Migrant nurses ‘racially abused’

Migrant nurses say they experience racism and cultural scrutiny every day they are on the job. A Massey University study revealed dozens of cases of patients refusing care from migrant nurses and cultural barriers between staff putting patients at risk.

The research, led by associate professor Margaret Brunton, involved 53 face-toface interviews and a nationwide online survey with seven of the 20 district health boards.

Brunton said she was surprised by the extent of cultural barriers that emerged within the study and felt it needed further discussion.

The Herald spoke to two migrant nurses, who cannot be identified, about the abuse they said they faced.

An Auckland senior nurse who has worked in the country for over 10 years said she was once called a “f***en Asian b **** ” by a 12-year-old.

“I think the one that sticks out the most was when a patient told me they wanted a ‘white nurse’.” She said some people don’t realise just how much hurt those kind of comments can cause.

“I had to walk out but there’s nothing I can do when it happens, I just have to take the abuse and carry on with my work.”

An Indian nurse practitioner in Palmerston North said cultural tensions she had experienced came from patients and staff.

“A nurse I worked with once put a sign up in the ward saying ‘Kiwi nurses only’ after a male patient made it clear he didn’t want Indians looking after him,” she said. Despite having worked in the country for eight years and gaining a masters degree in healthcare, racism continued to haunt her.

“It doesn’t matter how qualified I am or that I’ve passed my English-speaking exam, there’s a barrier.”

Brunton said it was not surprising, in the high-pressure health environment, that cultural differences could lead to negative feelings. “We are often told that exposure to different cultures leads to acceptance, but that requires the time and space to explore differences. That’s not possible for most nurses so the differences more commonly cause frustration, which impedes effective patient care.”

She said this was the first research of its kind so it was hard to compare if it was getting worse but with the increase of migrant nurses she imagined it was.