Discrimination against a nurse is one of the most acute problems in the relationship between employees and administration or patients. The phenomenon manifests itself in many aspects, and first of all it concerns sex and ethnic origin. Nurses are still mostly associated with women, and in some cases this makes employees uncomfortable. In addition, the racial issue remains open, as patients may be biased. Accordingly, the manifestation of unequal treatment can have a detrimental effect on the work and mental state of nurses.
First of all, this is the problem of the ethnicity of the workers. Despite the growing tolerance in today’s society, racial segregation remains a strong element of it. Some hospital and other health care policies put workers of color at a disadvantage in their jobs. This is confirmed by the fact that it is rare for nurses of different ethnic origins to occupy leadership positions in the organization (Brathwaite, 2018). In addition, when hiring and considering candidates for a position, in most cases, the administration may give preference to representatives of the white race. This leads to the fact that medical workers of different nationalities experience unequal treatment and problems in finding work in their profession.
Secondly, judgment based on ethnicity can lead to misunderstandings about nurses’ work experience or the sufficiency of their knowledge. The white race is often perceived as the most educated and with the greatest thirst for learning (Brathwaite, 2018). While other ethnic groups are viewed somewhat differently, through the prism of poverty or dishonest attitude to educational activities. Prejudice is based on the possible origin of various nationalities from dysfunctional families or immigrants. Under the immigrants usually consider visitors from third world countries where it is difficult to get a quality education. In addition, bias does not only come from the health system and administration, but includes patients. They may ask for a replacement medical worker as part of a discriminatory attitude. Thus, nurses’ qualifications may be perceived as insufficiently significant, even if they do not differ from others.
The other side of the problem of discrimination against nurses is judgment based off of sex. People still perceive nursing as a predominantly female job aimed at caring for patients. The origins of the profession date back to wartime, when women took care of wounded men at the front. However, later this turned more vulgarized and the profession became sexualized. At the same time, women experience negative attitudes from men (Castner, 2019) The latter are often attributed to more rational behavior and organization. Thus, they are more likely than other nurses to be promoted to leadership positions. Women are meant to be assistants to doctors who facilitate the course of the disease of patients. This puts them in the weak position of a worker following a man. In particular, in such situations, the stereotype that women show more care and participation plays a role. While men are more rational and strict, and focused on solving problems regarding the treatment of the disease.
In conclusion, it should be said that nurses continue to experience discriminatory attitudes in the healthcare sector. It manifests itself both on the part of the administration and patients. In terms of ethics, nurses experience racial injustice and bias towards their education. Sex discrimination suggests that healthcare workers may be perceived as a sexual object. In addition, it puts women in a weak position as an employee caring for the patient and helping the doctor.
References
Brathwaite, B. (2018). Black, Asian and minority ethnic female nurses: colonialism, power and racism. British Journal of Nursing, 27(5), 254-258. Web.
Castner, J. (2019). Healthy environments for women in academic nursing: addressing sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 24(1), 1-8.