by | Apr 4, 2013 | Asian-American and Pacific-Island Nurses, Black and African-American Nurses, Hispanic and Latino Nurses, LGBT Nurses, Magazine, Men in Nursing
We always thought the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program was a great initiative, and now it’s clear that industry heavyweight Johnson & Johnson thinks so too.
Johnson & Johnson featured the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program and its founder Wallena M. Gould, C.R.N.A., M.S.N., in its May 2011 Campaign for Nursing Nursing Notes e-newsletter, and we’re happy to share the link with you here!
For more info on the Mentorship Program, visit www.DiversityCRNA.org.
by | Mar 31, 2013 | LGBT Nurses, Magazine
A study by the Boston University School of Public Health has found a need to create health programs specifically promoting the well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual cancer survivors. The research was lead by Ulrike Boehmer, associate professor of community health sciences.
The results found that gay men were 1.9 times more likely to report a cancer diagnosis than heterosexual men. Though there were no significant differences in cancer prevalence among women with varied sexual orientation, the study showed that lesbian and bisexual cancer survivors were respectively two and 2.3 times more likely to report fair or poor health than heterosexual cancer survivors.
In a BU Today article, Boehmer says the differences in the prevalence of cancer survivorship raises questions about possible differences in the cancer rates by sexual orientation. She also says they can only speculate that HIV status may have contributed to the higher cancer prevalence in gay men, but they were unable to address this in the study since they didn’t have data on the participants’ HIV status.
The significance of the study, according to Boehmer, is the finding that sexual orientation may be a factor in cancer incidence and outcomes. The study concludes saying lesbian and bisexual cancer survivors need to be targeted by programs and services to better assist them in improving their health perceptions. The study also suggests health care providers and public health agencies need to be made aware of the higher prevalence of cancer in gay men through increased screening and primary prevention.
The study was published online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, and included data from the California Health Interview Survey.
by | Mar 30, 2013 | Asian-American and Pacific-Island Nurses, Black and African-American Nurses, Hispanic and Latino Nurses, LGBT Nurses, Magazine, Men in Nursing
When I first came to the United States, I was struck by the diversity of its people. I grew up in Russia and Ukraine among a very uniform population of Caucasians with similar religious beliefs and customs, but my little boy Nikolai has a different path in front of him. He is 50% Russian and 50% Kenyan, part of this society that has provided freedom and shelter to many nations from all over the world. I want to enable him to appreciate and navigate this environment in the spirit of inclusion. How can I make him proud about our family traditions and respect people different from him?
It all starts very early when an infant looks at picture books with different types of ethnicity and diversity. I, as a parent, had a hard time finding diversity in infant books, so I used lots of postcards and magazine cutout pictures. The author Roger Priddy uses photos that are very inclusive of different types of people. And the Global Fund for Children also has two books about diversity for children: Global Babies and American Babies.
As the child gets older, he or she can now learn about their specific family culture. Families should be encouraged to read books that describe the traditions and customs of the culture or multiple cultures they represent. For example, in Russia Santa Claus is called Father Frost. He has a granddaughter, “Snegurochka,” a snowwoman who travels with him delivering presents. During this past Christmas celebration Nikolai asked me, “Where is Santa’s granddaughter?” And the question opened the door for me to explain the ways our family beliefs might be different from those here in the United States. There are many books that introduce culture through storytelling or simple explanations. Visit your local library to find books that describe holidays, from Hannukah to Kwanzaa, and different kinds of food, from spaghetti to bee bim bop. You will find toddler books inclusive of all races to books for older children that describe the accomplishments of diverse people. A positive role model’s influence should not be underestimated.
Expose your child to diversity in concerts and public events. Nikolai thoroughly enjoyed Taiko drum performers as well as Spirit of Uganda child performers. What I consider the most valuable experience is admiring other cultures and seeing them at their best, which predisposes one to good attitude towards the new and unknown.
When children get to preschooler age, their favorite questions are often “why?” and “what?” Do not ignore them. Even if the question is uncomfortable, it can be an opportunity to teach them about different types of people in the world. Tell the child you will talk about it later of it is inappropriate at the time, but then be sure to come back to the topic. One day we were in supermarket and Nikolai saw a man in motorized wheelchair with a head support. He started asserting loudly “Mommy, what is it? Can I ride that?” I got very embarrassed, thinking he was asking inappropriate questions and drawing unwanted attention to the man, and I tried pulling him away. But by doing so, was I suggesting that a disability is shameful and something not to talk about? The disabled man taught me a lesson I will never forget. He came up to us and explained to my child his disability and why he is using a chair and let him push some buttons. He told me that I need to answer my child’s questions directly. So now Nikolai just confirms in a matter-of-fact way that sometimes have differences in their mobility. This lesson can easily extend to addressing race and ethnicity with your children as well.
The main thing to remember is that children begin like a blank sheet of paper, but we write out on it with our examples and actions as parents from the very beginning. Do not ignore your values or heritage, or those of others, even in the movies. It is not all “Hakuna Matata” (or “no worries” in Kiswahili, the Kenyan national language), when it comes to diversity matters; children look to you for guidance and a foundation for a bright future.
by | Mar 30, 2013 | Asian-American and Pacific-Island Nurses, Black and African-American Nurses, Hispanic and Latino Nurses, LGBT Nurses, Magazine, Men in Nursing, Nursing Associations, Nursing Careers, Nursing Mentorship, Nursing Students
Correction: “First Generation Education,” a feature published in our fall 2010 edition, referenced Glen G. Galindo as CAMP’s Executive Director. He is the Executive Director of CAMP’s alumni association, an independent organization. For more information on CAMP, visit www.hepcamp.org.
With college costs constantly on the rise, there’s no denying that pursuing higher education is a massive undertaking—the academic, financial, and emotional elements strain not only students, but their parents and guardians too. So how big of a dent can $750 make in a $10,000 tuition bill? How about a few hours of academic counseling in a jam-packed class schedule? For first-generation students, it makes all the difference in the world.
The College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP, is a government-sponsored college outreach and scholarship program for students from migrant and seasonal farmworking backgrounds. Established in 1972, a product of President Johnson’s War on Poverty campaign, it has grown from five school branches to 38, with a multimillion dollar backing. From advice on admission and navigating financial aid applications to transitional counseling, CAMP supports students who often cannot turn to their families for help. The program focuses primarily on helping students get into college, but they also offer mentoring through the college years. About 2,000 students benefit from the program each year, joining an alumni network of well over 20,000. Executive Director of CAMP’s alumni association Glen G. Galindo reports a college freshman retention rate of approximately 90%.
Galindo was recruited to CAMP as a freshman at California State University in Sacramento in 1986. Since then, it seems he’s held practically every position in the organization, from student assistant to his current role. He speaks quickly and passionately about the organization and what it does.
“CAMP will provide students with assistance during the application process and support during their freshman year in college. But, ultimately, preparation during high school is a student’s best friend,” he says. “All high school students greatly improve their chances of reaching their educational goals if they earn a high GPA, take the correct college preparatory courses, and take their SAT/ACTs more than once. Unfortunately, most first-generation students lack in one or all of these key points.”
CAMP is not a political organization, Galindo says. It’s funded by federal grants; as such, it can only support U.S. citizens and legal residents. “We would like to see the Dream Act legislation pass so as to give greater opportunity for youth to pursue higher education,” Galindo says. “CAMP students typically have parents with an elementary-level education. Most are U.S.-born citizens, and as first-generation students, simply need guidance and mentorship to reach and succeed in higher education.”
What follows are the stories of three CAMPers. Each student is the first in his or her family to attend college, but the similarities don’t end there. They all appreciate their families and their education. They know they are role models, and they take that responsibility seriously. They understand they’ve been given an opportunity that’s not to be squandered.
Ana Laura Meza
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Meza moved to Oregon with her family about 15 years ago. She spends her time outdoors, when the Northwest weather allows, and she loves being with her family, listening to her parents’ stories or playing what must be a massive game of Uno—she’s one of seven children.
Meza discovered CAMP as a volunteer at a Cesar Chavez Workshop in Independence, Oregon when the program offered a class that caught her interest. “I did not know much about what I was going to do financial-wise to pay for school,” she says. A CAMP representative named Isabel met with her to explain the program and what she had to do to apply. “We got a bit side tracked dancing and laughing because of the band that was playing outside,” Meza says. “Isabel not only helped me that day to get the application, but she offered her friendship.”
Meza says CAMP gives students a chance to slowly transition from high school to college. “It gives them a small push of motivation to continue to school, to achieve their goals.” Whether it’s a little extra money or life-changing mentoring, CAMP provides essential support at a key transitional point in students’ lives.
“I loved everything about CAMP, from the borrowing of books for your classes to the mentors who kept you updated every week, and the field trips to the local universities,” Meza says. “But the most memorable thing is the people that you meet along your first year.” They bonded over potluck dinners each Wednesday, she says. “The bonds you make with other CAMP students and staff you will keep for the rest of your life.”
Meza faced a number of obstacles in achieving her education, including the price of tuition. “Every person attending college knows that books and tuition are expensive and being unemployed does not help at all,” she says. While the lack of money is a common problem for students from all walks of life, first-gen students also deal with some lesser-known, unique obstacles at home. Never having experienced college or dealt with a child in higher education, Meza’s parents did not always understand all the things she had to do to get good grades, she says. “But no matter what they were always supportive.
“I want my parents to be proud of me, see that I am taking the opportunity of living in the U.S. and not just throwing it away,” she says. “I also want to be a role model for my younger brother who is in high school. I want to show him that if I can do it, so can he.”
Meza just started her second year at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon, but she hopes to transfer to Western Oregon University in the spring and work toward her bachelor’s degree in nursing. “When I was a little kid. I always enjoyed playing ‘doctor’ with my dolls, setting up scenarios where I had to fix their broken leg, or they were sick and they needed some soup,” she says. “I remember cutting my old shirts and using them as bandages or pencils as needles. As I grew I still had the interest to help people out, and what better way than to be a nurse.”
Jump at the chance to become a CAMPer, Meza advises students considering the program. “One thing for sure is do not take this opportunity for granted, because so many students who live here in the U.S. don’t have the same opportunity as we do,” she says. “Chances like this might only come our way once.”
Jose Arrezola
Health care translators bridge the language gap during some of life’s most difficult and stressful moments. In the public health sector, it’s especially trying work, but it’s Arrezola’s passion. CAMP played a prominent role in getting him there.
Arrezola had already participated in a high school program geared toward migrant children before he learned about CAMP. When he discovered there was a similar program at CSU Fresno, he made an appointment to meet with the director and soon found himself involved as a CAMPer. “I read and learned a great deal about CAMP, and it made a significant impact in my life. I say this because right then I learned that I was going to be part of a group of students that were migrant like me and that also shared many cultural practices like mine,” he says. “That made me feel like I was going to have a family away from home.”
The eldest of five siblings in a family from Amacueca, Mexico, Arrezola came to the United States at 17 years old. He did not speak English, but he learned during night classes after full days at high school.
He credits his parents for their constant support and motivation, but he also struggled to relate the college experience to them. “Because I am of a migrant background and my parents did not go to school, they do not understand the educational system,” he says. “My parents always knew that school will prepare their kids for a better future, but it is not comprehensive.” He says he’s met many other CAMPers with similar problems. “Unfortunately, for various reasons, our migrant parents are not educated about the school system, whether it was poverty, machismo, lack of guidance, or role models.”
Another all-too-common barrier was money. His parents couldn’t afford his tuition, but with financial aid, determination, and help from CAMP, he was able to obtain his bachelor’s degree. “[My parents] did not have the opportunity to go to school like I did. It is my priority to also be a role model to my younger brothers and sisters, because I would also like for them to have a life full of opportunities to enjoy life to its fullest extent.”
Arrezola says college was always part of his plan; he didn’t consider it “optional.” “I was going to be one of those individuals that was going to have guidance in school and also was going to represent the minority in our community,” he says. “Education for me has been my inspiration to make a positive impact in the life surrounding me. I have always believed that an educated community cannot become perfect, but an educated community for sure can make better choices and make a difference.”
Arrezola is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health at California State University, Fresno. “I always knew that I wanted to stay in the medical field,” he says. “After I graduated from college and became a health educator, I saw the necessity and the need to educate our communities about preventative care.” At 30 years old, he’s already worked as a bilingual health educator, leading one-on-one and group sessions throughout California, particularly in rural areas, for United Health Centers, and he’s served as the Administrative Leader of HealthCare California. As a volunteer, he’s worked as a bilingual spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. “This experience has given me the option to understand that, in our society, we have different groups of the population that need a lot of help finding guidance to medical access,” he says.
Arrezola has seen the health disparities in rural communities with limited access to health care. “I felt a close connection and could relate to the concerns of these individuals from personal experience,” he says. “I also felt the need to promote awareness about cultural sensitivity because there are a great deal of barriers, such as language, religion, and communication, etc., that retain people from seeking medical care.” He plans to finish his master’s degree and pursue a doctorate in public health with an emphasis in education.
To Arrezola, if any program can help students through the college experience, it’s CAMP. “I am still involved in the program because I see that new students have the same questions that I had when I was beginning my education at the university, and I want to be able to help them in the same way that program helped me,” he says. “I am proud to say that I am still a good friend with many of the students that I met at the CAMP program. Now a lot of them are professionals in the workforce, and the network that we have built has been a great help to continuously grow in our careers.
“I would like to tell students to take advantage of a program such as CAMP,” Arrezola says. “Be serious about wanting to pursue a college education and not feel discouraged.”
Benita Flores
“My parents are from Jalisco, Mexico, and although I was born in San Diego, I’m proud to say I’m from Jalisco, Mexico, too,” says Flores. Now enrolled in her fifth year at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), she first learned of CAMP as a senior in high school, after being accepted to the University. “I had heard the program would help me in my first year at CSUSM,” she says “Students need someone to guide them throughout the first year of college. It’s wonderful to know someone out there cares and wants you to succeed.”
Flores also came from a low income family. Her father and brother shared the family car, and she had trouble getting to her college classes. “I desperately needed a job to cover my expenses, which included my textbooks for college,” Flores says, so she got a job as a tutor at her old high school and took their bus. “At times it was embarrassing, since students that knew me would ask, ‘Didn’t you graduate already? What are you doing here?’ But being embarrassed was nothing compared to my determination to overcome financial and transportation obstacles.”
Flores wrote about her dreams of becoming a doctor when she was a little girl, she says, but she decided she wanted to become a nurse in high school. Sometimes I would fake being sick because I wanted to go ask the school nurse about nursing,” she says. “Volunteering at Palomar Hospital for two years helped me notice the great satisfaction I would feel when I would receive a smile from the patients I helped. I realized how privileged I was to be able to help the less fortunate.”
And, like the other CAMPers, Flores credits CAMP for providing the support necessary to not only attend but thrive in college. “I thank the CAMP staff for the help they gave me through these past years; if it wasn’t for them, my path in school would have been full of obstacles,” Flores says. “Once you become part of the CAMP family, they guide you through your college years and the road to success becomes more visible.”
*Correction: This article originally referenced Glen G. Galindo as CAMP’s Executive Director. He is the Executive Director of CAMP’s alumni association, an independent organization. For more information on CAMP, visit www.hepcamp.org.
by | Mar 30, 2013 | Asian-American and Pacific-Island Nurses, Black and African-American Nurses, Hispanic and Latino Nurses, LGBT Nurses, Magazine, Men in Nursing
I have served as a community health nurse for most of my 22 years of service as an RN. Currently, I coordinate the associate degree in nursing program for Monroe Community College (MCC) in Rochester, New York. I try to bring a holistic approach to the role, employing my health and wellness assessment skills in support of student success and overall program outcomes. As a black nurse, I pay special attention to the program’s ability to meet minority needs. Personal culture, lifestyle, disabilities, and socioeconomic levels have all been found to impact individual learning styles and student success.
In March 2009, MCC reentered what had become a contentious, politically charged, and controversial presidential search process. The MCC Diversity Council sought to engage the entire college community in a thoughtful series of panel discussions entitled “Combating Whispers and Suspicions, Valuing Diverse Hires: Why Diversity and Inclusion in Hiring are Important to MCC.” This voluntary group of faculty members deserves ample credit for their proactive corrective measure concerning hiring practices and for exposing this subject, bringing it to the forefront of public discourse. In April of that same year, New York Governor Paterson announced his creation of a statewide task force to improve diversity in the workforce.
Though I was unable to participate in the panel discussions, they inspired me to reflect on the importance of nursing program faculty diversity. I believe I bring a unique perspective as a community health nurse, as a black woman, as an idealist, and as an active civic participant. Had I been able to attend the series, I would have shared my personal perspective, professional interest, and passion associated with the outcomes of diverse hiring and retention in all public institutions, especially those in higher education.
The National League of Nursing (NLN) had already brought the subject to light, espousing workforce diversity, and the National Honor Society of Nursing drew attention to its importance in their Create the Future newsletter, saying “an increase of more than 20,000 minority nurses is needed to increase their proportion of the nursing workforce by just 1%.” They went on to say that the lack of ethnic, gender, and generational diversity is a concern not only for the profession, but also for patients: the nursing workforce should be at least as diverse as the population it serves. Not only is a lack of diversity in nursing linked to health disparities, but minority health care professionals are more likely than their majority peers to work in underserved communities, which in turn improves access among underrepresented groups. Additional studies have outlined how faculty diversity at all educational levels is linked to improved learning outcomes.
There is compelling governmental and constituent interest, locally and nationally, calling for institutions of higher education to advance the objectives of diverse faculty hires and retention for the benefit of all students, including underrepresented and under-performing minority students. There are secondary quality of life and economic residuals to be gained in their respective home communities, and that goes beyond health care. A recent issue of the higher education journal Diverse cites Winnefred Brown-Glaude’s research and newest book, Doing Diversity in Higher Education. A professor at Bowdoin College in Maine, she writes, “The debate over diversity is often hijacked by opponents who keep the focus on race, instead of broader definitions to include women, ethnicity, people with disabilities, and other kinds of differences. They tend to reduce conversations around diversity to quotas, which are then described as systems of racial preferences. These types of debates tend to lock us in to a back-and-forth tug of war, which really has not been productive.”
A National Urban League report entitled “The State of Black America” itemized the disturbing challenges and statistics seen in the black community with respect to poverty, health care, education, joblessness, and more. Higher education is in a unique position to take up this mantle, leading by example, to put an end to these disparities. According to the report, blacks are three times as likely to be in poverty, six times more often in prison, and disproportionately struck by joblessness in the current economic recession. (As of July 2010, over 15% of blacks are unemployed, compared to 9.5% of the total U.S. population and 8.6% of whites.) The NUL described these disparities as “America’s greatest wound.” Until black America participates and succeeds gainfully and equitably, all of America will continue to pay a steep price. Through reflective bureaucratic representation at administrative levels, community partnerships, and sacrificial investment, this wound can be effectively treated and the entire nation’s well-being advanced. If the plight of black America is permitted to fester, the growing needs for shelter, food, monetary assistance, social services, and costly emergency care (due to lacking preventative health care) will impede the growth of the entire country. Accessible, quality, effective education and workforce development, including strengthened student advisement and retention strategies, may be the most powerful deterrent and preventive measure in response to this nationwide epidemic.
I have experienced firsthand the impact of diversity and reflective representation as a means to affect educational and economic outcomes. Growing up in Spencerport, New York, an almost entirely white suburb in the 1960s and 1970s, I remained the only black female in my class of more than 400 students from the time I entered kindergarten in 1968 to my high school graduation in 1981. In high school, I heard a black woman had been hired to teach business courses. She was the first black educator within my scope of vision and my first professional role model, even though I never knew her personally. I could not help but admire her from afar, observing how she dressed, spoke, and carried herself. I stopped breathing when fellow students mentioned her. No one in my family had achieved a college degree at that point, and she unknowingly affirmed my beliefs, hopes, and determination. I thank God for her, recalling how my selfimage had often wavered. To this day, I wonder if she knew what she meant to me.
Though I had wonderful white teachers who encouraged and informed me, nothing replaced seeing my potential for success mirrored before me in that woman. In the coming years, I was fortunate to encounter more support. The Urban League of Rochester promoted its first group of Black Scholars in 1981, and the Rochester Institute of Technology sponsored an initiation to higher learning through their Minority Introduction to Engineering summer program. In these venues, educators mentored and exposed minority students to the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.
Coordinating the MCC nursing program, I often find myself inspired by my students. (I wonder if my presence had a similar effect on my faraway mentor in Spencerport.) Students of color at MCC frequently question me about my accomplishments, as they inspect my degrees and ask about my experiences as a student nurse, a registered nurse, and a single mom. They confide in me, vent to me, and cry with me. I have gratefully provided this empathy, emphasizing their ability to succeed though perseverance. I have no doubt that LGBT, Latino, disabled faculty, and others provide similar support and insights to students.
Indeed, faculty members of all ethnicities and backgrounds serve as exceptional educators and role models every day— yet, each faculty member cannot be everything to each student, and the importance of faculty diversity should not be denied. I cannot help but think of our nation’s pluralistic foundations; a pluralistic society is one in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, and social groups maintain participation in and development of their traditions and special interests while cooperatively working toward the interdependence needed for a nation’s unity. It fosters an inclusive, critical, and constructive discourse where different—even opposing—perspectives are valued. This is the nature of democracy. Pluralism is a noble goal, one that we must continue to strive toward, for we have not achieved it yet.
In a recent volume of the NEA Higher Education Advocate, data from the 2009 Higher Education Almanac illustrates how minority faculty remain significantly underrepresented, having slipped further over the last year and well below parity for the larger population. There is a clear need for serious efforts to encourage scholars from minority backgrounds to work in U.S. colleges and universities. These efforts should include strategies for increasing minority nursing faculty in consideration of the compelling governmental interest in responding to minority health needs.
Consider this gem in women’s history: Esther Petersen, an American Federation of Teachers (AFT) grassroots organizer, was instrumental in promoting integrated access to the YWCA. In 1961, John F. Kennedy appointed her to lead the Women’s Bureau in the Department of Labor. She went on to create the President’s Commission on the Status of Women and National Women’s Organization. Peterson invigorated the feminist movement and facilitated the inclusion of African American women in the language of the 1964 Civil Rights legislation. She brought her perspective as a woman to the table, and she personified the importance of bureaucratic representation and voice. I am not at all surprised to see an educator acting as a pioneer. Higher education must model this.
Hopefully, at MCC and all colleges and universities, faculty diversity will become more fully appreciated as one means to close the gaps in minority participation and success. Again, the MCC Diversity Council should be commended for its response to this urgent and compelling call to action, for advancing MCC’s priorities, and for supporting those in the surrounding community. Public institutions, including community colleges, are empowered by legislators to represent and influence the community; in turn, they should also be held to account by the community within and without.
At the end of their presidential search, Monroe Community College chose a woman to lead. Well done.
by Spencer Miller, RN | Mar 30, 2013 | LGBT Nurses, Magazine, Men in Nursing, Nursing Mentorship
How do gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) nurses handle the issue of their sexuality in the nursing workplace? Are they “out” at work? Do they encounter discrimination from patients and co-workers, and if so, how do they deal with it? Is their sexuality an asset, a liability or a non-issue when it comes to being a nurse?
As a gay man who is also a nurse, I am very interested in exploring these issues. I recently spent some time searching Internet nursing forums and came across a very enlightening thread. I’d like to share some of the posts with you.
The discussion began with a gay nurse asking other gay nurses for advice on how they deal with questions from patients about their home life, such as “Are you married?” The conversation quickly turned to more general comments on the broader issues of acceptance of gays in the workplace and being “out” versus “in the closet” at work.
From a nursing assistant and Army medic: “There is NOTHING wrong with keeping your personal life (whatever that may be) COMPLETELY apart from your work life. That’s what professionals do.”
A nurse in Texas responds: “That’s not the real world, professional or not. Keeping my personal life completely apart from my work life is what I attempted to do many times over, but. . .it only leads to more questions, more probing and just as much if not more gossip and stories about you. Not that gossip in the workplace should rule how you react to it, but in my experience it just ends up making things worse when you act vague and mysterious about your personal life.
“For me, it has always been a struggle between [how to deal with] the ‘if you’re gay I don’t want to know about it’ straight co-workers and the ‘inquiring minds want to know’ types,” the post continues. “For the latter types, fine. Here’s my oh-so-interesting gay life. Pretty ordinary and not much different from yours. For the former types, I’ve always found it interesting that the same nurses who fall into the ‘keep your private life to yourself’ category tend to be the same ones who constantly talk about their [spouses] and children at the nurses’ station all day.
“Can all of you [nurses] out there who insist that your private lives are completely separate from your professional lives honestly say that you never make any mention of a spouse or love interest to your co-workers, whether voluntarily or [in response to] questions from your peers? [Or that you] only discuss professional work-related issues with them?”
Another poster argues, “When I am at work, I am a nurse. I leave my personal life where it belongs— at home, not work! I would never engage in discussions about my personal life at work, because I am there solely to ensure that my patients receive the best quality care.”
A critical care nurse in Texas comments at some length: “I disagree that you can work in such close environs and not share some personal information with your co-workers. Establishing professional relationships requires some personal disclosure. [People] don’t live in compartments— professional here, personal there. If you withhold all [information about] personal relationships, you will have a problem with being considered aloof or cold—and that would affect your professional relationships.
“It has been my experience that most nurses’ stations are literal Peyton Places of personal information. I couldn’t see how you could hide who you are for long. The effort to do so would seem to me to just cause too much dang stress—. “Will some people be comfortable with [your sexuality] and others uncomfortable? Of course. You have to read each individual and [then decide to give or not give] details of your life based on [how accepting you think that person would be]. That’s not the same as saying that you should remain ‘in the closet’ to co-workers who would have a problem [with your being gay], but you can certainly de-emphasize your conversation [about that aspect of your life when you’re working with them]. The bottom line is: as co-workers we have to work together, which means some give and take on lots of issues, including this one.
“I would think that [in this day and age] most of your co-workers would have come to terms with this issue anyway. It is my experience that there is either a higher percentage of gays in nursing [than in other professions] or at the least, a higher percentage of gay nurses who are willing to be ‘out’ about it. As such, most of your co-workers should have had ample opportunity to ‘get [used to] it.’
“As far as patients go, your relationship with them is far more temporary. I would think it would be, if not appropriate, then certainly more convenient to not bring it up and only disclose that information rarely, [especially if you are working with older patients]. The older generation is much more fixed in their [biases and stereotypes], and a few days’ exposure to a challenge of those stereotypes is not going to change them, [especially if] they are sick enough to be in the hospital or a family member who is stressed over their loved one being in the hospital.”
What an interesting and revealing conversation! These posts shed light on some important issues that are all too often overlooked in discussions about the need for more diversity in the nursing workforce. Above all, they show that while GLBT nurses face many of the same biases and barriers to acceptance as racial and ethnic minority nurses, we must also deal with a whole set of other challenges that are uniquely our own.
To Thine Own Self Be True
As a gay RN who is now in his 40s, I have seen the incidence of homophobia in the workplace decline quite a bit in recent years. Of course, that’s partly because I moved from Georgia to more liberal California to escape some of that. But all in all, it’s a more accepting workplace.
Like other groups who are perceived as “different” by the majority population, GLBT people have had a tough time as a minority in society. I remember when I was in my 20s and saw my first gay bashing. Then, when [21-year-old gay college student] Matthew Shepard was beaten to death [in Wyoming in 1998], it put homophobia in the national spotlight.
Since then, many states and organizations have taken action to protect GLBT people from various kinds of discrimination, including employment discrimination. While it’s still legal in 26 states to fire someone because of his or her sexuality, another 25 states have laws on the books protecting homosexuals from workplace discrimination. Some of the gay participants in the abovementioned Internet nursing forum say they rely on their hospital’s code of ethics to protect them from harassment in the workplace.
As for myself, I’m out at work. I have a partner of six years and I find (some) men attractive. That’s who I am. I have a sexuality and while it’s not really part of my work life, I am not going to hide it in fear. It is just as beautiful and worthy of respect as any other part of me or anyone else. We owe it to the next generation to leave this world in better shape than we found it. I do that, in part, by fighting homophobia and promoting tolerance. I perform my nursing care in a nonjudgmental fashion and I don’t expect to be judged if my sexuality is revealed in casual conversation.
Nursing is, by its nature, a very personal profession. We perform embarrassing and sometimes painful procedures on people, and so our patients sometimes want to know a little bit about us. Accepting who I am allows me to better accept other human beings for who they are. Some people are in a mindset that requires some personal growth before they can be accepting of gays— or blacks, or Indians or any other minority. It’s not for me to shelter them from my sexuality and stunt their growth nor to judge them. I owe it to the world to be a good person and a worthy nurse who, among many other things, is an unashamed homosexual. I don’t accept intolerance and I point it out when I see it.
Based on those Internet forum posts, it would appear that the main concerns on the minds of today’s GLBT nurses are about disclosure— whether to hide or downplay their sexuality at work or to stand up for their right to be accepted as who they are. That this is still an issue clearly shows how laws against equality for gay people—such as the recent Proposition 8 in California, which took away same-sex couples’ right to marry—can be passed in this modern age. If gays are afraid to stand up and be counted in the workplace, then people who are on the fence regarding GLBT rights will never know who we are and what great people we are. They will never know what positive role models we are as nurses and as minorities fighting for acceptance in society. And most importantly, they will never know about the unique qualities, knowledge and insights we bring to the nursing profession and to patient care.
We bring compassion and a special advocacy for the underdog. We have known discrimination and the fear that comes from being different. GLBT nurses turn this into an ability to strive harder to meet the needs of minority patients and the underserved. We know what it’s like to have to work twice as hard as other people to reach the same goals. We cherish the things it takes us more effort to achieve, such as marriage, children and equal rights under the law. We respect people for who they are as individuals, regardless of skin color, gender, age or affliction. That’s what GLBT nurses bring to the nursing workplace. Now it’s time for us to step up and be recognized for those contributions. I urge all GLBT nurses to bring one more very important thing to the work we do: the willingness to stand up and be proud of who we are.
