my dear miss D…
i know you specifically asked not to have an asian nurse. the charge nurse is not blind or stupid, she just had no choice.
i feel bad that you find it hard to communicate with asian nurses. i know you said you don’t want any of us because it is very difficult for you to express yourself to asians. i had to clarify that reason, because i thought it didn’t make any sense. if you have a hard time expressing yourself, doesn’t that mean you are the one with the problem, not us? well, as long as you sound american, then i guess that means it is just so stupid of me not to understand. of course, i’m the one who doesn’t make sense.
but what can i do? i am just a non-american nurse with an accent. i really do not have the capacity to decorate my statements. i do not have the talent to insert every profane word to every single sentence i recite. and even though i really don’t understand why you need somebody with a doctorate degree in english to take care of you, i know that this is really very important to you.
and although i figured you really need somebody with a very high command of the english language to communicate with because you say such hifalutin words like dilaudid and ativan every five burning, tiring minutes, i still am not in the position to help you. i mean, dilaudid? ativan? what? those are really very complicated words. i just wish i have more knowledge of your language so i won’t embarass the whole asian community by my utter stupidity. and at least, you won’t have a difficult time expressing yourself to me.
anyway, as for your request. i’m sorry. if you have been paying enough attention, you should have noticed that 90% of the nurses here are asian. even if you call patient relation every night, there is still a 90% chance you will be assigned to an asian nurse. not to make you suffer, but just because there is no other option.
i pray that you feel better soon, so you can start polishing your math skills (because your english is already excellent!) and count that in the unit, 9 out of 10 nurses are asians. sorry you have to bear a whole night of bad english and weird funny accent honey, but you just have to suck it up.
i know, i know. it is not fair. here, have another milligram of dilaudid.
then, quit looking at me from head to toe, nonverbally asking “what part of DOES NOT LIKE ASIAN NURSE i don’t understand?”, because i do understand.
i am pea brained and english is not my primary language. but i do understand.
you are smart, intelligent, and english is your primary language. what part of “THERE IS A NURSING SHORTAGE IN THE USA” don’t you understand?


I like your last line of “What part of there is a nursing shortage in the USA don’t you understand?” - she should be glad to have a good nurse, whatever her ethnic background! It blows me away that people have the nerve to specify these things. I also find it interesting that where you live 90% of the nurses are Asian - it is always so regional, what ethnic backgrounds live where. Here in FL, there are lots of Hispanics of course. Is it a high concentration of Asians living in the area or is it much higher in the hospital as they have recruited a lot of Asian nurses to come work there?
Comment by Lisa — May 19, 2006 @ 6:14 pm
We have many nurses from the Phillipines where I work and from what I’ve heard from them, it seems to me that their training is superior to ours in the U.S.
I have been stereotyped too (I am white) –several times I have had complaints that I am racist. No, it’s not racism that takes me so long to get to your room, it’s short staffing!
It’s hard to just suck it up, very hard.
Comment by rnrealnurse — May 19, 2006 @ 8:27 pm
Lisa: i work in an 800 bed hospital. in my estimate, in the whole hospital, about 50% of the nurses are asian. in our unit in particular, about 60%. on NOC shift about 70%. the night that i was assigned to D, there were 9 nurses, 8 of which are filipino, the charge RN is white american. i guess it is both, it is a city where asians flock, and the hospital is recruiting from asia too.
RN: i think it is not fair to say our training is superior. i would say it is based on american standard, because we’ve been helped by americans in everything after the war.
Comment by may — May 20, 2006 @ 2:23 pm
I really enjoy your site, just to start off with that. I thought I would share a story back that happened about 2 days ago. It was almost end of shift, I work 3am to 3pm. This african american gentleman comes up to the nurses station and quietly tells me that he needs another room. Now I didnt know who he was or where is room was, we have 64 beds on the unit. I asked him his name and what room he was in. He tells me adn I proceed to ask what is wrong with the room ( I believe our census was 62 so we only had 2 other beds and I didnt want to put him in a room with the same problem since housekeeping must clean after each move) all he told me was that he was just moved to our floor and that he was going to leave ama if he had to stay in that room. I am completely perplexed and asked him again what was wrong with the room and if I could fix it. He still wouldn’t tell me, finally I said that if he didnt tell me then there was no way that I could make sure he didnt have the same problem in a different room. Finally as quiet as a mouse he told me what was wrong. He wanted a room with someone that wasnt mummbling garbage. I work on a geriatric floor and he was a young 59. I felt bad for basically battering this out of him but we did find him a room with a younger roommate.
Comment by Peaj — May 20, 2006 @ 5:31 pm
I would think she would be happy to receive the level of care that she is receiving, but nope…some people are just miserable and never happy.
Truly sad.
Comment by kimmyk — May 21, 2006 @ 5:03 am
may, it seems like you’ve written about this before. i’m sorry you have deal with such racism. personally, i’ve never experienced that from patients during my clinicals or in my current job (and i’m asian too). then again, in my current role, my patients are usually anesthestized before they can protest! hmmmmmmm…
hang in there, my friend!
Comment by marj — May 21, 2006 @ 5:34 am
seems that they haven’t heard about Filipino warmth and hospitality… it’s her loss
Comment by Rygel — May 21, 2006 @ 9:21 am
She’s SO wrong. The Asian nurses I know here in the UK are very good - some of them are very, very good indeed. Really care well for the patients.
She obviously doesn’t read your blog, otherwise she’d request you personally.
It must be very hard on you. Does it help to think of all the hundreds of other patients who don’t have such stupid views? I hope so.
Comment by waynetta — May 21, 2006 @ 1:30 pm
marj: you’re right, a different patient though, that’s why this subject is slowly getting on my nerves now, it is tiring and i don’t know if it will ever end.
Comment by may — May 21, 2006 @ 4:44 pm
What I am thinking is so delightfully obscene, yet somehow “complimentary” of “Asian” nurses (such a broad category, if a category at all) that I dare not even pause to think upon it for long.
Bless all nurses. For they are all somewhat beautiful.
Tee hee.
Comment by shrimplate — May 21, 2006 @ 10:31 pm
Soooooo much to say on the race thing, absolutely ridiculous that people still are hung up on all of that. There is so much more to a person. Look into their eyes, if you see warmth be happy. Look at their hands, if you see skill be happy. Watch as they are berated and abused by the patients they care for, and still show up for their next shift. Listen to their feet as they run to catch the next call light, trying to appease the relentless fingers on the button. These are caring people. These are Health Care Workers. Nurses, Medics, Doctors, etc. etc. The color of the patient’s skin does not matter to these people, just the color of the medication, the stool, the urine, the sputum………. Thank these people for your care. Thank these people for keeping you safe when you are at your most vulnerable. Thank these people for touching your nasty @#$%.
Keep up the good work May!!!
Comment by tsteele911 — May 24, 2006 @ 7:58 pm
As a matter of fact I think that you shouldn’t worry about this incident in your life because I believe that your nationality didn’t play a great role in her attitude to you- she could envy you, she could hate the place where she lived and at least she could have some problems in her private life - it was just her reaction on her problems. And she couldn’t explain her behavior otherwise than just your bad English! Cheer up, there are so many people who relax lying their problems on other’s shoulders! Be happier than they are!
Comment by Lene Petite — July 21, 2006 @ 4:57 am
United Health Care
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
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