Nurses Report Significant Experiences and Perceptions of Discrimination

June 27, 2023 by Alec Stone MA, MPA, Former ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy

Nearly 80% of nurses have witnessed or been victims of racism or discrimination from patients—and nearly 60% from colleagues—according to a May 2023 Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation report (https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/rwjf473632.pdf) published in partnership with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

On the RWJ Foundation’s national survey of nurses’ perceptions and experiences of discrimination and racism in both the workplace and nursing schools, participants reported several key factors (https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/rwjf473632.pdf):

Recognizing racism, bigotry, and hatred in the profession and healthcare system is the first step. Nurses are leading by directly addressing the problem (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/the-case-of-the-resistance-relevance) and seeking avenues for solutions.


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