The importance of becoming aware of your own bias/stereotypes while working in the health care field are imperative because you're dealing with a lot of different people, different beliefs and values on a daily basis. According to tolerance.org a stereotype is an exaggerated belief, image, or distorted truth about a person. If you're preparing for a career in the health care field and go into the profession with your own set of stereotypes it can negatively affect the people around you. You can’t truly help someone if you have a negative view of them. In order to really help a patient you have to be able to put your own stereotypes aside and treat the person, not some preconceived idea you may have of them. By becoming aware of your own set
What is a nurse? According to the dictionary, a nurse is someone who is trained to care for sick or injured people. Nurses are well respected because they are in a skilled profession and work to remain accident free. Even though nurses are well respected there are stereotyped every day and many people have biased opinions about them. Some of which include being stereotyped as all being women, a profession many call men gay for being involved in, always working in a hospital, will always marry someone that is the medical field, all nurses wear white hospital gowns and a cap, that nursing is easy, are reject doctors, they are all the same, and they do not make a lot of money.
Stereotypes are everywhere and can often create problems for people, however they become even more detrimental with teens, especially at schools. Writer and science correspondent for the NRA, Shankar Vedantam, in his article, “How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance,” explains that stereotypes can hurt the performance of the one that it is associated with. He supports his claim by first explaining that how well people do on tests are determined on who administers the questions, then he explains that studies show that when people take tests and they are reminded of negative stereotypes that associate with them, then they don’t do as well, and finally he states that the studies are being widely ignored by all the people which should take heed of the findings, such as test makers and college acceptance people. Vedantam’s purpose is to tell you about the research conducted by Huang in order to inform you that stereotypes can affect performance on tests.
A stereotype is defined as ‘an exaggerated and often prejudiced view of a type of person or group of people’ (Novak, Campbell, & Northcott, 2014, pg. 5). Stereotypes often develop from observations/information that tend to not be true. If they turn out to be true then they are exaggerated and distorted. Further, if someone is found who does not fit the stereotype they are considered to be an exception. Some stereotypes positively portray the elderly but most have a negative impact. This can create prejudice and discrimination towards the elderly which can negatively impact their quality of life (Novac et al., 2014).
at this moment in time, I learned how my own biases affected my patient care. In the ever
I also liked being able to explore and think further about some of the statements in the assessment that I have not thought about for some time or do not think about frequently. In regards to the first weakness, I certainly have been stereotyped throughout my life, as I am sure all of us have in some way or another. I generally feel that people’s perceptions are what they are. They are entitled to think how they think, believe what they believe, and I am not one to take a lot of energy to try to change that or change how I am perceived. On the other hand, if I come across someone pretty negative and possibly even victimizing or bullying me, I am more apt to take action and will explore appropriate attempts at changing their perceptions. Otherwise, I put forth my best effort to accept people as they are with their own thoughts, values, and beliefs and try to find common ground, get along, and work together. The second weakness of my tendency to be “color blind” is something that is an eye opener for me. I have pretty much always basically felt that it was not negative to view someone without considering their culture. I am glad to have this brought to my attention in this course and I can work on it. The impact that these weaknesses could possibly have on my nursing care are that in taking lightly other’s perceptions of me, I
Imagine that you are of Arab decent you being screened more thoroughly than others at the airport. The only way the airport staff can identify that you are of Arab decent is based on your family name, Najjar. The airport staff constantly takes extra measures to confirm that you are not a terrorist. Stereotypes have existed in American culture for centuries. Early in American history stereotypes of Negroes and Mexicans predominately associate them with lower-class attributes (Campbell, 1967).
Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with people. “To effectively communicate we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding to guide to our communication with others.” (Anthony Robbin). It is important for the nurse to be aware of the effects of their personal values and beliefs can have on their patients. For example working in a surgical ward a nurse was discussing with other colleagues about a certain patient who was in the holding bay, talking negatively about her lifestyle choices, when approaching the patient for the first time when arriving into the suite, she refused treatment from any of the nurse staff on the shift as she was upset at the things the nurse had said. First impressions influence people’s judgments of others...
In the modern era, stereotypes seem to be the ways people justify and simplify the society. Actually, “[s]tereotypes are one way in which we ‘define’ the world in order to see it” (Heilbroner 373). People often prejudge people or objects with grouping them into the categories or styles they know, and then treat the types with their experiences or just follow what other people usually do, without truly understand what and why. Thus, all that caused miscommunication, argument or losing opportunities to broaden the life experience. Stereotypes are usually formed based on an individual’s appearance, race, and gender that would put labels on people.
a. Describe and discuss two common biases that may be observed or experienced in a healthcare setting and (Minimum 100 words original words only. Check your work for spelling, grammar, and punctuation prior to posting).
“Stereotypes unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account” (Schaefer 40). Stereotypes can be positive, but are usually associated with negative beliefs or actions such as racial profiling.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management diversity is: “A broad definition of diversity ranges from personality and work style to all of the visible dimensions of diversity such as race, age, ethnicity or gender, to secondary influences such as religion, socioeconomics and education, to work diversities such as management and union, functional level and classification or proximity/distance to headquarters.” Diversity is a huge factor that we are striving for in many occupations around the world, but healthcare is one of the main professions that is becoming more diverse. Not only does it have many positive effects, it is providing the patients and workers with a sense of respect for each other. The patients are able to have a nurse or occupational therapists that understand where they are coming from. They might have the same morals or they might be in a similar situation as the patient, so they will be able to relate with the patient and understand them during difficult times. More companies are relating diversity into the workforce. Therefore they are able to have a more successful business because of the many changes they are making to meet the needs of each individual.
Image and profession go hand in hand. Image plays a very important yet controversial role in the nursing profession. The image of nursing is often inaccurate and falls short of the fair and correct portrayal of what the role of nursing truly is (Summers, 2010). With an inaccurate portrayal of what nursing really is comes the challenges of the profession. Popular stereotypes in nursing coming from both the past and today media and expectations take away the true meaning and role of the modern profession. Some common stereotypes include but are not limited to: unskilled, a way to marriage, and a physician’s helpmate. These stereotypes lead to many problems within the nursing profession including poor working conditions, insufficient support
In word and deed, today’s society wanes in respect. Respecting your elders and honoring your father and mother are no longer a given. We talk back, miss curfews, overlook presidential addresses and the states comprising this union are divided. In previous generations, respect for one’s neighbors, family, country and values was ingrained in the daily fold. One may counteract this stance with the example of discrimination; however, while prejudice extends from society to the armed forces all are not prejudice. Conditioned to the view the world through one lens restrains the landscape. Stereotypes are meant to act as scripts to protect us, but to what extent do they hinder our horizons? As many of the previous generation exemplify, there is always a sense of hope; never get below the horizon such that you lose sight of the coming brighter days.
Explain who the patient is (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Age/ Generations, Socioeconomic Status, Language, and Religion) and describe a situation in which a nursing professional must navigate an encounter that is affected by his/her own biases.
Even though the world is filled with stereotypes and misconceptions about people, we can take mental steps toward overcoming those stereotypes. Being aware of our inner thoughts and feelings and how they affect our beliefs and actions is a constant battle, but will help reduce stereotypes in our own mind. Staying open minded to different religions, cultures, and races helps one get a better understanding about others for themself. Most of all, we can overcome stereotypes by taking into account individual differences and using factual information instead of assumptions (“Overcoming Stereotypes”).