Community Health Project – Elder Substance Abuse
Throughout this fall semester, my Community Health clinical placement at the Laboure Center in South Boston has given me a new perspective on nursing care. It was the first time where I was able to see patients receive care beyond a hospital setting. Instead of having patients follow a diligent schedule of medication regimens, tests and surgeries; everything had to be done according to the patients’ schedules when they were at home. With this experience, I was able to see the challenges patients and nurses face while trying to meet the long-term goals of patient care and how nurses must accommodate their care given patients’ willingness to follow the plan set out for them as well as their financial constraints.
Being in the home setting, I realized that there were many issues patients faced and while I saw such things as hoarding, home safety and poor diabetes management what I found interesting was the problem of substance abuse in the elderly population. This hidden epidemic is a growing problem due to the challenges the individual, the family and the healthcare provider have in identifying the problem. The substance abuser may be in denial, have the belief that substances provide anticipatory relief or be too ashamed or guilty to address the issue with friends, families and/or healthcare providers. On one of my home visits, I distinctly remember one patient we saw who would refuse to give up smoking even though she had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was on oxygen simply. Even when the nurse explained how the smoking was making her COPD worse and the danger of an explosive fire caused by smoking with the oxygen, she would still refuse to quit and stated that “it was one of the few pleasures she had left in life” and that she wasn’t going to stop for anyone.
Family and friends may feel uncomfortable discussing the topic, believing it shows disrespect to ones’ elders so they rationalize the problem (how much harm can a few drinks do?) and allow the person to continue the substance abuse. The healthcare provider may fail to recognize that certain medical conditions are a result of substance abuse or may be embarrassed to even screen for substance abuse in the elderly since it is considered a young person’s vice. Due to the numerous complications that may arise from continued substance abuse (heart attacks, stroke, mental status changes, lung cancer, etc.), it is essential that it is detected early on so that the patient are able to receive the treatment they need. That is why I chose to develop a screening tool for my community health project that was specific to the substance being used (alcohol, nicotine and prescription pills) and to the geriatric population.
After extensive research on various screening tools and community resources available to patients with substance abuse problems, I then developed three brochures for each substance abuse and met with my mentor to see how these brochures can be utilized in the community. With her help, we worked together to try and make it part of the admission assessment through the Laboure Center’s Visiting Nurses Services and at the Boston University Geriatrics. With the utilization of these tools we hope to prevent the serious health complications patients with substance abuse can develop.
To view Nguyet’s presentation on her Community Health Project, please access the following link: KILN Community Health Presentation – Nguyet Chau
My Experience Serving as a Host to Students from Jemez, NM
From November 13th until November 18th, I hosted a Native American student from the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico as part of the Jemez-to-BC program. The purpose of this program is to bring 12 high school students from Jemez to Boston College (BC) to show them what a college experience is like. The students attended classes with us and heard presentations about the first year of college, the admission process, and financial aid. Activities in Boston included a Freedom Trail walk, a Quincy Market visit, and a Fenway Park tour. The students also performed some of their native dances for the BC community.
This experience allowed me to understand what it feels like to be a minority. During this program, I had at least one Native American with me at all times. Heads turned when they saw us and several people came up to us and started speaking Spanish, assuming it was the visiting students’ native language. Truth is, not many of them spoke any Spanish at all. They only had taken Spanish for one year, as it is a requirement in school. In Jemez, the native language is Towa, which is unique to the people living on the reservation.
Out of the twelve students from Jemez, three, including the one I hosted, want to become nurses. I was able to give them a lot of information about the career and the education required. The experience made me think of our KILN meeting last month, where we talked about the assumptions people make on the basis of one’s physical traits. For example, nurses from racial and ethnic minorities are sometimes assigned to patients with the same race or ethnicity. I kept wondering if the student I hosted would be assigned to Spanish-speaking patients when she becomes a nurse. She does not speak Spanish, but people assume she does because of her physical appearance. I definitely learned a lot more about what it feels like to be a minority and that one cannot rely solely on first impressions. Overall, it gave new insight to my career as a nurse.
This event allowed me to exercise some leadership skills such as listening to others and being open-minded and receptive to their comments. The visiting students looked up to me as a friend, as a college student, and as a future nurse. This event also taught me that people from different backgrounds have different opportunities. Many of the students we hosted are going to be the first college students in their families. They are unfamiliar with the college application process and do not know if they can afford a college education. In general, this was an amazing experience. I am so excited that most of the students plan to apply to Boston College and how many are excited to be nurses.
Global Nursing Caucus Seminar 2011
by Denice Calub and Sandra Dickson
On November 12, 2011, we, Sandra Dickson and Denice Calub, attended the first annual Global Nursing Caucus Seminar (GNC) at Boston University Medical Center. The Global Nursing Seminar was established in February 2011. The goal of this conference is to recognize and provide cultural based education about care and create awareness about the need to restructure global nursing. The GNC mission takes an interdisciplinary and advocacy approach for best practice and collaborative mentoring. It also aims to create a safe space for nurses to converse and engage in issues that arise globally.
The keynote speaker was Manzi Anatole, director of the Mentoring and Enhanced Supervision (MESH) at health centers in Rwanda. He also works with Partners in Health. The goal of Anatole’s speech and the MESH program is to address the issues regarding the challenges to the quality of health care in Rwanda. Anatole emphasized the importance of mentorship of nurses in clinical centers in local towns, so the nurses could take more active roles in their communities. As an example, nurse trainers, who are also called MESH mentors, share their experiences and knowledge with local nurses in the health centers at the villages through one-on-one meetings. This way health care problems in the Rwandan areas can be identified, analyzed, and addressed. Moreover, the progress of the nurses is tracked on a weekly basis and they are assessed based on their utilization of evidence-based nursing.
The MESH program is a system that is still developing, yet we believe that it is powerful and beneficial to the quality of the country’s health care system. The transformation of the health care system, specifically through furthering the training of nurses, is a key component to a developing nation’s overall development. Anatole’s achievements and the changes that he implements in Rwanda’s health care system demonstrate to us the opportunities that an education and profession in nursing can bring. Listening and having the chance to view his plans for the programs broadened our understanding and knowledge as to what it means to work outside of the hospital as a nurse.
Other speakers present in the conference were Sheila Davis DNP, AND-BC, FAAN; Monica Onyango PhD, MPH, RNM; Lisa Sheldon PhD, APRN-BC; Elizabeth Glaser MSc, ACRN, RN-BC; and Rosanna F. DeMarco PhD, PHNS-BC, ACRN, FAAN. Although the contributions in global health of these individuals are all notable, the two speakers that stood out to us were Monica Onyango and Lisa Kennedy Sheldon.
Monica Onyango is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health and Department of International Health, and received her Master of Science degree in Nursing and a PhD in Nursing from Boston College. She is the cofounder and coordinator of the GNC. Her commitment to global health concerning reproductive and maternal health, and her research in HIV/AIDS led her to provide health services to communities in South Sudan, Angola, and Kenya. In her presentation, Dr. Onyango emphasized the inclusivity of global nursing by reminding her audience of the forgotten country when the word “global” is mentioned. That is, she reminded us that apart from participating in projects geared towards an improved health care system in the developing and Third World countries, looking out the window from our own homes or offices here in the United States also reveal an environment that call for a renewed health care system as well. She urged nurses and future nurses in the global health field to address this pressing issue existing in our suffering community. At times, we are more than likely to forget this critical fact, and Dr. Onyango’s reminder placed matters in perspective: being a global nurse is not merely serving those in need abroad, but rather serving wherever opportunity arises.
Lisa Kennedy Sheldon is an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where she teaches undergraduate and doctoral nursing programs. She is currently involved with International Advisory Panel and the Research and Scientific Advisory Panel for the Oncology Nursing Society.
Dr. Sheldon volunteered in Honduras with the Honduran Mission Team Health Volunteers Overseas and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. During this time, her concern for global health began when she saw the extent of health care shortcomings there. While developing countries lack the medical supplies, technologies, and skills that are easily available to the United States, medical professionals trained in the United States, sometimes, lack the skills to use resources that are not as modern as those in the West. Dr. Sheldon stimulated our minds to think of possible preventions and solutions to these problems. She impressed upon us that although it is always feasible to fundraise for medical supplies, it is best if Western medical professionals, especially nurses, are educated and trained to be able to adapt to the various conditions presented in the greater world today, such as having older equipments that are still used in other geographic areas.
Overall, the Global Nursing Caucus conference deepened our understanding of global health and how it pertains to nursing. We learned of the issues that both developing and developed countries continue to deal with, such as gender inequality, lack of access to health care, famine, education, and poverty. The conference prompted a reality check to us: it reminded us that our country is sometimes neglected in the definition of global health nursing. More importantly, the conference taught us of the importance of the redefinition of global health. It does not merely mean committing volunteer hours to another country or going on a service trip—rather, it means fully devoting and engaging ourselves to the cause, starting from our years in nursing school. As students in the Connell School of Nursing who are studying to be professionals at the forefront of the world of health care, we need to be aware of the issues that affect the entirety of the human population, and be willing to advocate and act for those concerns, whether it may be in the United States or abroad.
The Boston College Nursing Career Fair
On December 9th, 2011, many Boston College nursing students attended the annual “Nursing Career Fair” held in the Murray Room of the Yawkey Athletic Center. Representatives from various hospitals and graduate universities traveled to Boston College in order to provide information of prospective jobs and graduate programs to graduating BC students. A few of the bigger organizations in attendance included: Georgetown University Hospital, The Mayo Clinic, Yale New Haven Healthcare System, John Hopkins University, and The Boston College School of Nursing Graduate Program.
Many of the hospitals had pamphlets and informational folders providing details regarding their nurse graduate programs. While some facilities offer orientations that last only about 6 weeks, other hospitals offer nurse residency programs that last up to 12 months to truly help the new grad nurse transition into the role as an independent registered nurse. For instance, a hospital that has earned Magnet Status from the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC) is more likely to offer a lengthy orientation program that incorporates classroom education as well as supervised clinical practice for at least six months following hire. Yale New Haven Hospital and Georgetown University Hospital are magnet hospitals and both offer the one-year BSN National Nurse Residency Program which was developed by the AACN and the Chief Nursing Officers of the University Health System Consortium. These yearlong residencies are increasing in number due to their positive feedback and success in easing the transition period for new nurses. Another benefit of these residency programs is that they allow new nurses to network with other grads who are also just starting their nursing careers. New RNs develop friendships in the workplace and feel a sense of support as they move together through didactic classroom education, frequent debriefing sessions, and new grad support groups.
Regardless of whether or not one chooses to work at a “magnet hospital”, the orientation and preceptorships that an employer offers are a significant factor to consider when choosing a future job. The ability to connect with other nurse graduates, as well as the option to choose or change a preceptor (if necessary) are vital to ensuring a positive orientation period. Of course, work scheduling, benefits such as health and dental insurance, tuition assistance, and paid continuing education hours, and a competitive salary are also significant determinants in one’s decision to reject or accept a job offer.
Students looking for guidance and assistance with resumes and the job search process can turn to BC’s Career Center where resume critiques, interview tips, and internship opportunities are available to them. On the other hand, those students wishing to pursue graduate studies following their BSN networked with representatives from graduate programs like Boston College, Georgetown University, and John Hopkins at December’s career fair. These universities offer programs ranging from master’s degrees to PhDs to DNPs, giving Boston College’s graduating student nurses plenty of options in how to further their higher education in the nursing field. Overall, the career fair was a good preview of the many opportunities and options that students have as they complete their nursing education at BC.
Nurses Lobby For Financial Transaction Tax
On November 3, 2011, four KILN scholars senior Anya Diane, junior Sandra Dickson, and sophomores Andrea Lopez and Chenille Morrison along with fellow nursing student Sarah Webber and members from the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) lobbied in Washington, DC for a Financial Transaction Tax. As part of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, nurses wanted to call on Congress and the White House to tax the big banks and other Wall Street speculators who gambled with middle class mortgages and pensions, and use the revenue for national recovery and for the rebuilding of communities.
Left to right: KILN Scholars Anya Diané, Andrea Lopez, Chenille Morrison, Sandra Dickson (Photo by Sarah Webber, '14)
The MNA wanted to be a part of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement because nurses believe that they are the only voices that stand between the most vulnerable members of society and the government. At the height of the economic recession, middle class Americans continue to pay high fees on ATM withdrawals, and high taxes on food and gas. Meanwhile, corporations pay no taxes on transactions involving stocks, bonds, foreign currency bets and derivatives. The recession has also been accompanied with great job loss for the middle class, which has resulted in many losing their health benefits. Nurses want Congress to take immediate action to help American middle class families who are affected by job loss, un-payable medical bills, poor nutrition, and other problems linked to the ongoing economic crisis. Nurses are deeply worried about patients who cannot afford needed medical care or prescription medications because of high co-pays and deductibles and other deterioration in health and living standards. Despite many families being in jeopardy, Wall Street wants to propose more cuts in programs that help people, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Nurses are demanding commissions that will focus on priorities such as making more jobs available at a decent wage and providing healthcare for all, quality education, and freedom from hunger and homelessness.
The Financial Transaction Tax would be a small tax of Wall Street trading of 0.5% on transactions like stocks, bonds, foreign currency bets and derivatives. This tiny tax would generate $350 billion a year in revenue for the United States that would help to jump start our failing economy and would be a stepping stone in providing low-cost health care for all. With the tax, there would be a decrease in financial speculation and automated trading which would open up jobs for many American families. In recent years, transaction taxes have been implemented very effectively in more than forty countries around the world, and with the United States being the world’s economic giant, such influx of revenue would only serve to keep our country and economy competitive in the world market.
Witnessing the passion that nurses have for their patients makes me look forward to my career as a nurse. The “Occupy Wall Street” movement reinforced that fact that health should be a right and not just a privilege for the rich. I am grateful to the MNA for affording me the opportunity to be in the company of health care professionals. It made me realize that nursing is a rewarding career because it is through advocating for my future patients that I will ensure rights are granted to the most vulnerable members of society.
December Monthly Seminar
On December 12, 2011 KILN scholars gathered for their monthly seminar, in which two KILN seniors gave a presentation on their community health mentoring experiences and projects. In addition, Dean Read talked about the Biomedical Science Careers Student Conference, which will be held in March, and about professional opportunities freshmen and sophomores can seek. The KILN staff also announced that one of the students presenting, Sabianca Delva, will be graduating in December and expressed how she has been a wonderful member of this community. They also wished her the best of luck with taking the NCLEX (the nursing licensing exam) and joining the hospital workforce.
Nguyet Chau did her community health clinical at Laboure Center, an organization that provides social, health, and educational services to the South Boston community, where she became interested in working with the elderly population. One topic that caught her attention was elder substance abuse as it is not a health problem discussed by many. Within this community, there are three different kinds of substance abuse, alcohol, nicotine, and prescription drugs, all of which can lead to serious complications. Many of these elders tend to deny their addiction because they are ashamed and do not want to admit that their addiction has taken control over their lives. At the same time, their family members may unintentionally help to prolong the addiction by ignoring it. Moreover, some healthcare providers struggle with finding the best way to discuss with patients the possibility of having an addiction as some of them may feel embarrassed and confront healthcare providers. The lack of awareness within both, the community and healthcare providers, motivated Nguyet to research screening tools that can identify substance abuse in the elderly population. After completing the research, she developed three brochures for health care providers to use as part of their assessments.
Sabianca Delva also presented at the KILN meeting on her community health mentoring experience in Casa Myrna, an agency that provides shelter and services for survivors of domestic or dating violence. One of Sabianca’s projects consisted on educating a group of women on how to be healthy. She realized there was a record of poor nutrition amongst these people and wanted to help them become healthy. While doing some research for this project, she discovered that one in four girls and one in six boys are abused in the United States. She also found out that two out of three people in the LGBTQ community are abused in the United States. After learning more about the lifestyles of the population she was working with, Sabianca thought about ways she could effectively impact this community and created a healthy recipe book for them. All of the recipes were for dishes they loved to eat but used healthier ingredients.
These presentations made me see how nurses can have a real leadership role in their community. Leadership can be used to create awareness about an issue the majority of people do not know about and hopefully promote a healthier lifestyle among different populations. Both presentations also touched upon different and unique populations, which made me think about the diversity of patients and the importance of understanding them holistically to provide the best care possible.
To view the presentations by Nguyet Chau and Sabianca Delva please click on the following link. KILN Community Presentation (Chau and Delva)
Karen Morin’s Lecture on Global Leadership in Nursing
The Karen Morin Pinnacle Lecture Series took place on November 15, 2011 in the Yawkey Center Murray Function Room. Those in attendance included undergraduate nursing students, graduate nursing students, Sigma Theta Tau members of all ages, nursing professors, nursing professionals, and faculty of the William F. Connell School of Nursing. Karen Morin is the former president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau. She is also the Director of the PhD program for nursing at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and her areas of interest include the effects of obesity on pregnancy, gender issues in health care, and issues concerning faculty development. Karen Morin came to Boston College to speak about the necessary qualities global leaders must have.
This lecture was very valuable to me because I am very interested in global health care and see it as a field that I may enter after I graduate. She discussed eight leadership qualities necessary. The one that I found most meaningful to my development as a nursing professional was to be sensitive to other cultures in a particular manner. As Americans, we often see our language and culture as superior to those that are foreign. For example, we attend lectures that are in the language of a particular country, and become sour because we believe that the lecture should be in English. In addition, we tend to perform lectures in English when demonstrated in America, even if the majority of the audience is of another language. Understanding a lecture in which medical terms are thrown around is hard enough, but when it is in a completely different language it is nearly impossible. In an effort to fix this problem, Morin instructed her listeners to think globally. She means learning different languages and different cultures, and observing global trends frequently. Leaders must have an open mind towards other cultures, and must be accepting and knowledgeable of other languages.
The second topic I found most meaningful to my development as a nursing professional was to be assertive. It is very common that individuals sit back and wait for opportunities to come to them, or are fearful to demonstrate what they are capable of. Exceptional leaders take risks, and this is what makes them good examples to others. By taking risks and seeking new opportunities, one will discover what matters most to him/her. Morin stated that it is important for leaders to be committed to what fits for them. This was very meaningful to me because it emphasizes the importance of what an individual truly values, and I liked how Morin stressed the importance of being aware of one’s values because they are what drive one’s passion and commitment as a leader.
This event provided a new understanding of leadership for me. The same leadership qualities are often repeated time and time again, but Karen Morin provided her own take on leadership qualities that she has acquired from her experience. Morin emphasized bringing an individual’s best qualities out, and bringing the best qualities of one’s peers out. She stated that by believing in oneself and one’s capacity to lead, one can open oneself up to hearing the call to make a difference in the world. This statement provided me with a new understanding of the necessary mindset to be an outstanding leader. I believe that if nursing professionals follow the qualities that Karen Morin lectured about it will not only foster influential global leaders, but help expand diversity in the nursing field.
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program Lecture
On November 29, 2011, I attended a lecture on healthcare for the Boston homeless community in Higgins Hall at Boston College. The lecture began with a short video demonstrating the importance of providing care for the homeless as it is a population with many health needs but lacks the adequate resources to seek health care. Moreover, not many students go into college determined to work at a homeless clinic, which is a reason why Cheryl Kane, the director of development and street nurse for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and the presenter of this lecture, came to speak at Boston College. Kane discussed all the opportunities that working for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program provides for health care professionals as well as her own personal experience of working in such organization.
There are 80 sites in Boston that provide healthcare services to the homeless population and hire different types of health care providers. However, one role that caught my interest was that of the Community Health workers (CHW). These health care professionals would go to shelters making sure the patients were taking their medication regimens. Life in the shelter begins at 3pm and ends at 6am. Those who are homeless have nowhere to go during the day so they are out all the time walking. Cheryl Kane explained that this is why many if not all their patients present trench/emergent foot as their chief complaint. This is a disorder only seen with homeless patients and that is why she stated that there is a need and a “responsibility to improve care for the homeless population”. They are not like every other patient that comes into the hospital; they live in a different environment and do not receive adequate patient care. She also said that we, as a community, need to advocate for housing and health care needs of this population.
The presentation provided me with a new understanding about health care legislation and the importance of advocating for patients in legislation and public health care. I think it is important for nursing students to learn about health care legislation as everyone should have the right to receive appropriate health care. I remember one story from the lecture was about a young man who had developed eye cancer, but because he was homeless and mainly worried about meeting his basic needs (shelter, food, water, clothing), his eye was the last of his concerns. Although the story ended with his death, I think it is essential to learn about these experiences because not everyone is fortunate to have their basic needs met. It is important to provide the best care for all patients, because the world is diverse and patients come different environments.
Clocks: Time Efficiency
I recently attended a leadership development seminar created by the Student Programs Office, part of a series called BC Leaders for Others, aimed toward developing better student leaders on campus. This specific session was aimed at prioritizing and scheduling time, running efficient meetings, and creating timelines for events.
It can be difficult to manage meetings, academics, sleep, and a social life simultaneously; therefore, the first portion of the session was geared toward scheduling and prioritizing. They gave the group a list of activities, social and academic, that we had to put on a calendar followed by additional unexpected tasks that had to be incorporated into our busy schedule. This was helpful because it taught us how to prioritize what we had to do over what we wanted to do at times, combine certain activities, and put it all together on one schedule.
Next we covered how to run an efficient meeting through simple steps. An effective meeting is defined as one that: a) achieves its objectiv; b) takes up a minimum amount of time; and c) leaves participants feeling that a process has been followed. To achieve the objective, a meeting must have at least one goal. To minimize time, and agenda must be prepared and distributed before the meeting so that participants can be prepared ahead of time. Also, in the case of there being a limited amount of time for a meeting, addressing the points that are of higher priority at the beginning is a better strategy than leaving them toward the end. To satisfy the participants, the mediator of the meeting should try to ensure that no one person is dominating the conversation; summarize people’s contributions through active listening; and make certain that participants stay on topic.
The final point we covered was creating timelines for events. Student programs throw different events and each event requires planning different aspects such as budget, supplies, and publicity. They also gave us a time line and planning guide to help us in preparation for our events, which included deadlines and contact information for people in charge of different aspects of events.
As a leader, this was helpful because it forced me to think about what was important to me and therefore prioritize better. It taught me to be more efficient with my time so that I can enjoy academic and social life, while also getting enough sleep. A professor at Cornell gave us four rules on sleep: 1) Determine your own sleep need and meet it; 2) Establish a regular sleep-wake schedule; 3) Get continuous sleep; 4) Make up for lost sleep. According to this professor, we need 9.25 hours while on average we get 6.1 hours.
As nurses, we need our sleep to be able to work at our highest potential. Also, we have many patients for whom we must give direct care. Organizing schedules that helps us prioritize our patient care obligations is an essential responsibility of a nurse. Making a daily timeline for each patient would be effective, and it would also be important to coordinate timelines with the other nurses on the shift.
KILN November Seminar
On November 11, 2011, the undergraduate scholars from Boston College’s Connell School of Nursing’s Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing gathered for our monthly meetings. There was something different and profound in the air. Our familiar faces came together to discuss the delicate topic of discrimination and racism in a clinical setting. Instead of conversing about how to balance school and responsibilities as college students, we talked about one of life’s major controversies and struggles. Deborah Washington, the Director for Diversity
From left to right: Siobhan Tellez, KILN scholar and Deborah Washington, director of Diversity Patient Care Services at MGH
Patient Care Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, guided our group of diverse students to not just lightly touch upon racial and ethnic issues but to directly weigh in the reality of race and ethnicity in our everyday lives. As we started our discussion, we emphasized the idea that ethnicity and race are society’s way of categorizing people into groups according to common features ranging from cultural traditions to physical traits. Furthermore, society might sometimes use race as a label and tracker to keep preset racial groups in the context of their outward characteristics (e.g. skin color and eye color).
We participated in a collective discussion on how to address discrimination in the work setting, which allowed us to obtain life application for this topic. Deborah Washington requested us to think of scenarios that exemplified discrimination. Then, she wanted us to direct these issues into questions and then to broadcast these questions to each other. Our group shared the first question and asked, “What should we do if we are constantly staffed based on the similarity between the patient and our own race or ethnicity, as opposed to caring for patients who may not look like us or be culturally similar to us?” Washington gave us different ways of handling this problem. She told us her way of transforming a sensitive topic into a communicative discussion is by replying with a question. First, Washington wanted us to identify what specific elements of this situation (e.g. the particular pattern of pairing a minority nurse with his/her minority group) made us uneasy. Instead of nonchalantly brushing the problem off our shoulders, Washington suggested ways to counter the problem by simply asking why are things arranged this way. Thus, our why questions could direct people to question the issues of discrimination in the medical setting. For example, Washington proposed a possible question such as, “Why am I assigned only these patients or is there a specific reason why I am placed with these patients?”. With a good attitude, this unintimidating inquiry would lead into discussion rather than a messy societal debate.
Deborah Washington, director of Diversity Patient Care Services at MGH, discusses ways to address racial and ethnic stereotypes with KILN students
By the end of the meeting, the KILN scholars all agreed, to some extent, that there are stereotype hurdles we need to pass as minorities. In particular, minorities face a need to continuously prove ourselves in a Caucasian-dominant country and to work extra hard to receive the same status or respect as our Caucasian counterparts. When I realized that minority students (such as me being a Chinese American) have to learn how to effectively deal with societal labels, I felt uneasy about entering a workplace with a low racial and ethnic diversity. However, after discussing with a few upper-classmen and Deb Washington about their experiences of racial prejudice, it has allowed me to learn how to direct the uneasiness into an effective catalyst for change. As a freshman in college, I know the next four years would allow me to become more aware of the racial and ethnic representation in the nursing workforce, as well as teach me how to contribute towards achieving equal opportunity in the workplace.
