The population of the U.S. has more than tripled in the twentieth century. More than half of the population increase is that of culturally diverse groups. Racism is still a very real reality for minority nurses. This is partially due to the over 90% white female nursing population.
Prejudice in nursing still exists and is a problem for nurses who are not white females. Racism is experienced by multicultural workers regularly from patients and co workers even though diversity is continually increasing in America. Mandatory cultural education for nurses would not only promote acceptance of diverse groups, it would promote ethical decision making when it comes to racial issues in the work place. Educating nurses on multiculturalism would help provide a comfortable work environment for ethnically diverse nurses. The nursing profession would, as a result, see a rise in the critically low number of nurses in the United States.
Culturally and racially diverse nurses are verbally attacked on a regular basis by prejudice patients. “He was prone to fits of yelling and anger, but in the past I had always been able to calm him down. Entering the room this particular night, I could tell that he was not in the best of moods, but I was not expecting the encounter that ensued. All of my attempts to calm him failed. In fact, they seemed to just heighten his anger. And at the apex of his anger, he yelled, “N- – – – -, get out of my room!” When the evening supervisor arrived on the ward, I was still in the break room fuming from the incident. She came in and asked me to explain what had happened; I gave her my interpretation of the incident. Her reply did nothing to soothe my anger. She basically said, “Get over it.” (Coleman,2005). Coworkers who fit the majority (white females) tend to lack understanding of the emotional pain culturally diverse nurses face at work for being “different.”
Cultural competence is something that many Americans are still lacking. The result of the increasingly diverse population of the U.S. is an increasingly diverse patient population. “In our world with its many and mobile populations, the cultural mix can be expected to intensify. This is especially challenging to nurses because they will be expected to deliver care that encompasses these differences. Over the last several decades, nursing literature has examined culture as a concept and determinant of health behaviors and beliefs. Several nursing theories have emerged to address culturally derived meanings and perspectives of health and illness behavior. In these theories, culture is presented as a distinctly important aspect of nursing care. However, there are few guidelines as to their pragmatic implementation in practice and education.” (Dennis, Small, 2003). The nursing profession must develop a plan to better accommodate the increasing diversity of the health care industry.
Nurses need to remember their code for ethical decision making and practice it. Nurses are expected to make decisions based on a professional set of values and not on their personal set of values. An individual’s set of values reflects their own background and will influence their own ideas of what is ethical. Canada has a code of ethics for nurses to refer to when faced with a situation where they need to make a decision based on professional ethics. Canadian nurses are encouraged to evaluate their own personal values in order to create an awareness of the differences between these values and the established code of ethics (Ethical Decision Making in Nursing Practice is Based on the Values in the Nursing Code of Ethics in Canada, 2009). This system of self evaluation could be a powerful tool if adopted by nurses of the United States.
Acceptance and encouragement of multiculturalism in the nursing profession would benefit nurses and patients of all backgrounds. ” Transcultural nursing is an essential aspect of healthcare today. The ever-increasing multicultural population in the United States poses a significant challenge to nurses providing individualized and holistic care to their patients. This requires nurses to recognize and appreciate cultural differences in healthcare values, beliefs, and customs. Nurses must acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in cultural competency. Culturally competent nursing care helps ensure patient satisfaction and positive outcomes.” (Maier-Lorentz,2008). Cultural education should be a requirement of all nursing students.
Some changes are being seen in the nursing profession due to increased education of cultural diversity to nursing students and staff. ” Fortunately, attitudes are changing. Nursing leaders in hospitals and in schools of nursing are creating workplace and educational programs to help nurses overcome discriminatory feelings they may consciously or unconsciously hold toward colleagues or patients. They are fostering open environments in which students can discuss racism and how it might affect their own nursing practice when they enter the healthcare workplace.” (Steefel,2008). These changes are only scratching the tip of the iceberg that is the prejudice problem in the field of nursing.
Minority nurses face racism on a regular basis even though the population of the U.S. is becoming more diverse daily. Ethical decisions should always be made by nurses regardless of personal beliefs. These ethics are professional, not personal. The nursing profession needs to adjust to the increasingly diverse population of the U.S. Cultural education should be required for nursing students. Improvements in cultural acceptance among nurses and their patients are becoming apparent.
Cultural education needs to be mandatory for nurses. Acceptance and cultural diversity defines America’s core values. Racism is an old fashion ideal and America is evolving past it. The nursing profession isn’t evolving as fast as the rest of America’s industries when it comes to dealing with issues of diversity. This is a huge problem because the patient population is becoming increasingly diverse. Increasing diversity in nursing is essential to the evolution of the American health industry.
References
Coleman, Eric L. (2005). Wounded By Words. Retrieved On May 1,2010, from http://www.Diversityalliedhealth.com/racism/wounded-words.
Dennis, Betty Pierce. Small, Ernestine B. (2003). Incorporating cultural diversity in nursing care: an action plan. Retrieved on April 30, 2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0MJT/is_1_14/ai_98250419/?tag=content;col1.
Ethical Decision Making in Nursing Practice is Based on the Values in the Nursing Code of Ethics in Canada. (2009). Retrieved on May 2, 2010, from http://www.Registered-nurse-canada.com/ethical_decision_making.html.
Maier-Lorentz, Madeline M. (2008). Transcultural Nursing: It’s Importance in Nursing Practice. Retrieved on May 2, 2010, from http://www.britannica.com/bps/ additionalcontent/18/31598871/TRANSCULTURAL-NURSING-ITS-IMPORTANCE-IN-NURSING-PRACTICE.
Steefel, Lorraine. (2008). Unmasking Racism in Nursing. Retrieved on May 2, 2010, from http://news.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080616/NATIONAL01/106160064/-1/frontpage.
