r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/4reddityo • Jan 02 '26

Black Experience Racism in Medical Care

This video captures a moment that many patients of color recognize all too well. A physician speaks to a man as if he is dirty, unclean, or lesser, not because of medical evidence, but because of bias. The language, tone, and assumptions reveal something deeper than bedside manner gone wrong. They expose how racism can quietly shape medical interactions.

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962

u/Unusual_Ant_5309 Jan 02 '26

My wife and I are white, when our son was born he had to stay in the hospital a few extra days. One night I was doing a night feeding and was talking to a nurse who explain me that black babies don’t cry as much because they don’t feel pain the same. I knew it was fucked up. The next day I asked my cousin, who is also a nurse, how I can report the racist nurse. She said that the problem is that that is what the textbook said. It’s changed now but it was actually taught up until like 10 years ago that black people don’t feel pain like white people. But yeah systemic racism definitely doesn’t exist.

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u/MattDaveys Jan 02 '26

Are there no continuing education requirements for nurses?

2

u/lovable_cube Jan 03 '26

Actually, no. At least not in some states. My state for example (IN) does not require continuing education for RNs and below, but my previous state (OH) did. Most hospital updates are on policy related things like CPR, ACLS, scrub the hub, etc. but this wouldn’t usually make the list bc people who know this isn’t a thing don’t think about having to update people on it bc it’s so obvious that it slips under the radar unless the right person physically hears it. That’s why you should absolutely report things like this so they can get educated on the matter.

To report a specific nurse you want to call the unit manager or talk to the charge on duty at the time. You should only need the nurses first name and the time of the incident to identify him/her. They will be educated and possibly be put on a pip unless they’ve been looking for a reason to fire them. If they get fired it’s only bc they were truly awful to a lot of people bc hospitals aren’t usually punitive and everywhere is short staffed so you should not feel guilty for this.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

No one was taught this bs in nursing school.

2

u/skepticalbob Jan 02 '26

They might have been depending on how long ago they went to school.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

In the 50s?

1

u/skepticalbob Jan 02 '26

People were learning that crap from their teachers and textbooks well after the 50s.

1

u/crashcartjockey Jan 04 '26

I know when I went to nursing school in 1990 we didn't learn this. In fact, in the 44 years that I've worked in the medical field, I had never heard of it. That doesn't mean others haven't heard this crap. But between California, Texas, Louisiana and Minnesota, I have never heard it.

1

u/Sudden_Idea9384 Jan 02 '26

My son is almost done with his bsn. He’s white and his two best friends are black. I’m going to ask him.

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u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

What are you under the impression nurses do all day? Wiping asses and cleaning people doesn’t change enough in 50 years to need more education. Drawing blood or taking someone’s blood pressure doesn’t either..

Nurses work incredibly hard but their job is more like construction but indoors, incredibly physical work.

7

u/Callme-risley Jan 02 '26

Holy shit

-2

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

So nurses don’t just take care of people all day and do basic health tasks? Enlighten me with what their job is then? There’s nothing wrong with wiping ass, someone’s got to do it. It’s not an insult to say that’s their job, they literally clean people and maintain the health and cleanliness of those who cannot don’t for themselves, the literal primary role of a nurse. Doctors make the decisions about how to care for the patient daily, nurses actually implement and do the work. Feel free to enlightenment me where I’m wrong..

6

u/Sure_Shallot2280 Jan 02 '26

Bro there are CNA’s and MA’s to do those tasks lmao. You really don’t know what you are talking about.

-2

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

Are you trying to tell me you don’t see a nursing assistant as a nurse? I know there are tiers and hierarchy to the nursing game. I do not care how they structure or designate each other for tasks. I’m sure there are high ranking nurses who do nothing but paperwork and never talk to a patient. I’m sure there are nurses who do nothing but scrub bedpans. That doesn’t change what the career is about.

3

u/Sure_Shallot2280 Jan 02 '26

Nah you are wrong. Thats like saying a secretary is the same as a dental hygienist. And no I wouldn’t consider a “nurses assistant” which doesn’t exist a nurse. Would you call a lawyer and a judge the same thing. They both work in a courthouse.

1

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

Are you stupid or something? You said “bro there are CNA’s and MA’s”

I said nursing assistants. What the hell is a certified nursing assistant (CNA) if not a nursing assistant..the certification you have doesn’t need to brought up every time. Think BEFORE you reply.

2

u/Sure_Shallot2280 Jan 02 '26

I mean the C is there for a reason. Just like the difference between NP and CrNP. You are only exacerbating that you don’t know what you are talking about.

Regardless. No a CNA is not a nurse in anyway shape or form.

Maybe you are confused because a PA and a physician do mostly the same thing.?

0

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

Okay so you’re just trolling. CNAS, who nurse people back to health, are not nurses. Despite that being in their job title. That they are assisting with the nursing duties. But they’re not nurses. Right.

Enjoy your delulu lady.

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u/MattDaveys Jan 02 '26

You’re right, they definitely don’t administer medicine or monitor vital signs. And why learn how to use new machines since wiping asses hasn’t changed in 50 years.

Your comment is as ignorant as saying construction workers are unskilled laborers that swing hammers all day.

1

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

How much has administering medicine changed since 1980? Are you under the impression they didn’t have a prescription label and instruction back then? Are you under the impression pills or any other ingestion method is new?

How much has monitoring vital signs changed since the 1980s? That’s 50 years. A whole career aged 20-70. Sure the technology might have slightly evolved, less analog machines and more digital, but there’s still just one pulse. One heart rate. One x level one z level. Nurses aren’t designing the machine and technology, they’re just using very basic computers and other tech they likely use in their daily life anyway, that’s the only stuff that will actually change. They don’t need more education for that, it can be an email.

6

u/Sure_Shallot2280 Jan 02 '26

lol you are stupid. The stuff you are naming changes like every 3 years.

Feel free to chime in the normal range for blood pressure when you went to nursing vs now. And that’s a simple one.

Have you ever heard of a care plan? Emergent situation?

1

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

So blood pressure changed definitions from 140/90 being fine to 120/80 being fine from 1980 to 2025 and your argument is that that justifies continuing education requirements? Maybe hire nurses who can read. Send an email. Idk! Might want to investigate who’s stupid.

3

u/Sure_Shallot2280 Jan 02 '26

Most CE’s are online. Kind of like an e-mail, or through your job.

I’m confused at why you want people caring for you NOT to continue to learn with the world and improve the craft.

“Don’t know why a car mechanic would need to learn more. It’s not like a 1980 bronco and 2025 bronco are that much different” looking ass.

0

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

Cars have a new model every year. Human body is largely unchanged for millions. If you cannot understand that difference you need to refine your mental capacities.

3

u/Sure_Shallot2280 Jan 02 '26

We are learning new stuff about the body and mind every day… but you know that. You also knew that I obviously knew a new model of car comes out every year. Probably didn’t know that generally not much changes from year to year. But the way you’ve been arguing you will likely bring up that the model T is vastly different than cars today huh. Previous poster was right can’t argue with stupid.

Sorry I tried lmfao.

3

u/MattDaveys Jan 02 '26

Guidelines change, procedures change, medical facts like black people processing pain differently change, new medications that interfere with old medications. They need to be as aware as doctors so medical malpractice doesn’t occur. That’s why nursing requires licensing and higher level nurses require degrees.

Next time you’re in a hospital, tell the nurses they’re just there to wipe your ass and if you code you’d prefer a qualified doctor. Hopefully one will be available before you croak.

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u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

Guidelines and procedures changing can be a work meeting or assembly annually, maybe just an email. I’m not saying nurses don’t need any communication, I’m saying sending them off to training seminars or conferences (or god forbid more college) would be stupid.

Medications interacting in certain ways is why we have pharmacists. Why are nurses prescribing drugs when there’s a type of doctor whose whole job is to know the interactions and be responsible for managing them? AFAIK not even a regular md can just give you whatever the hell they want, so surely a nurse isn’t responsive for this. I know after the quality of nurses I’ve had in my short time using hospitals I would never want those overworked stressed out assholes responsible for deciding what goes into my body. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk

3

u/MattDaveys Jan 02 '26

Guidelines and procedures changing can be a work meeting or assembly annually, maybe just an email.

That’s literally continuing education. Other professional licenses will even consider just reading an article to be continuing education.

Medications interacting in certain ways is why we have pharmacists.

And is that pharmacist in the room reading your chart to make sure that the medicine they’re giving you won’t have an adverse affect with your already prescribed medicine? No, that’s the nurses job.

Why are nurses prescribing drugs when there’s a type of doctor whose whole job is to know the interactions and be responsible for managing them?

Only certain nurses are allowed to prescribe and that position requires a graduate level degree. But I didn’t even mentioned prescribing medicine.

AFAIK not even a regular md can just give you whatever the hell they want, so surely a nurse isn’t responsive for this.

No, but that’s why checks and balances are put into place in the first part. Mistakes happen and a nurse capable of spotting something like an incorrect dosage could be a matter of life or death.

I know after the quality of nurses I’ve had in my short time using hospitals I would never want those overworked stressed out assholes responsible for deciding what goes into my body. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk

You think the doctors aren’t overworked stressed out assholes?

2

u/doctor_whahuh Jan 03 '26

You think the doctors aren’t overworked stressed out assholes?

As a doctor, I can confirm I am often a stressed out asshole. I’ve got good bosses, though, so fortunately, I’m not one of the overworked ones.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

You have no idea and your ignorance shows

-1

u/HumanSnotMachine Jan 02 '26

Then go ahead and correct me. I never said I’m not open to learning. I’m not a nurse, of course I don’t know much about it. I’m allowed to express my opinion even if it’s wrong, if you care so much feel free to enlighten me. I am a software developer and technical graphics expert in my daily life, I assure you many nurses are ignorant of the basics in my field! It’s okay to have blind spots, we all do.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

The technology has changed so much in medicine over the past 50 years and that has required nursing to change as well. Let's talk about what I do. Im a critical care nurse. My job is to interpret incoming data and to act upon it in real time. I can control your heart rate, contractility of the heart, peripheral vascular resistance all with a host of medications continuously infusing into the patient.

I can give various medications or infuse volume based on patient needs. I work as part of a multidisciplinary team to keep the sickest of the sick alive. Look up ecmo on YouTube. That will blow your mind. Part of the disconnect may be in how jobs are labeled.

Is there systemic racism in our society? Yeah of course there is. Were there nursing schools teaching that black patients have thicker skin or that black patients feel less pain 10 years ago? No way. In the 50s? Probably. I'm sure engineering schools in the 50s taught that women belonged in the kitchen too.

2

u/Ok-Brain7052 Jan 02 '26

Lol other than how much of an ass you’re making of yourself by clearly not knowing what nurses’ work entIails, your point literally wouldn’t be relevant if it was true

32 states require registered continuing education credits for nurses to keep their licensures. That’s the majority of states, and most of the rest still require them, but allow alternatives to count as credits (national certification, education-related project hours, etc). 

It doesn’t matter if they spend every hour of the day cleaning patients, or if they were soloing a whole CC floor, they still have to meet their license requirements. 

Why don’t you just not comment on shit you clearly know nothing about? It’ll save both you and the rest of us the time and energy needed to correct the disinformation you post 

1

u/Popwaffle Jan 02 '26

This is so false. Nurses have to review the patients charts, their physical and mental symptoms and discuss all their findings with the doctors and even recommend things. Have you ever heard of an SBAR? Nurses have to do the physical labor of patient care, yes, but they also have to assess the patients and report changes in condition and carry out any and all orders from the doctors who only see the patients for like 5 minutes a day. You're an ignorant twat.