post).
More than likely those individuals are white, and there's a big chance that those people are subconsciously or consciously racist. A lot of white people do not like to admit racism as a thing, and a big reason why is because they don't want to hold themselves accountable if they are guilty.
I just failed the Nclex exam.😭😭😓 I cannot begin to articulate the level of embarrassment and heartache I'm feeling. 😥 I'm confident that I will be a good nurse . I just need to get past this, move on and persevere
I have seen racism and I am a retired white ICU nurse. At one time my nursing manager was black and many of my fellow nurses could not stand her and they talked poorly about her all the time. I never saw any valid reasons why the nurses felt the way they did other than the fact that maybe they were jealous or racist, or maybe both! One time a bunch of the other nurses in the break room asked me what I thought and I replied, "That she was doing a good job and if I had any problems I would talk directly with her in private". I was so angry these nurses were trying to drag me into their endless bullying of this manager. BTW, I worked with quite a few black nurses over the years and they were all fantastic!
We need more people to put a stop to the bullying and passive aggressiveness as that gets us nowhere. I like people to be direct which is why I think I’ll rub some nurses the wrong way once I start lol thanks for standing up for that nurse.
Thank you Lisa! There has definitely been issues in the icu and I respect your transparency. I’ve worked in ICU many years on the East coast… and no I’ve never experienced blatant racism but I’ve witnessed it!
@@MrsRo-pw4qo but that don't mean they ain't saying racist things about you behind your back as opposed to your face but it happens to blacks dealing with racism so of us choose to be in denial at times
@@kaylee3867 I’ve been in healthcare for years. I’ve heard one comment that I would consider ignorant and quite frankly racist. “Historically ICU’s have been white.” Well, look at the population of each race. I am still waiting on a specific example of how Black Nurses or any race specifically have been discriminated against. Frankly, all the hard work Black Americans had to do in order to be treated like all other races in the workforce, is spat all over. America has come a long way and to constantly put race into something only shows the person speaking is the racist.
Racism absolutely exist! I’m a veterinary nurse and it happens there too. My sisters clinic was told they weren’t allowed to speak Spanish to each other (the employees) but were REQUIRED to speak Spanish to the clients when needed… I cannot express how disrespectful that was.
@da midwif they specifically said Spanish and not something like second language. So only Spanish was not allowed to be spoken and not all second languages which is specifically targeting a certain race of people.
@da midwif it wasn’t about the customers complaining, it was because the manager didn’t like not knowing what the employees were saying to each other. That’s not a very good reason to limit your employees from being able to express their culture freely, if you don’t know Spanish. Learn it. Either way a business has no right to say what languages you can speak especially when they use your second language to make money. Its bordering exploitation. (I know this because my aunt works for HR and has a masters degree) Sorry but why do you want to justify this action? Do you agree with limiting freedom of speech? Or is it just ok to limit minority groups because everyone else is more important?
@april It’s inappropriate and unprofessional to speech any language other than English around coworkers or clients. Unless you’re speaking to clients who speaks the language and feel more comfortable speaking it. Imagine a clique of people speaking a language you didn’t understand. It’s awkward to the other person. This should not be aloud in any setting.
@@tamikayvejones4616 I disagree especially if you use that language to help costumers. When people are communicating it’s an A and B conversation there’s no need for you to eavesdrop on other’s peoples conversations that’s just common courtesy so why do you feel the need to listen in on your co-workers private conversations? If you have a problem with not understanding a language YOU LEARN IT. Most other countries it’s common to speak two languages, in Texas Spanish is the second most spoken language and to say you need to limit all those people’s freedom of speech is absurd. Either way in this case ALL employees fought against this “new rule” since it only targeted the Hispanic employees and HR determined that the manager was wrong in even trying to implement it.
You’re talking about a real issue. My sister worked in the ICU for 12 yrs and she spoke about these things. She said black nurses could barely get a job in the ICU because they feel you’re not educated enough. She said they’ll stuff all the black nurses in Med Surg.
You are absolutely correct and don't let anyone tell you that race is not an issue in nursing! I had a horrible time being ignored in the ICU and had to train myself, I was the only Chicana Indigenous RN in this hospital with the exception of one other in L&D. There were only perhaps 3-4 Black nurses there. I was passed up for the house supervisor position twice, even though I was already working that position and was on the house sup roster. I was the only RN in the building that had a MSN and could work every floor, however, I watched white nurses with AA degrees officially get the positions I applied for and advance over me. I left that hospital 5 years ago but it still affects me today. I am forever thankful to the black nurses that listened to me, understood, and validated my experience, they are my forever family to this day.....This happened in a rural area where there is a history of land theft and hostilities by the the old white families toward the indigenous people, and there are Mexican farmworkers that are treated as peasants. The hostility is real!
Do you know how many Black and White American men died so that we could be having this conversation right now with random users? Thousands………If you are going to bring up a negative part of a race(I don’t clump people all together) make sure you include how we are where we are today.
@@michaelreinhart562you mean how many WHITE men died… there was a time black men could only work in the kitchen as cooks when they joined the army. They would not allow black men any position of power or glory. Cooking and cleaning was all the black man could do… and this was during WWII and beyond…. Your comment proves what she said in her original post.
You made a valid point because it’s definitely an issue. I’m the only black nurse on my unit, Trauma ICU. I’ve been a nurse since 2012 and this has by far been the most challenging experience. The issue is having to go above and beyond to prove yourself… it’s so annoying. Thanks for all that you share. Your perspective is appreciated.
I’m a computer science major and hear a lot about racism and discrimination in my industry. From hearing what you described nursing almost sounds worse I would have never imagined it either because I’ve always viewed it as a profession focused on helping people. Please keep sharing your experiences and stories.
Kendra, the one’s who ask you “why you bring race into it” are usually the guilty and the offenders. I left my paramedic position in a hospital to work on an ICU unit as a tech, because I wanted to eventually work on that ICU after graduation. The nurse manager denied my request to work on her unit stating that “I wasn’t ready, and that nurses (white) on the unit stated that I wasn’t ready. I felt so defeated and left and went back to my paramedic position. I graduated, and applied to two other ICU units in that hospital and she black listed me! Girl, girl, girl, girl, girrrlll….I was broken. I do believe that God had a different path, but u have spoken NOTHING but facts!!! They do not want us in the ICU! That ICU to CRNA path is real, and I do believe that they don’t want us to reach that capita…also they don’t want us to see the major errors that they make and cover for one another. And lastly, we just shine bright like diamonds wherever we are!
I’m glad you mentioned the race because too many people like to act like it doesn’t happen because of the color of somebody’s skin. It does matter and it is the issue. If you know then you know.
Keep speaking the truth Kendra. There is bias and intrinsic racism and privilege that goes unchecked and unaddressed. There’s no call for white people to be defensive or deflective of real issues faced by POC.
This is true. I had a Hispanic general manager for a short term while his store was getting fixed and we also just lost a manger so it fit perfectly. The district manager made him stay there until they were done with construction and he was a very (maybe even a little too ambitious) hardworking dude. He gave everyone their hours but also wanted people to be a productive. That’s not the main issue. But these other lower shift managers would gang up on him say oh “where you from” he would respond “Vermont” they laughed and said “no where you really from” “you got a green card?” But luckily he wasn’t fazed by it and just told them to get to work. I think one issue was that it made them upset they weren’t one but that was out of the question because a woman who was much older and lazier came to be the manager and she’s just so lazy. Funny they dropped the act and were so respectful. They not once said can I get a raise or ask constantly like previous. She is white but she does not meet manger status. She makes the assistant manager handle all the shift scheduling. If you had an issue she’d say “you gotta ask the shift manager” which is not a problem but you can’t do it either? It was a refund. She was not busy. The other managers were busy. It was like these issues hindered her. I personally don’t think she was the best and we’ve had many mangers often white who were amazing but got transferred. It was just so funny how they acted much more professional when it wasn’t a hispanic or a man. They also said a lot of racists jokes on Indian Asians and Asians during COVID. This was a small town so it mainly consisted on everyone being white and two or three pocs. It definitely does happen where you don’t see a lot of races or mixed culture. But there are some really amazing white managers that deserve a raise. I am just speaking on how these managers had no respect for him. Would make fun of his accent and he would have to do more to favor them.
Amen!! Most specialty areas are predominantly Caucasian! It is extremely isolating!! I have a first hand story in the NICU at a huge teaching hospital where I was overqualified for this position and they made me feel so incompetent every chance they could get! I was one of three black nurses between day and night shift! I finally left for my mental health, I could not take the blank stares, nasty attitudes, isolation, worst assignment they could give me. It was completely miserable. Thank you for making this video! Yes racism in health care is REAL!
This is gaslighting 101. Anyone who would say racism is not a problem in nursing is blatantly denying reality - discrimination is not a matter of opinion. Keep speaking truth! It's helping so many people going through the same thing 🤎
Yep but they don't want to live in reality. It's too uncomfortable for them to have these conversations. It's easier to act like it doesn't exist because then they have to question their own biases, integrity and character. P.S. Also, they get treated the best in healthcare by their fellow white people but they don't want to admit that either. They also don't want to admit that white patients come in, not wanting someone who's black. Specifically asking for someone white. If a black person doesn't want to receive care, from someone who is white, it's mostly likely out of fear. We have a history here of not being treated well and it still continues.
Thank you!! I hate when people who don't understand race try to invalidate what us POC go through. Even other POC who haven't had experience with racism will try to invalidate what others go through. Racism is real and people really be acting like it doesn't affect our every move we make, as if we can just ignore it and live our happy-go-lucky-lives.
I have said this time and time again. Race is always going to be an issue because of the phrases like, "skin color does not matter" and "lets get past that". I am male nurse who is black in the ICU and I have faced it. And I have seen it. I made a comment about it being nice to see a black nurse in the field and I got comments saying the same thing being said to you about how race should not matter. It's so easy to say when it does not apply to you and that is just pure ignorance. You have my full support. I love your videos so much because they speak so much to my own experience. This was the video I mentioned above ( ruclips.net/video/JBZ02bHBEPM/видео.html&lc=Ugy3a6AfbsWHJR7UORx4AaABAg.9XsRv50FUJH9h7tjX8bDzK )
I would think having black nurses in the ICU would be a good thing! Increasing this diversity is great. Many, many of the sick patients in ICU are black. (Also, I’ve heard stories whereby white patients refuse care from black nurses.) Not wanting blacks in critical care nursing may unfortunately be an economic block. Don’t nurses need critical care experience for NP or CRNA school? Increased pay, autonomy and prestige comes with these positions right? Jmho. Thanks
@@penandpencilplow Oh diversity is splendid, healthcare just isn't having it. You are right, many a times I have had black patients and we just have a connection from the start and that helps them so much due to the lack of trust in healthcare that much of the black community feels. I've had a patient cry to me because she was fed up with how white nurses treated her, not taking the time to get to know her and she felt neglected. Now I am not saying I treat white patients differently. I don't I treat my patients how a lot of individuals who are black treat others. with open arms and love. And that is missing from nursing, Compassion for one another. Bedside is so toxic some days I love it and other days I am like this is not it.But yes definitely need that ICU experience for CRNA. But again going back to what Nurse Kendra said, Gatekeeping. How can we get there if you won't let us in the ICU?
I did too when I was working done in fridley, Minnesota all the white old crusty dudes that rely now on nurses would make horrible comments and call them the N word and they would look at me for approval and I would shame them and I would tell them you can call and call and call on your call like but none of us are going to answer until you call with respect. He stopped being an a******. It was incredible when a white woman put him in his place. I couldn't stand it I was so disgusted that there were these people of color and different ethnicities and they just wanted to help him and he had the nerve knowing that he was at the mercy of their help calling them racial slurs that are supposed to make people feel like they're worthless. Who started that b******* in the first place?
Every damn nurse knows that. Most ICU's are filled with white nurses. Med surg filled with black nurses. I see no issues with your comment. I work in icu now but the manager used to be an NP on my step down unit and knows my work ethic.
Congrats on accomplishing passing school and becoming a Registered Nurse at a time where our bodies aren’t as vibrant. That’s amazing actually. School is draining. Sorry you were treated differently. I was treated differently because my personality is very quirky. All of them from all races were disrespectful, but they are probably eating bons bons still gossiping. Miserable.
I have been a Labor and Delivery nurse for 22 years mostly on days , and the blond and blue eyed always try it and I let loose on them every time. 🤷🏽♀️ I have been labeled aggressive (sometimes) because of it and I don’t care. I know how to take care of a patient (sick and healthy) because I have to ,period. I don’t have the luxury of having the complexion for the protection especially not with the Black maternal mortality rates higher than many third world countries! I’m not about to let them or anyone else keep me from making my money or taking care of my patient correctly! RACE IS AN ISSUE ESPECIALLY IN SPECIALTY UNITS! Everything you said was true …. I have been the preceptor and had to protect my Black new grad from the hyenas who just want to break her and send her running! I have been the orientee who had more experience than the orienter and had to check that nurse with 2 year experience who thought it was professional to attempt to berate me and I had to gather her.. I’m a staunch opponent to bullying but the nursing profession is full of them and imagine being a black nurse with that kind of pressure and dealing with those 2 very large barriers to patient care on a daily basis. Any Nurse who wants to deny and claim they don’t know these things exist in nursing are either new to nursing or are apart of the problem. Please continue to speak about this. It matters…
Unfortunately race is a factor. I’ve witnessed it and it’s heartbreaking. I want to see a change better yet, I will be the change. Thank you for sharing and bringing it to light. Love you ❤
It’s really bad and it’s getting worse. I had to start seeing a therapist solely because of the micro-aggressions that I deal with almost daily. Bias in nursing is a real thing!!
This is true. I bullied even as a student ! I was targeted by my professor, not going into detail but I am in my last session of my program and I basically had to drop the class because of how bad it got. I am almost discouraged to go into nursing because of my experience . If nursing professors are bullying African American students can you imagine the trauma we have to go through in the field ? Thank you for having the courage to speak the truth.
I got accused of plagiarism by a professor in nursing school. It was a huge thing but it was overturned. I was able to show the office of student conduct that I cited things correctly #1 and #2 my white friend was dinged by her for the same “error” but she got an A on the paper while I got a zero. She attempted to put me in her clinical class after the whole ordeal and I said heck no it’s a conflict of interest. I knew she would have failed me for sure because she attempted to bad mouth me to the clinical professor I ended up with- who happened to be impressed with me and told me everything the lady tried to say about me. Now that same professor is a patient at the cancer center I work for and I refuse to take care of her……she’s not worthy of this goodness. There are plenty of other nurses that can help her.
You go back to school girl, Nursing is a job that could get you out of poverty fast, once you set a goal, and know how to manage money. Go back to school, and do not be satisfied with just being an LPN, get your BSN.
I was bullied by three professors when I was in nursing school, so I know that feeling you have. It is a good thing that you found this channel, use it as a sounding board and an healing place. I did not have this when I was in nursing school thirty years ago. You stood your ground, you kept your dignity. Go back to school take your course. Things change...you may go back and find that the professor is not there anymore. There is a nursing shortage and you are one of the people to change the problem. Here's hoping that you become a nurse and show the opposite behavior that you have received.
Culture and race is a big thing in nursing and one concept of nursing is to be aware of your own bias. There is poor behavior but also there is a race issue. You were very right even in nursing school there is a huge pressure when you know that most of the class doesn’t look like you…. It is all about making people feel comfortable and confident in what they know rather than cutting them short and not welcoming them. Honestly because of what you said I want to be an ICU nurse… I think in nursing school there should be lectures about race this is very important. Thanks Kendra
Many years ago I was a preceptor for an African RN to the ICU. she was a great nurse then and has gone on to be a leader in the community of African Nurses and now a leader in entrepreneurship
You are absolutely right! And also racism is in your face in other departments and clinics throughout the hospitals. I’m speaking from experience! It’s sickening!🤮
I no longer work in this field as a LPN I'm retired since 2017 but everything she's saying is so true you had to mentally prepare yourself when you go to work because you don't know who's going to take their anger out on you and if you're doing your work right they're going to find something to Nic pick about good luck ladies only the Strong Survive in this field.
Yes I am Hispanic nursing student and the experience I am having during clinical with some of these Caucasian nurses is horrible. The little remarks ,the attitude. I have encountered a few white nice nurses but I can count on my hand how many that is. It's truly sad
I have been in the nursing and medical field for over 30 years, I was told since day one yearsss ago, to go to med surgery, but I have seen new grades that were not black, walk right into ICU, cath lab, and more areas mostly others can get right into without problems, race does play a role in nursing. YOU ARE SPEAKING The TRUTH!!!
Race has a big part when it comes to giving nursing care and dealing with other nurses. I worked at a hospital in Alabama. The white nurses did just enough for the brown and the black people. But when it came to their race, they went above and beyond the call of duty. I worked at this hospital for 7 years. And saw this going on all the time, so for those that don't believe that race has a part in nursing you are sadly mistaken it does. I even had a white nurse to approach me and to disrespect me. But you better believe I put her in her place. And I never had any more problems with her.
I'm not sure why you are having to explain this again. I watched that video your talking about even commented on it and I totally understood why you brought up race. You made a very good point about it while explaining the story. I'm not even a nurse or anything medical field. So I take it those ppl that brought this about race must not of been listening very carefully if at all to your story. Only the ones who cannot follow along or comprehend while listening to a story are the ones who always hear part of the story or just don't understand. I love listening to you . I'm a new sub btw too.
As a black West African Woman working in the healthcare industry for over 13 years, you can not tall me that RACE is not a factor, because it is !!! We have to fight for our growth, our rights, our schedules, out PTO , our everything within these work organizations!
Speak the truth Sis! Many of these people have conscious bias and then try to gaslight us. You are being gracious by even looking at all sides. My experience in these situations is that race is usually a major factor.
I’m not a nurse yet; I am in school to become one. I currently work as a Telemetry tech in ICU and one of the black male nurses told me the exact same thing before I even seen your video. He was asking me what part of nursing did I want to go in and I said maybe ICU since I see so much working in ICU already. Previous I was. CNA in the floor, but started during telemetry to kind of balance my work and school life.. When I came across your video and you said it too I was like WOW 😢….
Race Always matters. Race was already in it. People who are not minorities don’t know or don’t want to know. That’s with housing and being kept from certain neighborhoods, getting loans with better credit than others, some of my white friends who worked at banks or real estate all told me things there were told such as don’t let them get that house and paying to keep them out as well as banks being told to not give loans to blacks so race is always an issue. Back to nursing I’m 59 and I’ve been in nursing 26 years and not as far along as you and never in icu but it’s happened to me so many times I cannot count. Where whites didn’t want me to even care for them. So I don’t personally care if it’s offensive to some because it’s not intended for that, it’s education and caring ppl should care to know and even be mindful that’s how we grow, Period!!! Thank You for speaking up!
Anyone gaslighting you out of speaking about this is disgusting. For a lot of people, if something doesn't happen to them, it doesn't exist. It's egotism and a complete lack of empathy.
I'm really thankful for the things you talk about in nursing! I feel like so many white people want to be color blind and pretend like nothing's wrong in and if it's not acknowledged it'll just get swept under the rug and forgotten about, and that's not fair at all. We live in a time where everyone's so politically correct and don't want to just say it like it is. I think it's really important highlight situations like that in the ICU. I'm not a nurse yet but want to go to nursing school and I love the way you say it plain like it is, also how you encouraged us to stand up for ourselves in nurse bullying etc. 💜💜
Even when going to nursing school they (racist nursing instructors)will try to discourage blacks or African Americans to drop out. One even told a friend of mine that she should think about another career because she doesn’t think nursing is for her.Well fast forward she graduated nursing school got a job as an nurse and later became a supervisor in the ER on weekends so she could go back to school for ARNP and she will be graduating next month.Some of them think we don’t deserve to be nothing more than techs which is really sad. I am glad you are calling the nursing field out for it’s behavior towards blacks in this profession .We need more black nurses and doctors
Hi Kendra we can fill encyclopedias from A to Z with the stories of the experiences of our great great grandma nurse, aunt nurse, mommy nurse, friend nurse, any black nurse, any where in the world where the society is not homogeneous. From nursing school one may have the dream to be an ICU nurse, Life Flight nurse, CRNA, ER nurse, ECT nurse and we can continue to list specialties...and when they do get the position (maybe to meet some federal quota) that nurse faces resistance. The share emotional and psychological and verbal abuse succeeds to lessen our numbers in these specialties. Since racism is a word that is emotionally charged, the 'third rail', we need the statistics/objectives to ground the qualitative/subjective experiences to establish a baseline of this issue of racism. The numbers are needed to combat the bias and to provide a starting point to determine improvement or decline. We, every nurse, can do better. Your channel provides the proverbial sterilized scalpel to cut open this wound in nursing; our fellow Wound nurses will tell you, the wound must heal right. We, every nurse, can do better. Thank you for this platform, it resonates. May you have more grace, strength, resilience, peace, to continue this journey. Thank you.
I’ve dealt with bullying most of my life, in schools, online cyber bullying and at work with GROWN ADULTS which is ridiculous! I’m either getting bullied or picked on. There’s no in between. Working as a CNA, I’ve experienced not only is it challenging dealing with complicated patients but also you have to deal with the attitudes of co workers AND the manager. Now you know you’re outnumbered when the manager is bullying you and playing favoritism with other co workers. I’ve collected YEARS of bullying and now I’m just tired of it! Knowing that I’m a hard worker, quiet and kept to myself. No one really talked to me, it was always a group of co workers laughing and talking about me, then smiling in my face pretending to be nice. The fake-ness was overrated. Who even has time to have cliques at a workplace? It’s pointless! But those people (LVN’s) would take advantage of me to make me do more than I should. I never had help when it came to transferring, repositioning my patients and so on-so fourth, etc. everyone would help each other and leave me out then the manager would come looking for me, yells at me when I’m struggling. I had all male patients (20) at most. I was working from 11pm-7am every week for 7 days a week. I’ve hardly had any time off. Im a Christian and you know our sabbath day is every Sunday, I told my manager I couldn’t work those days and he demanded with authority that I WILL work every Sunday which goes against my beliefs and he totally FORCED ME to work every Sundays. Pure evil! And he’s clearly Not saved. It was very toxic and I just quit the job. Not good for my mental health or overall well being. At ALL. I remember this one co worker I had, I won’t mention her name but she decided to be friends with me in the beginning, she was nice at first then she all of a sudden decided to pick on me by saying I was “copying” her everything. It was ridiculous! I’ve spent most of my time with her during our lunch breaks, etc. I never copied ANYTHING of her, then she started complaining about me wearing crocs and assumed I only started wearing crocs because of her like girl bye! EVERYONE wears crocs as a nurse. YOU DIDN’T INVENT CROCS 😂😂😂 she was ridiculous!!! This is why you never make friends at work, people will find anything to pick on you about and harass you because they’re jealous of you. Never make friends at work! Ever!!!! Anyway, we stopped being friends then she made lies and spread rumors about me at work saying I was in a relationship with one of my patients then I lost my job. Smh. Also that one time she caught Covid and she thought I did some “voodoo” on her to get her sick. Like be for real. As a child of God, I don’t do no voodoo crap 😂😂 she just made up anything to try and make me look bad! She’s a narcissist for real. Anyway we stopped talking, no longer friends with that evil- promiscuous co worker chick. Now I’m currently on temporary disability and have to go to therapy to get my mind and health back into normal condition again. Smh. I know all of this is just persecution that I’m going through because I’m a Christian woman/child of God so I understand but it gets draining and tiring going through this. Facing serpents everywhere you go! People really have the spirit of a serpent.
You inspire me so so much to go back into healthcare! I worked throughout the pandemic as a CNA, the work environment got so bad and while working endlessly whilst my daughter was months old I was like I’m gotta leave. I enjoyed taking care of the elderly and learning about the human body so I felt bad for leaving however , it was so toxic. We were understaffed and a lot of the senior CNAs was veryyyyy rude to me and the younger girls too. To the point of actively trying to get us fired. So I really am glad that you brought up racism and bullying because it’s definitely a reality ! I’m not a nurse but many of the white nurses where very rude … because of you I will be trying to go back !
This is 💯 true especially the Asian community of nurses they do not like working with African American nurses... race is the issue sis. Your telling the truth..
Thank God I never experienced this!!! I have always gotten along with the Asian nurses and CNA!!!! Every where I went… they understand the racism …. Always been pleasant and even bring me food.
Black patients experience both overt and covert discrimination in medicine. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dominant white native born nurses where I live treat black nurses the same snide, condescending manner they treat patients who come from a group they don’t like, or make choices they don’t like. Many of the nurses who are leaving the profession are black, a trend I find interesting. There are ex nurses who work with me in a lower paying field, and at least three are black men & women who left the profession. Keep talking about the overt and covert racism in your videos. It is very real.
Kendra, you are dead on about your analysis on this nursing bullying. I am a CRNA and I too treaded lightly in my anesthesia program as the only black student! It’s real and I wish people would just admit it! But as you said talking about race is very uncomfortable for many people.
I had a hard time explaining it. It can be challenging to capture the emotions and feelings in words. Thank you for your comment and kudos for being a CRNA❤️
I believe every word you said about seeing black nurses in the ICU. My godmother was treated for heart disease and was in and out of ICU for 10 years. I NEVER seen her being treated by a black nurse.
I'm so glad you are strong enough to come out and speak about the bullying in healthcare, even worse for foreigners. Some people have privileges because of their skin color and get away with things that a black person wouldn't get away with.
Continue to SPEAK the TRUTH. I’m so proud of the attention your bringing to this subject. This will help younger nurses know that they have what it takes; and to not feel discourage when they encounter bullying or racism on floor nursing or out pt nursing. We are ENOUGH !!! We have what it Takes!!! Vetty RN
I work in the Medical field also... and worked at a Hospital that was TERRIBLE with racism... I felt SO uncomfortable there, smh. It made me end up quitting.
I just left my job for this very reason. I was half way through my residency program. Now I’m job hunting and trying to figure out how to explain to potential employers why I left my previous job.
I’m literally tearing up watching her videos and reading these comments, idk if I’m considered still a new grad since I’m coming on to a year being out of school but i took a long break after failing my nclex. But I’ve worked on a med surg unit for a while absolutely terrible to the point where it caused terrible depression and definitely imposter syndrome ended up getting fired after not passing my nclex. After some time went to labor and delivery not terrible but definitely passive aggressive in a sense where literally everyone talks about me and runs to management with complaints I’m not even aware of, it wasn’t until the unit coordinator (black) sat me down and told me tht I should switch orientors to someone like us that will give it to u straight, did just tht one month into orientation and I kid u not I would’ve never believed I would come so far , she was literally heaven sent and just ignites something in me to want to do the best I can everyday
They know racism exists and choose to ignore because they are not affected, it doesn’t negate anything you said!! It doesn’t affect them so its not something they’re concerned with its just that simple.
I am an Stna, currently graduating with associate applied science. I have worked as an stna 3 years. I applied as an stna at the hospital, open position in ICU. You work under the nurse. I was told I don’t have enough experience for patient assistance in icu. But my white friend got accepted the same position I applied with high school diploma only. I wanna take my degree after I graduate and go African countries to work and live there. Where I will not face racism.
It happened to me. I couldn't get into ICU 12 yrs ago. Even when I did...they made it harder for me to stay there. I believe it happens in other specialties where you get the harsh treatment & you see how they treat others from a different race...warm, welcoming, inviting. The treatment contrast is startling. Thank you for tackling the topic.
You wouldn’t think it or refuse to believe it is real but it is. It hasn’t affected me in a higher status point since I’m at the bottom of the food chain as in Im not a manger or anything fancy, so regardless they’d still control me in that way. but I’ve seen it happen to those who have the credentials, who go the extra mile wether they get a degree more experience, people still refuse they are competent and will bully one for jealousy. I watch a youtuber who is a does speech therapy and it’s rare to 1. Be male in a female main industry 2. Be black and tall 3. Have a doctorate. Yet people still refused to acknowledge his expertise and request another one due to his skin. I’m not black but I just feel sorry for him in that he didn’t feel like he was good enough. Regardless of race, it’s not hard to do the bare minimum of giving someone respect and gratitude.
Thank you for sharing your story. I am proud of you my sista! You help to motivate me, along, with other nurses whom i spoke with about these issues. I have heard my great-aunt's stories working as a nurse in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. (Her stories sound worst) and i was disturbed at that time, however, i was made aware well before pursuing my nursing degree and it made me want to get ready beforehand! These issues should be discussed and not continuously "shoved under the rug." I have been a Certified Medical Assistant for 13 years, and honestly, MAs go through the same bullying from doctors, nurses, and other MAs, however, i stood up for myself and stood my ground. I return back to college after the new year, 2023, to obtain my Nursing degree. I will graduate and i am not one to be picked on too, so i understand 100%. Keep sharing your experiences my sista.
I'm glad you are talking about this, because it has been in the industry for a long, long time, but it has just been brushed away. Race is in every aspect of our lives including at work. Plus, people can be biased towards others at work. So, this is nothing new. The only people who feel uncomfortable about talking about race are the people who look past everything, and refuse to get involved. They will exclude on every level to avoid the issue.
My fellow Grenadian sister you out here doing the lords work. Keep it up. 💪🏾It’s time we address the elephant that’s sitting in the corner having an entire meal…..and everybody wanna act like they don’t see it!
...there's no way minority nurses don't know that there's a racism issue among Healthcare professionals. And that goes for all specialties. Non minority nurses know this too or are simply feigning ignorance. I literally just left a position that I loved and returned to travel because of it. So glad I did. You shouldn't have to even make a video explaining your position. You're right.
Not sure how you came up in my recommendations, but I like your content. 💜 White people, we need to listen and understand what this woman is saying. I’m not a nurse, but I am a white woman and I see the same preconceived assumptions white people have about Black people in all industries and areas of life. Fellow white people, we need to realize that it is WHITE people are the ones making everything about race, not the other way around. If Black people (and other marginalized communities) were not ‘othered’ or scapegoated in the first place, there wouldn’t be any need to talk about racism because it wouldn’t exist! Telling people who’ve been unjustly treated…to stop talking about it is beyond invalidating, and it’s damn sad in 2022 many of us still are not thinking more critically. I’m definitely not perfect, and still have a lot to learn. That said, the only people we should be asking, “Why does everything have to always be about race?!” to…is FELLOW WHITE PEOPLE! White, land-owning males were the ones who kidnapped people from Africa, brought them here (to the land they stole from Indigenous people) and enslaved them! So, if anyone has a problem with Black people tired of being treated like sub-humans, maybe direct your frustration towards the whites that still perpetuate the lies told about Black (and other people of color). 🤷🏻♀️ I’m not trying to disrespect anyone. We just need to do better. I get it. Some people cannot comprehend what other people who don’t have privileges automatically because of skin color, are dealing with every day, due to no fault of their own and others never want to talk about or admit it; some feel guilt (of what our ancestors did), some may unfortunately agree with it. If we cannot acknowledge that it does exist, then yes, it will have to be mentioned and discussed because pushing it under the rug won’t make it disappear. Nurses deserve appreciation, decent pay and benefits. The toxic colleagues make it bad for everyone. Maybe with all the horrendous stuff going on in the world, women will realize we should be supporting each other, not being narcissistic, immature jerks! We need to fight for our rights as we may *all* lose them…no matter what color our skin is. Thank you ALL for the work you do!!! And kudos for those of you realizing your mental and physical health is more important than putting up with the toxic witches at your workplace. P.S. I realize there are male nurses too. 🙂 💜👩🏿⚕️👩🏽⚕️👩🏼⚕️👩🏻⚕️👩🏾⚕️👩⚕️🏥
Thank you! You are an amazing person yourself! Somehow, you popped up in my RUclips recommendations, and I’m not a nurse or in the heath care field, but I’m glad I watched your videos! I have a niece who was a CNA quite some time ago, a minor car accident (causing a back injury) and two babies later, she’s not pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse. The seniors at the convalescent home where she used to work really liked her; she’s good with people like my brother was. I do remember her telling a story about the cattiness crap that went on there too, but it’s nothing like having to deal with that every day all because of what color skin she was born with. I will tell her to watch your videos. Thank you for all you do!!! 💜
I absolutely agree with you as a new grad ICU nurse I cried after every shift the 1st 6 months if I did not have goals in mind I would have quit. They try to isolate you, making sure in subdue ways that you know you are not welcome there, by giving you assignments that even they would not want to have just to get you out, trying to overwhelm you into quitting. It absolutely messed with my mental well-being but I choose to focus on my purpose.
The truth is the truth…Black nurses, doctors, teachers and any other professionals, face this on the daily. Your awareness is shedding light on a problem that is current and ongoing! As an African American mental health expert, what you are saying is right on time. Keep bringing awareness!
This is a very, very real occurrence, not only in nursing, but in other medical modalities and spaces where a higher level of education is required. There is definitely going to be pushback and resistance for Black people. I myself am in a modality under radiology, when I started, my coworkers were constantly going to my supervisor telling her that I cannot do the job that I am slow and don’t know what I’m doing. This compounded by the fact that they failed to adequately train me in all aspects of the job. They just are not used to and, in my opinion, not willing to have us in those spaces traditionally held by non POC. The struggle and fight is very real. It’s a hard path to go alone
People who have issues with the topic of race in ICU are either not nurses who work in hospitals or too biased to admit the truth. Kendra, you are on point with these topics. Thanks for using your platform to spread the truth.
A 100 % and it is a global issue. I am a nurse since 1990, have my ICU- specialization since 1995 (I live in Germany and we had back then the diploma and apprenticeship model, the BSC/MSC model was implemented just three years ago) and what you say its so true. In the ICU you see predominately white persons and rarely Black persons or persons of African descent. There is also a lot of colorism and islamophobia going on. It is an isolating experience. And it is a real one. Whether people take offense on that or not is not the point. It is a fact that needs to be addressed. BTW...your channel is superb!
I started my nursing career as an ICU Nurse IN ATLANTA, GA. There I saw first hand and was disciplined for discussing racial issues with the staff there. Today, I stand a registered nurse who has had DAILY NURSE MAGAZINE write an article about my work as a African American nurse in Detroit, Mi. Just as the nurse manager holds huddles to discuss performance, they should address racial issues. To have open discussions on units where African American nurses work is to equip them with a safe space to have their concerns heard. Throughout my career, I have dealt with white women and white nurses being unable to handle discussions that describe racial tension, discrimination, and attitudes.
Um you didn't bring race into it --- racism is ALWAYS at work regardless of industry. You just have the courage to call the thing what it is! Period! Refusal to acknowledge it in operation only perpetuates the problem. And as a clinical psychologist I am constantly reminded of how emotionally depleting it is to ignore its effects...
Hey, Kendra, I totally understand your concerns. I believe that as a future CRNA of European descent working in hospital housekeeping,, I would like to address and hopefully make an impact on the hiring bias in nursing. Not only do I think it's incredibly outlandish and stupid to qualify or dismiss a nurse from a unit based on something as shallow as skin colour, but I also view race differently than most people. I don't see black and white humans. I see all people in a spectrum of Browns, from creamy beige to dark chocolate. Some are light, others are dark, but we're all the same colour, similar to how a bright sunny sky and dark navy shoes are both blue. I don't have to refer to someone as "the black girl" because she obviously has a name. If I don't know your name, I just say "folks". By calling people Black right away, I'm stating that the only characteristic that stands out to me is their Melanin content. That just screams "I don't care to learn more about that person's skills or personality traits, I just know they're darker than me." If I ever have to refer to a skin colour for any reason, I just refer to a shade of Brown. That being said, ALL competent nurses' input should be valued and respected, regardless of biological race, cultural identity, national origin, or other uncontrollable characteristics. Acknowledging that bias does exist, I will continue to respect my peers regardless, not paying attention to race.
It is disingenuous to pretend that race doesn’t factor into how people are treated not just the health care sector but every aspect of life in the USA . I find it amusing that some people become extremely upset when bias or racism is claimed . I have been a physician for over 25 . I remember being an intern in a large hospital working on the ward service . An African American woman around 65 yo came in suffering from the flu . A pulmonologist got her to agree to be DNR/DNI. This woman was caring for herself and older members of her church before she contracted the flu. I got her to reverses the DNR/DNI order . The pulmonologist was enrage with me he said,” you F’ed it up.” The patient’s condition worsened and she was subsequently intubated. She improved and was eventually extubated. The pulmonologist didn’t speak to me after his outburst. I didn’t care because I had successfully advocated for my patient . It has to be about the patient.
Why can't we discuss race at work? They ask us for our names and race when we apply? Or are we just suppose to be numbers in order to get the same treatment?
I wanted to become a nurse when I was younger, but my aunt discouraged me by her experiences as a nurse. My aunt has been a registered nurse for over 30+ years and she was bullied by Filipino women more than white women. She told me the Filipino woman would mess with her patient charts and switch them. She told me that a Filipino nurse even told her she’s pretty for a black woman. When my aunt purchased a home, the Filipino nurses asked her how did she manage to afford it. My aunt also told me that some of her white patients did not believe her when she told them that she was a nurse and requested a white nurse. However, she did tell me some of her white patients apologized to her about their racist beliefs when they realized how educated, compassionate and nurturing she was as a nurse. A lot of this was shocking to me.
That’s what happens in ALL sectors if you are black. You won’t get big cases if you work as a lawyer… you won’t break glass ceilings if you work on Wall Street.
Let me tell you something I wouldn’t have even examine this response on these peoples you struck a nerve and they wanted to make you feel some type of way, don’t call for it love! Keep doing what you been doing! I love this content❤️ my fellow Black 👸
What people fail to understand is everyone no matter your race will face people who don’t like you or are mean to you. Additionally, black peoples apart from facing the general “not everyone will like you phenomena’ have to face racism. That is what others don’t understand. A black person at a job can be rude to another black person is not necessary based on race but human nature of disliking others. That is what these white nurses experience, general dislike. But we black peoples have to experience a double jeopardy of people merely disliking us and also targeting us because of our colour. I hope this makes sense…
We can talk till we blue in the face but if people’s hearts don’t change this will always be a problem. It’s a heart issue. People are filled with hatred for poc and the way they think about us what they believe about us starts with the heart! Laws will never change this.
You mean Americans. Why call yourself a POC? You are American. Also, turn on the TV news station in New York for an hour or so. If you’re going to separate whites from all other races, Asian people are being attacked in huge numbers in NY. Those attackers don’t look white, point is anyone can be racist. You’re comment assuming because someone is white, they are automatically racist, is racist AF.
I honestly believe we just need our own hospital. I wouldn't want someone with a racist mindset taking care of my health in a life or death situation. I'm just saying. Cause I have seen the black patients neglected. Tbh.
The people that don't like this are the bullies and you are so on point I have had hell in my 35 years of nursing it's not about the patient it's clicks and racist groups
Kendra, yes you are correct! I applied for a ICU position many years ago at a hospital in Southern Maryland. The lady in HR said "oh you want ICU, why don't you apply to telemetry." I said no thank you, I want ICU and if you don't have a position, have a great day. When I first walked through the door, she told me there were a lot of positions available. Hmmmm, what would you think? Of course a Caucasian nurse would make a comment like that because they don't experience it like we do.
And that's on period! They hear these conversations but they don't care as long as they're treated well. They attack you because you say the truth and they don't want to hear it.
I have been a nurse for 28 years. I started out as a tech at one hospital and they kept me on once I graduated as a nurse in 1994. After a year I applied to the critical care internship. All of my co-workers that I graduated with that worked at that same hospital who applied got accepted, except me. I applied for a critical care internship at another hospital soon after. I was accepted and of course I was the only black nurse or person of color. I was so happy to see that there was another black nurse in the unit. Sondra G was fantastic!!!! Everyone loved her. I felt they liked me too. I rarely felt uncomfortable. We were the only two for YEARS! When the third black nurse came on it was a different story. I felt they treated her different. She was black, female and extremely over weight. She was a resp. therapist at this same hospital before becoming a nurse. Super smart and unbothered by them. They could not break her. I transferred to same day surgery and was the only black nurse....period! There was not even a black nurse in surgery or recovery. Whew! Next was a small free standing surgery center (same company). Again, I was the only black nurse. After a few years I wanted to get back to that same hospital to be closer to home. And for the first time I really felt like I was being discriminated against. The nurse recruiter rejected my request to transfer back many many many times. I ended up at another hospital further from home but with the same company. Once again, I was the only black nurse on the tele unit. Crazy right! I was determined to get back to the first hospital. When I finally did......the manager is BLACK, assistant manager BLACK, charge nurse BLACK, half the nurses are BLACK. Y'all this is the first time in 28 years where at least half of my co-workers look like me!!! I will say this, I feel very fortunate that I rarely was made to feel uncomfortable because I'm black.
Kendra, I love your content. This is a great subject. Keep these videos coming!!! (sorry for the long post).
Thank you for sharing and commenting. I appreciate you ❤️
I know what you are talking about, It is so great to see when management changes, then all of a sudden the facility does not have a hiring problem.
that’s amazing i’m happy for you ☺️
It’s changing. God is changing it.
It’s not just nursing …Those individuals that are attacking you is because you hit a nerve and they know what you are saying is 100% accurate.
Exactly!
Absolutely. That is absolutely correct
More than likely those individuals are white, and there's a big chance that those people are subconsciously or consciously racist.
A lot of white people do not like to admit racism as a thing, and a big reason why is because they don't want to hold themselves accountable if they are guilty.
I just failed the Nclex exam.😭😭😓 I cannot begin to articulate the level of embarrassment and heartache I'm feeling. 😥 I'm confident that I will be a good nurse . I just need to get past this, move on and persevere
Well I've taken the exams for the second time now and still didn't succeed, i wonder how those who succeeded did it🥺😭
I have seen racism and I am a retired white ICU nurse. At one time my nursing manager was black and many of my fellow nurses could not stand her and they talked poorly about her all the time. I never saw any valid reasons why the nurses felt the way they did other than the fact that maybe they were jealous or racist, or maybe both! One time a bunch of the other nurses in the break room asked me what I thought and I replied, "That she was doing a good job and if I had any problems I would talk directly with her in private". I was so angry these nurses were trying to drag me into their endless bullying of this manager. BTW, I worked with quite a few black nurses over the years and they were all fantastic!
Thank you for your awareness
We need more people to put a stop to the bullying and passive aggressiveness as that gets us nowhere. I like people to be direct which is why I think I’ll rub some nurses the wrong way once I start lol thanks for standing up for that nurse.
Thank you Lisa! There has definitely been issues in the icu and I respect your transparency. I’ve worked in ICU many years on the East coast… and no I’ve never experienced blatant racism but I’ve witnessed it!
@@MrsRo-pw4qo but that don't mean they ain't saying racist things about you behind your back as opposed to your face but it happens to blacks dealing with racism so of us choose to be in denial at times
@@kaylee3867 I’ve been in healthcare for years. I’ve heard one comment that I would consider ignorant and quite frankly racist. “Historically ICU’s have been white.” Well, look at the population of each race. I am still waiting on a specific example of how Black Nurses or any race specifically have been discriminated against. Frankly, all the hard work Black Americans had to do in order to be treated like all other races in the workforce, is spat all over. America has come a long way and to constantly put race into something only shows the person speaking is the racist.
Racism absolutely exist! I’m a veterinary nurse and it happens there too. My sisters clinic was told they weren’t allowed to speak Spanish to each other (the employees) but were REQUIRED to speak Spanish to the clients when needed… I cannot express how disrespectful that was.
@da midwif they specifically said Spanish and not something like second language. So only Spanish was not allowed to be spoken and not all second languages which is specifically targeting a certain race of people.
@da midwif it wasn’t about the customers complaining, it was because the manager didn’t like not knowing what the employees were saying to each other. That’s not a very good reason to limit your employees from being able to express their culture freely, if you don’t know Spanish. Learn it. Either way a business has no right to say what languages you can speak especially when they use your second language to make money. Its bordering exploitation. (I know this because my aunt works for HR and has a masters degree) Sorry but why do you want to justify this action? Do you agree with limiting freedom of speech? Or is it just ok to limit minority groups because everyone else is more important?
@da midwif and this is discrimination. Growing up as a Hispanic girl in Texas I have faced it all my life and know how to call it out.
@april It’s inappropriate and unprofessional to speech any language other than English around coworkers or clients. Unless you’re speaking to clients who speaks the language and feel more comfortable speaking it. Imagine a clique of people speaking a language you didn’t understand. It’s awkward to the other person. This should not be aloud in any setting.
@@tamikayvejones4616 I disagree especially if you use that language to help costumers. When people are communicating it’s an A and B conversation there’s no need for you to eavesdrop on other’s peoples conversations that’s just common courtesy so why do you feel the need to listen in on your co-workers private conversations? If you have a problem with not understanding a language YOU LEARN IT. Most other countries it’s common to speak two languages, in Texas Spanish is the second most spoken language and to say you need to limit all those people’s freedom of speech is absurd. Either way in this case ALL employees fought against this “new rule” since it only targeted the Hispanic employees and HR determined that the manager was wrong in even trying to implement it.
You’re talking about a real issue. My sister worked in the ICU for 12 yrs and she spoke about these things. She said black nurses could barely get a job in the ICU because they feel you’re not educated enough. She said they’ll stuff all the black nurses in Med Surg.
She’s 1000% right! It has gotten better, especially since the pandemic.
You are absolutely correct and don't let anyone tell you that race is not an issue in nursing! I had a horrible time being ignored in the ICU and had to train myself, I was the only Chicana Indigenous RN in this hospital with the exception of one other in L&D. There were only perhaps 3-4 Black nurses there. I was passed up for the house supervisor position twice, even though I was already working that position and was on the house sup roster. I was the only RN in the building that had a MSN and could work every floor, however, I watched white nurses with AA degrees officially get the positions I applied for and advance over me. I left that hospital 5 years ago but it still affects me today. I am forever thankful to the black nurses that listened to me, understood, and validated my experience, they are my forever family to this day.....This happened in a rural area where there is a history of land theft and hostilities by the the old white families toward the indigenous people, and there are Mexican farmworkers that are treated as peasants. The hostility is real!
Wow so true , you are passed up all the time . Sometimes I was the most senior and experienced nurse on the floor but passed up always .
Do you know how many Black and White American men died so that we could be having this conversation right now with random users? Thousands………If you are going to bring up a negative part of a race(I don’t clump people all together) make sure you include how we are where we are today.
@@michaelreinhart562you mean how many WHITE men died… there was a time black men could only work in the kitchen as cooks when they joined the army. They would not allow black men any position of power or glory. Cooking and cleaning was all the black man could do… and this was during WWII and beyond….
Your comment proves what she said in her original post.
You made a valid point because it’s definitely an issue. I’m the only black nurse on my unit, Trauma ICU. I’ve been a nurse since 2012 and this has by far been the most challenging experience. The issue is having to go above and beyond to prove yourself… it’s so annoying. Thanks for all that you share. Your perspective is appreciated.
Thank you for commenting and watching! What people should understand is that we aren’t looking for sympathy, we’re just sharing out reality.
I wonder if as a black nurse within the Trauma ICU are paid well?
I’m a computer science major and hear a lot about racism and discrimination in my industry. From hearing what you described nursing almost sounds worse I would have never imagined it either because I’ve always viewed it as a profession focused on helping people. Please keep sharing your experiences and stories.
Oh yes, nursing definitely has its own issues as far as race and other issues are concerned.
Their gaslighting they know exactly what your talking about.❤
Keep on with your amazing videos! Lots of hugs…
Oh of course. Women in STEM is bad enough so imagine being black.
Kendra, the one’s who ask you “why you bring race into it” are usually the guilty and the offenders. I left my paramedic position in a hospital to work on an ICU unit as a tech, because I wanted to eventually work on that ICU after graduation.
The nurse manager denied my request to work on her unit stating that “I wasn’t ready, and that nurses (white) on the unit stated that I wasn’t ready. I felt so defeated and left and went back to my paramedic position.
I graduated, and applied to two other ICU units in that hospital and she black listed me! Girl, girl, girl, girl, girrrlll….I was broken. I do believe that God had a different path, but u have spoken NOTHING but facts!!!
They do not want us in the ICU! That ICU to CRNA path is real, and I do believe that they don’t want us to reach that capita…also they don’t want us to see the major errors that they make and cover for one another. And lastly, we just shine bright like diamonds wherever we are!
I’m glad you mentioned the race because too many people like to act like it doesn’t happen because of the color of somebody’s skin. It does matter and it is the issue. If you know then you know.
Keep speaking the truth Kendra. There is bias and intrinsic racism and privilege that goes unchecked and unaddressed. There’s no call for white people to be defensive or deflective of real issues faced by POC.
Hi nurse Adriane! I think I’ve seen you on nurse Liz’s page! ❤
Amen.
This is true. I had a Hispanic general manager for a short term while his store was getting fixed and we also just lost a manger so it fit perfectly. The district manager made him stay there until they were done with construction and he was a very (maybe even a little too ambitious) hardworking dude. He gave everyone their hours but also wanted people to be a productive. That’s not the main issue. But these other lower shift managers would gang up on him say oh “where you from” he would respond “Vermont” they laughed and said “no where you really from” “you got a green card?” But luckily he wasn’t fazed by it and just told them to get to work.
I think one issue was that it made them upset they weren’t one but that was out of the question because a woman who was much older and lazier came to be the manager and she’s just so lazy. Funny they dropped the act and were so respectful. They not once said can I get a raise or ask constantly like previous. She is white but she does not meet manger status. She makes the assistant manager handle all the shift scheduling.
If you had an issue she’d say “you gotta ask the shift manager” which is not a problem but you can’t do it either? It was a refund. She was not busy. The other managers were busy. It was like these issues hindered her.
I personally don’t think she was the best and we’ve had many mangers often white who were amazing but got transferred. It was just so funny how they acted much more professional when it wasn’t a hispanic or a man. They also said a lot of racists jokes on Indian Asians and Asians during COVID.
This was a small town so it mainly consisted on everyone being white and two or three pocs. It definitely does happen where you don’t see a lot of races or mixed culture. But there are some really amazing white managers that deserve a raise. I am just speaking on how these managers had no respect for him. Would make fun of his accent and he would have to do more to favor them.
@@carleighrousseau4226 yes I’m a guest panelist Fridays 3:30
I was a cna can u think how bad we had it
Amen!! Most specialty areas are predominantly Caucasian! It is extremely isolating!! I have a first hand story in the NICU at a huge teaching hospital where I was overqualified for this position and they made me feel so incompetent every chance they could get! I was one of three black nurses between day and night shift! I finally left for my mental health, I could not take the blank stares, nasty attitudes, isolation, worst assignment they could give me. It was completely miserable. Thank you for making this video! Yes racism in health care is REAL!
It happens quite often. We need to speak out more on this issue.
This is gaslighting 101. Anyone who would say racism is not a problem in nursing is blatantly denying reality - discrimination is not a matter of opinion. Keep speaking truth! It's helping so many people going through the same thing 🤎
Yep but they don't want to live in reality. It's too uncomfortable for them to have these conversations. It's easier to act like it doesn't exist because then they have to question their own biases, integrity and character.
P.S. Also, they get treated the best in healthcare by their fellow white people but they don't want to admit that either. They also don't want to admit that white patients come in, not wanting someone who's black. Specifically asking for someone white.
If a black person doesn't want to receive care, from someone who is white, it's mostly likely out of fear. We have a history here of not being treated well and it still continues.
Thank you!! I hate when people who don't understand race try to invalidate what us POC go through. Even other POC who haven't had experience with racism will try to invalidate what others go through. Racism is real and people really be acting like it doesn't affect our every move we make, as if we can just ignore it and live our happy-go-lucky-lives.
Right !!!
Expose the truths that need to be told!! Well done!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I have said this time and time again. Race is always going to be an issue because of the phrases like, "skin color does not matter" and "lets get past that". I am male nurse who is black in the ICU and I have faced it. And I have seen it. I made a comment about it being nice to see a black nurse in the field and I got comments saying the same thing being said to you about how race should not matter. It's so easy to say when it does not apply to you and that is just pure ignorance. You have my full support. I love your videos so much because they speak so much to my own experience. This was the video I mentioned above ( ruclips.net/video/JBZ02bHBEPM/видео.html&lc=Ugy3a6AfbsWHJR7UORx4AaABAg.9XsRv50FUJH9h7tjX8bDzK )
I would think having black nurses in the ICU would be a good thing! Increasing this diversity is great. Many, many of the sick patients in ICU are black. (Also, I’ve heard stories whereby white patients refuse care from black nurses.) Not wanting blacks in critical care nursing may unfortunately be an economic block. Don’t nurses need critical care experience for NP or CRNA school? Increased pay, autonomy and prestige comes with these positions right? Jmho. Thanks
@@penandpencilplow Oh diversity is splendid, healthcare just isn't having it. You are right, many a times I have had black patients and we just have a connection from the start and that helps them so much due to the lack of trust in healthcare that much of the black community feels. I've had a patient cry to me because she was fed up with how white nurses treated her, not taking the time to get to know her and she felt neglected. Now I am not saying I treat white patients differently. I don't I treat my patients how a lot of individuals who are black treat others. with open arms and love. And that is missing from nursing, Compassion for one another. Bedside is so toxic some days I love it and other days I am like this is not it.But yes definitely need that ICU experience for CRNA. But again going back to what Nurse Kendra said, Gatekeeping. How can we get there if you won't let us in the ICU?
🎯🎯🎯
You're mistaken.
I did too when I was working done in fridley, Minnesota all the white old crusty dudes that rely now on nurses would make horrible comments and call them the N word and they would look at me for approval and I would shame them and I would tell them you can call and call and call on your call like but none of us are going to answer until you call with respect. He stopped being an a******. It was incredible when a white woman put him in his place. I couldn't stand it I was so disgusted that there were these people of color and different ethnicities and they just wanted to help him and he had the nerve knowing that he was at the mercy of their help calling them racial slurs that are supposed to make people feel like they're worthless. Who started that b******* in the first place?
Every damn nurse knows that. Most ICU's are filled with white nurses. Med surg filled with black nurses. I see no issues with your comment. I work in icu now but the manager used to be an NP on my step down unit and knows my work ethic.
I’m a new grad, over the age of 40, & BLACK!! My nursing experience was very different than my classmates. THANKS!!! for the video!!!🩺👩🏽⚕️♥️
Congrats on accomplishing passing school and becoming a Registered Nurse at a time where our bodies aren’t as vibrant. That’s amazing actually. School is draining. Sorry you were treated differently. I was treated differently because my personality is very quirky. All of them from all races were disrespectful, but they are probably eating bons bons still gossiping. Miserable.
I have been a Labor and Delivery nurse for 22 years mostly on days , and the blond and blue eyed always try it and I let loose on them every time. 🤷🏽♀️ I have been labeled aggressive (sometimes) because of it and I don’t care. I know how to take care of a patient (sick and healthy) because I have to ,period. I don’t have the luxury of having the complexion for the protection especially not with the Black maternal mortality rates higher than many third world countries! I’m not about to let them or anyone else keep me from making my money or taking care of my patient correctly! RACE IS AN ISSUE ESPECIALLY IN SPECIALTY UNITS! Everything you said was true …. I have been the preceptor and had to protect my Black new grad from the hyenas who just want to break her and send her running! I have been the orientee who had more experience than the orienter and had to check that nurse with 2 year experience who thought it was professional to attempt to berate me and I had to gather her.. I’m a staunch opponent to bullying but the nursing profession is full of them and imagine being a black nurse with that kind of pressure and dealing with those 2 very large barriers to patient care on a daily basis. Any Nurse who wants to deny and claim they don’t know these things exist in nursing are either new to nursing or are apart of the problem. Please continue to speak about this. It matters…
Unfortunately race is a factor. I’ve witnessed it and it’s heartbreaking. I want to see a change better yet, I will be the change. Thank you for sharing and bringing it to light. Love you ❤
❤️
It’s really bad and it’s getting worse. I had to start seeing a therapist solely because of the micro-aggressions that I deal with almost daily. Bias in nursing is a real thing!!
This is true. I bullied even as a student ! I was targeted by my professor, not going into detail but I am in my last session of my program and I basically had to drop the class because of how bad it got. I am almost discouraged to go into nursing because of my experience . If nursing professors are bullying African American students can you imagine the trauma we have to go through in the field ? Thank you for having the courage to speak the truth.
Girl what! Your professor was bullying you?! Smh!
I got accused of plagiarism by a professor in nursing school. It was a huge thing but it was overturned. I was able to show the office of student conduct that I cited things correctly #1 and #2 my white friend was dinged by her for the same “error” but she got an A on the paper while I got a zero. She attempted to put me in her clinical class after the whole ordeal and I said heck no it’s a conflict of interest. I knew she would have failed me for sure because she attempted to bad mouth me to the clinical professor I ended up with- who happened to be impressed with me and told me everything the lady tried to say about me. Now that same professor is a patient at the cancer center I work for and I refuse to take care of her……she’s not worthy of this goodness. There are plenty of other nurses that can help her.
You go back to school girl, Nursing is a job that could get you out of poverty fast, once you set a goal, and know how to manage money. Go back to school, and do not be satisfied with just being an LPN, get your BSN.
I was bullied by three professors when I was in nursing school, so I know that feeling you have. It is a good thing that you found this channel, use it as a sounding board and an healing place. I did not have this when I was in nursing school thirty years ago. You stood your ground, you kept your dignity. Go back to school take your course. Things change...you may go back and find that the professor is not there anymore. There is a nursing shortage and you are one of the people to change the problem. Here's hoping that you become a nurse and show the opposite behavior that you have received.
I think I’m in the same boat right now. Me and my friend worked on our essays together, and I scored 62% and my friend got 96%
Culture and race is a big thing in nursing and one concept of nursing is to be aware of your own bias. There is poor behavior but also there is a race issue. You were very right even in nursing school there is a huge pressure when you know that most of the class doesn’t look like you…. It is all about making people feel comfortable and confident in what they know rather than cutting them short and not welcoming them. Honestly because of what you said I want to be an ICU nurse… I think in nursing school there should be lectures about race this is very important. Thanks Kendra
Super important because it affects us from many different angles.
There is definitely discussion on race but only when it pertains to the patients we haven't spoken on how it is within our peers.
Guilty people always have an issue with race problems.
Amen! ❤❤❤💯
They want to negate our experiences. It's a form of gaslighting.
THIS!!
Exactly!
Many years ago I was a preceptor for an African RN to the ICU. she was a great nurse then and has gone on to be a leader in the community of African Nurses and now a leader in entrepreneurship
It is worst when you are coming from Africa! Smh
You are absolutely right! And also racism is in your face in other departments and clinics throughout the hospitals. I’m speaking from experience! It’s sickening!🤮
Race is super big in Healthcare. You said what you said! TRUTH.
I no longer work in this field as a LPN I'm retired since 2017 but everything she's saying is so true you had to mentally prepare yourself when you go to work because you don't know who's going to take their anger out on you and if you're doing your work right they're going to find something to Nic pick about good luck ladies only the Strong Survive in this field.
Yes I am Hispanic nursing student and the experience I am having during clinical with some of these Caucasian nurses is horrible. The little remarks ,the attitude. I have encountered a few white nice nurses but I can count on my hand how many that is. It's truly sad
Yep . I'm dealing with a lot of shit ,Dios ayudame porque me dan ganas de cortar cabesas😅
I believe you.
I have been in the nursing and medical field for over 30 years, I was told since day one yearsss ago, to go to med surgery, but I have seen new grades that were not black, walk right into ICU, cath lab, and more areas mostly others can get right into without problems, race does play a role in nursing. YOU ARE SPEAKING The TRUTH!!!
Race has a big part when it comes to giving nursing care and dealing with other nurses. I worked at a hospital in Alabama. The white nurses did just enough for the brown and the black people. But when it came to their race, they went above and beyond the call of duty. I worked at this hospital for 7 years. And saw this going on all the time, so for those that don't believe that race has a part in nursing you are sadly mistaken it does. I even had a white nurse to approach me and to disrespect me. But you better believe I put her in her place. And I never had any more problems with her.
I'm not sure why you are having to explain this again. I watched that video your talking about even commented on it and I totally understood why you brought up race. You made a very good point about it while explaining the story. I'm not even a nurse or anything medical field. So I take it those ppl that brought this about race must not of been listening very carefully if at all to your story. Only the ones who cannot follow along or comprehend while listening to a story are the ones who always hear part of the story or just don't understand. I love listening to you . I'm a new sub btw too.
Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable, it is what it is keep telling it.
As a black West African Woman working in the healthcare industry for over 13 years, you can not tall me that RACE is not a factor, because it is !!! We have to fight for our growth, our rights, our schedules, out PTO , our everything within these work organizations!
Speak the truth Sis! Many of these people have conscious bias and then try to gaslight us.
You are being gracious by even looking at all sides. My experience in these situations is that race is usually a major factor.
I’m not a nurse yet; I am in school to become one. I currently work as a Telemetry tech in ICU and one of the black male nurses told me the exact same thing before I even seen your video. He was asking me what part of nursing did I want to go in and I said maybe ICU since I see so much working in ICU already. Previous I was. CNA in the floor, but started during telemetry to kind of balance my work and school life.. When I came across your video and you said it too I was like WOW 😢….
Don’t let it discourage you. These videos are to spread awareness, that way you know how to navigate the profession.
@@KendraRN Thank you so much 😊
I agree with u Kendra. I see this everyday. Race does matter in nursing.
Race Always matters. Race was already in it. People who are not minorities don’t know or don’t want to know. That’s with housing and being kept from certain neighborhoods, getting loans with better credit than others, some of my white friends who worked at banks or real estate all told me things there were told such as don’t let them get that house and paying to keep them out as well as banks being told to not give loans to blacks so race is always an issue.
Back to nursing I’m 59 and I’ve been in nursing 26 years and not as far along as you and never in icu but it’s happened to me so many times I cannot count. Where whites didn’t want me to even care for them. So I don’t personally care if it’s offensive to some because it’s not intended for that, it’s education and caring ppl should care to know and even be mindful that’s how we grow, Period!!!
Thank You for speaking up!
Their reaction to this conversation proves your original point
Anyone gaslighting you out of speaking about this is disgusting. For a lot of people, if something doesn't happen to them, it doesn't exist. It's egotism and a complete lack of empathy.
YOU SPOKE NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH ABOUT ICU AND YT NURSES!!!!💯💯💯
I'm really thankful for the things you talk about in nursing! I feel like so many white people want to be color blind and pretend like nothing's wrong in and if it's not acknowledged it'll just get swept under the rug and forgotten about, and that's not fair at all. We live in a time where everyone's so politically correct and don't want to just say it like it is. I think it's really important highlight situations like that in the ICU. I'm not a nurse yet but want to go to nursing school and I love the way you say it plain like it is, also how you encouraged us to stand up for ourselves in nurse bullying etc. 💜💜
Thank you! Nursing is a really good career, so please go to school. ❤️
As someone that maybe one day be a patient all i want is a kind nurse that does there job. Dont care if they black white ect.
Even when going to nursing school they (racist nursing instructors)will try to discourage blacks or African Americans to drop out. One even told a friend of mine that she should think about another career because she doesn’t think nursing is for her.Well fast forward she graduated nursing school got a job as an nurse and later became a supervisor in the ER on weekends so she could go back to school for ARNP and she will be graduating next month.Some of them think we don’t deserve to be nothing more than techs which is really sad. I am glad you are calling the nursing field out for it’s behavior towards blacks in this profession .We need more black nurses and doctors
Everything you said is so real and true!
Race is an issue, and being an Asian nurse and minority I can say that
Stay encouraged. You are so strong and I look up to you!!
What you're saying is SO true... keep speaking the truth hon. People need to stop.
Hi Kendra we can fill encyclopedias from A to Z with the stories of the experiences of our great great grandma nurse, aunt nurse, mommy nurse, friend nurse, any black nurse, any where in the world where the society is not homogeneous. From nursing school one may have the dream to be an ICU nurse, Life Flight nurse, CRNA, ER nurse, ECT nurse and we can continue to list specialties...and when they do get the position (maybe to meet some federal quota) that nurse faces resistance. The share emotional and psychological and verbal abuse succeeds to lessen our numbers in these specialties.
Since racism is a word that is emotionally charged, the 'third rail',
we need the statistics/objectives to ground the qualitative/subjective experiences to establish a baseline of this issue of racism. The numbers are needed to combat the bias and to provide a starting point to determine improvement or decline. We, every nurse, can do better. Your channel provides the proverbial sterilized scalpel to cut open this wound in nursing; our fellow Wound nurses will tell you, the wound must heal right. We, every nurse, can do better.
Thank you for this platform, it resonates. May you have more grace, strength, resilience, peace, to continue this journey. Thank you.
I’ve dealt with bullying most of my life, in schools, online cyber bullying and at work with GROWN ADULTS which is ridiculous! I’m either getting bullied or picked on. There’s no in between. Working as a CNA, I’ve experienced not only is it challenging dealing with complicated patients but also you have to deal with the attitudes of co workers AND the manager. Now you know you’re outnumbered when the manager is bullying you and playing favoritism with other co workers. I’ve collected YEARS of bullying and now I’m just tired of it!
Knowing that I’m a hard worker, quiet and kept to myself. No one really talked to me, it was always a group of co workers laughing and talking about me, then smiling in my face pretending to be nice. The fake-ness was overrated. Who even has time to have cliques at a workplace? It’s pointless! But those people (LVN’s) would take advantage of me to make me do more than I should.
I never had help when it came to transferring, repositioning my patients and so on-so fourth, etc. everyone would help each other and leave me out then the manager would come looking for me, yells at me when I’m struggling. I had all male patients (20) at most. I was working from 11pm-7am every week for 7 days a week. I’ve hardly had any time off. Im a Christian and you know our sabbath day is every Sunday, I told my manager I couldn’t work those days and he demanded with authority that I WILL work every Sunday which goes against my beliefs and he totally FORCED ME to work every Sundays. Pure evil! And he’s clearly Not saved. It was very toxic and I just quit the job. Not good for my mental health or overall well being. At ALL.
I remember this one co worker I had, I won’t mention her name but she decided to be friends with me in the beginning, she was nice at first then she all of a sudden decided to pick on me by saying I was “copying” her everything. It was ridiculous! I’ve spent most of my time with her during our lunch breaks, etc.
I never copied ANYTHING of her, then she started complaining about me wearing crocs and assumed I only started wearing crocs because of her like girl bye! EVERYONE wears crocs as a nurse. YOU DIDN’T INVENT CROCS 😂😂😂 she was ridiculous!!! This is why you never make friends at work, people will find anything to pick on you about and harass you because they’re jealous of you. Never make friends at work! Ever!!!! Anyway, we stopped being friends then she made lies and spread rumors about me at work saying I was in a relationship with one of my patients then I lost my job. Smh. Also that one time she caught Covid and she thought I did some “voodoo” on her to get her sick. Like be for real. As a child of God, I don’t do no voodoo crap 😂😂 she just made up anything to try and make me look bad! She’s a narcissist for real. Anyway we stopped talking, no longer friends with that evil- promiscuous co worker chick.
Now I’m currently on temporary disability and have to go to therapy to get my mind and health back into normal condition again. Smh.
I know all of this is just persecution that I’m going through because I’m a Christian woman/child of God so I understand but it gets draining and tiring going through this. Facing serpents everywhere you go! People really have the spirit of a serpent.
You inspire me so so much to go back into healthcare! I worked throughout the pandemic as a CNA, the work environment got so bad and while working endlessly whilst my daughter was months old I was like I’m gotta leave. I enjoyed taking care of the elderly and learning about the human body so I felt bad for leaving however , it was so toxic. We were understaffed and a lot of the senior CNAs was veryyyyy rude to me and the younger girls too. To the point of actively trying to get us fired. So I really am glad that you brought up racism and bullying because it’s definitely a reality ! I’m not a nurse but many of the white nurses where very rude … because of you I will be trying to go back !
Go for it. I am here for it! Even if it’s 2 classes at a time, GO!!!
@@KendraRN ahhh thank you ❤️
This is 💯 true especially the Asian community of nurses they do not like working with African American nurses... race is the issue sis. Your telling the truth..
I'm dealing with that exactly right now !! The Asian ones are extremely toxic and they coddle their disrespect 😤
Thank God I never experienced this!!! I have always gotten along with the Asian nurses and CNA!!!! Every where I went… they understand the racism …. Always been pleasant and even bring me food.
People hate the truth...
Black patients experience both overt and covert discrimination in medicine. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dominant white native born nurses where I live treat black nurses the same snide, condescending manner they treat patients who come from a group they don’t like, or make choices they don’t like.
Many of the nurses who are leaving the profession are black, a trend I find interesting. There are ex nurses who work with me in a lower paying field, and at least three are black men & women who left the profession.
Keep talking about the overt and covert racism in your videos. It is very real.
I'm glad you mentioned Race, Racism is alive and well, I'm Nursing assistant and go through it on a daily basis
It’s part of American history. People just have a hard time talking about it.
Kendra, you are dead on about your analysis on this nursing bullying. I am a CRNA and I too treaded lightly in my anesthesia program as the only black student! It’s real and I wish people would just admit it! But as you said talking about race is very uncomfortable for many people.
I had a hard time explaining it. It can be challenging to capture the emotions and feelings in words. Thank you for your comment and kudos for being a CRNA❤️
I believe every word you said about seeing black nurses in the ICU. My godmother was treated for heart disease and was in and out of ICU for 10 years. I NEVER seen her being treated by a black nurse.
Perrrriod!! I enjoy watching your videos cause you give the real! Have a blessed day!
I'm so glad you are strong enough to come out and speak about the bullying in healthcare, even worse for foreigners. Some people have privileges because of their skin color and get away with things that a black person wouldn't get away with.
Continue to SPEAK the TRUTH.
I’m so proud of the attention your bringing to this subject.
This will help younger nurses know that they have what it takes; and to not feel discourage when they encounter bullying or racism on floor nursing or out pt nursing.
We are ENOUGH !!!
We have what it Takes!!!
Vetty RN
I work in the Medical field also... and worked at a Hospital that was TERRIBLE with racism... I felt SO uncomfortable there, smh. It made me end up quitting.
I just left my job for this very reason. I was half way through my residency program. Now I’m job hunting and trying to figure out how to explain to potential employers why I left my previous job.
I’m literally tearing up watching her videos and reading these comments, idk if I’m considered still a new grad since I’m coming on to a year being out of school but i took a long break after failing my nclex. But I’ve worked on a med surg unit for a while absolutely terrible to the point where it caused terrible depression and definitely imposter syndrome ended up getting fired after not passing my nclex. After some time went to labor and delivery not terrible but definitely passive aggressive in a sense where literally everyone talks about me and runs to management with complaints I’m not even aware of, it wasn’t until the unit coordinator (black) sat me down and told me tht I should switch orientors to someone like us that will give it to u straight, did just tht one month into orientation and I kid u not I would’ve never believed I would come so far , she was literally heaven sent and just ignites something in me to want to do the best I can everyday
Oh wow! So you were able to switch? That is amazing. These experiences builds character. I’m happy things are better.
keep spreading the truth Kendra!!!! ,black icu nurse here and its true. Get mad cause God orders my steps. And I know they don't like me and its sad.
They know racism exists and choose to ignore because they are not affected, it doesn’t negate anything you said!! It doesn’t affect them so its not something they’re concerned with its just that simple.
I am an Stna, currently graduating with associate applied science. I have worked as an stna 3 years. I applied as an stna at the hospital, open position in ICU. You work under the nurse. I was told I don’t have enough experience for patient assistance in icu. But my white friend got accepted the same position I applied with high school diploma only.
I wanna take my degree after I graduate and go African countries to work and live there. Where I will not face racism.
It happened to me. I couldn't get into ICU 12 yrs ago. Even when I did...they made it harder for me to stay there. I believe it happens in other specialties where you get the harsh treatment & you see how they treat others from a different race...warm, welcoming, inviting. The treatment contrast is startling. Thank you for tackling the topic.
Unfortunately “Race” is a factor in “Every” aspect in “Any” Career…That’s just a fact…
If you outshine them that is what they do.
You wouldn’t think it or refuse to believe it is real but it is. It hasn’t affected me in a higher status point since I’m at the bottom of the food chain as in Im not a manger or anything fancy, so regardless they’d still control me in that way. but I’ve seen it happen to those who have the credentials, who go the extra mile wether they get a degree more experience, people still refuse they are competent and will bully one for jealousy.
I watch a youtuber who is a does speech therapy and it’s rare to 1. Be male in a female main industry 2. Be black and tall 3. Have a doctorate. Yet people still refused to acknowledge his expertise and request another one due to his skin. I’m not black but I just feel sorry for him in that he didn’t feel like he was good enough.
Regardless of race, it’s not hard to do the bare minimum of giving someone respect and gratitude.
Thank you for sharing your story. I am proud of you my sista! You help to motivate me, along, with other nurses whom i spoke with about these issues. I have heard my great-aunt's stories working as a nurse in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. (Her stories sound worst) and i was disturbed at that time, however, i was made aware well before pursuing my nursing degree and it made me want to get ready beforehand! These issues should be discussed and not continuously "shoved under the rug." I have been a Certified Medical Assistant for 13 years, and honestly, MAs go through the same bullying from doctors, nurses, and other MAs, however, i stood up for myself and stood my ground. I return back to college after the new year, 2023, to obtain my Nursing degree. I will graduate and i am not one to be picked on too, so i understand 100%. Keep sharing your experiences my sista.
Race always matters. In the bank, in the grocery store and everywhere. It matters when you go to ER, especially when you are a brown individual.
I'm glad you are talking about this, because it has been in the industry for a long, long time, but it has just been brushed away. Race is in every aspect of our lives including at work. Plus, people can be biased towards others at work. So, this is nothing new. The only people who feel uncomfortable about talking about race are the people who look past everything, and refuse to get involved. They will exclude on every level to avoid the issue.
Facts! No lies detected. I myself experienced this (racism) first hand in my first ICU job.
My fellow Grenadian sister you out here doing the lords work. Keep it up. 💪🏾It’s time we address the elephant that’s sitting in the corner having an entire meal…..and everybody wanna act like they don’t see it!
...there's no way minority nurses don't know that there's a racism issue among Healthcare professionals. And that goes for all specialties. Non minority nurses know this too or are simply feigning ignorance. I literally just left a position that I loved and returned to travel because of it. So glad I did. You shouldn't have to even make a video explaining your position. You're right.
Not sure how you came up in my recommendations, but I like your content. 💜
White people, we need to listen and understand what this woman is saying.
I’m not a nurse, but I am a white woman and I see the same preconceived assumptions white people have about Black people in all industries and areas of life.
Fellow white people, we need to realize that it is WHITE people are the ones making everything about race, not the other way around. If Black people (and other marginalized communities) were not ‘othered’ or scapegoated in the first place, there wouldn’t be any need to talk about racism because it wouldn’t exist! Telling people who’ve been unjustly treated…to stop talking about it is beyond invalidating, and it’s damn sad in 2022 many of us still are not thinking more critically. I’m definitely not perfect, and still have a lot to learn.
That said, the only people we should be asking, “Why does everything have to always be about race?!” to…is FELLOW WHITE PEOPLE! White, land-owning males were the ones who kidnapped people from Africa, brought them here (to the land they stole from Indigenous people) and enslaved them!
So, if anyone has a problem with Black people tired of being treated like sub-humans, maybe direct your frustration towards the whites that still perpetuate the lies told about Black (and other people of color). 🤷🏻♀️
I’m not trying to disrespect anyone. We just need to do better. I get it. Some people cannot comprehend what other people who don’t have privileges automatically because of skin color, are dealing with every day, due to no fault of their own and others never want to talk about or admit it; some feel guilt (of what our ancestors did), some may unfortunately agree with it.
If we cannot acknowledge that it does exist, then yes, it will have to be mentioned and discussed because pushing it under the rug won’t make it disappear.
Nurses deserve appreciation, decent pay and benefits. The toxic colleagues make it bad for everyone.
Maybe with all the horrendous stuff going on in the world, women will realize we should be supporting each other, not being narcissistic, immature jerks! We need to fight for our rights as we may *all* lose them…no matter what color our skin is.
Thank you ALL for the work you do!!! And kudos for those of you realizing your mental and physical health is more important than putting up with the toxic witches at your workplace.
P.S. I realize there are male nurses too. 🙂
💜👩🏿⚕️👩🏽⚕️👩🏼⚕️👩🏻⚕️👩🏾⚕️👩⚕️🏥
You are an amazing person! Thank you for your thoughts, very much appreciated.
Thank you! You are an amazing person yourself! Somehow, you popped up in my RUclips recommendations, and I’m not a nurse or in the heath care field, but I’m glad I watched your videos!
I have a niece who was a CNA quite some time ago, a minor car accident (causing a back injury) and two babies later, she’s not pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse. The seniors at the convalescent home where she used to work really liked her; she’s good with people like my brother was. I do remember her telling a story about the cattiness crap that went on there too, but it’s nothing like having to deal with that every day all because of what color skin she was born with. I will tell her to watch your videos.
Thank you for all you do!!! 💜
I love your video you are great at explaining things and speaking your truth , and you are professional Love your channel.
I absolutely agree with you as a new grad ICU nurse I cried after every shift the 1st 6 months if I did not have goals in mind I would have quit. They try to isolate you, making sure in subdue ways that you know you are not welcome there, by giving you assignments that even they would not want to have just to get you out, trying to overwhelm you into quitting. It absolutely messed with my mental well-being but I choose to focus on my purpose.
Facts !! I'm ready to walk tf out right now !
Keep doing what you do Kendra!! You are appreciated!!!!
The truth is the truth…Black nurses, doctors, teachers and any other professionals, face this on the daily. Your awareness is shedding light on a problem that is current and ongoing! As an African American mental health expert, what you are saying is right on time. Keep bringing awareness!
Hi
You know you’re right! Hit dogs will holler! And some people go into a job prepared to kiss butt! The struggle is real!
This is a very, very real occurrence, not only in nursing, but in other medical modalities and spaces where a higher level of education is required. There is definitely going to be pushback and resistance for Black people. I myself am in a modality under radiology, when I started, my coworkers were constantly going to my supervisor telling her that I cannot do the job that I am slow and don’t know what I’m doing. This compounded by the fact that they failed to adequately train me in all aspects of the job. They just are not used to and, in my opinion, not willing to have us in those spaces traditionally held by non POC. The struggle and fight is very real. It’s a hard path to go alone
People who have issues with the topic of race in ICU are either not nurses who work in hospitals or too biased to admit the truth. Kendra, you are on point with these topics. Thanks for using your platform to spread the truth.
A 100 % and it is a global issue. I am a nurse since 1990, have my ICU- specialization since 1995 (I live in Germany and we had back then the diploma and apprenticeship model, the BSC/MSC model was implemented just three years ago) and what you say its so true. In the ICU you see predominately white persons and rarely Black persons or persons of African descent. There is also a lot of colorism and islamophobia going on. It is an isolating experience. And it is a real one. Whether people take offense on that or not is not the point. It is a fact that needs to be addressed. BTW...your channel is superb!
I started my nursing career as an ICU Nurse IN ATLANTA, GA. There I saw first hand and was disciplined for discussing racial issues with the staff there. Today, I stand a registered nurse who has had DAILY NURSE MAGAZINE write an article about my work as a African American nurse in Detroit, Mi. Just as the nurse manager holds huddles to discuss performance, they should address racial issues. To have open discussions on units where African American nurses work is to equip them with a safe space to have their concerns heard. Throughout my career, I have dealt with white women and white nurses being unable to handle discussions that describe racial tension, discrimination, and attitudes.
Um you didn't bring race into it --- racism is ALWAYS at work regardless of industry. You just have the courage to call the thing what it is! Period! Refusal to acknowledge it in operation only perpetuates the problem. And as a clinical psychologist I am constantly reminded of how emotionally depleting it is to ignore its effects...
So you talking about YOUR reality and YOUR personal experience makes some uncomfortable so you are supposed to stop talking about it - um no
Hey, Kendra, I totally understand your concerns. I believe that as a future CRNA of European descent working in hospital housekeeping,, I would like to address and hopefully make an impact on the hiring bias in nursing. Not only do I think it's incredibly outlandish and stupid to qualify or dismiss a nurse from a unit based on something as shallow as skin colour, but I also view race differently than most people. I don't see black and white humans. I see all people in a spectrum of Browns, from creamy beige to dark chocolate. Some are light, others are dark, but we're all the same colour, similar to how a bright sunny sky and dark navy shoes are both blue. I don't have to refer to someone as "the black girl" because she obviously has a name. If I don't know your name, I just say "folks". By calling people Black right away, I'm stating that the only characteristic that stands out to me is their Melanin content. That just screams "I don't care to learn more about that person's skills or personality traits, I just know they're darker than me." If I ever have to refer to a skin colour for any reason, I just refer to a shade of Brown. That being said, ALL competent nurses' input should be valued and respected, regardless of biological race, cultural identity, national origin, or other uncontrollable characteristics. Acknowledging that bias does exist, I will continue to respect my peers regardless, not paying attention to race.
It is disingenuous to pretend that race doesn’t factor into how people are treated not just the health care sector but every aspect of life in the USA .
I find it amusing that some people become extremely upset when bias or racism is claimed .
I have been a physician for over 25 . I remember being an intern in a large hospital working on the ward service . An African American woman around 65 yo came in suffering from the flu . A pulmonologist got her to agree to be DNR/DNI. This woman was caring for herself and older members of her church before she contracted the flu. I got her to reverses the DNR/DNI order . The pulmonologist was enrage with me he said,” you F’ed it up.” The patient’s condition worsened and she was subsequently intubated. She improved and was eventually extubated. The pulmonologist didn’t speak to me after his outburst. I didn’t care because I had successfully advocated for my patient . It has to be about the patient.
Why can't we discuss race at work? They ask us for our names and race when we apply? Or are we just suppose to be numbers in order to get the same treatment?
I wanted to become a nurse when I was younger, but my aunt discouraged me by her experiences as a nurse. My aunt has been a registered nurse for over 30+ years and she was bullied by Filipino women more than white women. She told me the Filipino woman would mess with her patient charts and switch them. She told me that a Filipino nurse even told her she’s pretty for a black woman. When my aunt purchased a home, the Filipino nurses asked her how did she manage to afford it. My aunt also told me that some of her white patients did not believe her when she told them that she was a nurse and requested a white nurse. However, she did tell me some of her white patients apologized to her about their racist beliefs when they realized how educated, compassionate and nurturing she was as a nurse. A lot of this was shocking to me.
That’s what happens in ALL sectors if you are black. You won’t get big cases if you work as a lawyer… you won’t break glass ceilings if you work on Wall Street.
Let me tell you something I wouldn’t have even examine this response on these peoples you struck a nerve and they wanted to make you feel some type of way, don’t call for it love! Keep doing what you been doing! I love this content❤️ my fellow Black 👸
Thank you so much. I appreciate you❤️
What people fail to understand is everyone no matter your race will face people who don’t like you or are mean to you. Additionally, black peoples apart from facing the general “not everyone will like you phenomena’ have to face racism. That is what others don’t understand. A black person at a job can be rude to another black person is not necessary based on race but human nature of disliking others. That is what these white nurses experience, general dislike. But we black peoples have to experience a double jeopardy of people merely disliking us and also targeting us because of our colour. I hope this makes sense…
We can talk till we blue in the face but if people’s hearts don’t change this will always be a problem. It’s a heart issue. People are filled with hatred for poc and the way they think about us what they believe about us starts with the heart! Laws will never change this.
You mean Americans. Why call yourself a POC? You are American. Also, turn on the TV news station in New York for an hour or so. If you’re going to separate whites from all other races, Asian people are being attacked in huge numbers in NY. Those attackers don’t look white, point is anyone can be racist. You’re comment assuming because someone is white, they are automatically racist, is racist AF.
I honestly believe we just need our own hospital. I wouldn't want someone with a racist mindset taking care of my health in a life or death situation. I'm just saying. Cause I have seen the black patients neglected. Tbh.
I like the fact you jumb right into your video. The racial issues is more in the UK. Crazy out there most especially when white is head nurse.
Hey sister!!! Thank you ❤️
The people that don't like this are the bullies and you are so on point I have had hell in my 35 years of nursing it's not about the patient it's clicks and racist groups
Kendra, yes you are correct! I applied for a ICU position many years ago at a hospital in Southern Maryland. The lady in HR said "oh you want ICU, why don't you apply to telemetry." I said no thank you, I want ICU and if you don't have a position, have a great day. When I first walked through the door, she told me there were a lot of positions available. Hmmmm, what would you think? Of course a Caucasian nurse would make a comment like that because they don't experience it like we do.
Race has a lot to do with it!!! In some ICUs , and PACUs only white nurses have those positions.
And that's on period! They hear these conversations but they don't care as long as they're treated well. They attack you because you say the truth and they don't want to hear it.