There have been instances where a white patient did not want me as an African nurse or any black nurse for that matter to take care of him or her. When I was in orientation on a job, I would make the same mistake as another new orientee who happened to be white, but I was made to do extra days of orientation and she was not. Another time, I was taking care of a patient who became extremely ill on my shift. The doctor was notified, and even though he was aware that I was taking care of the patient, he addressed the white nurse with all of the new orders, ignoring me. An emergency may arise on the unit and the doctor or other hospital personnel involved may ask for the white nurse who is not the nurse taking care of the patient.
Many people assume that the black nurse is making mistakes.
One time a Jewish nurse and a Chinese nurse stood up for me and said, She knows what she is doing. Hospital personnel, as well as some patients will automatically assume that I am an aide. The assumption is that the black person is not as bright and so must be at the bottom. These are the kind of issues that are driving minorities out of the profession. Educate the management about peer support which is very important if this problem is to be overcome.