Black Nurses Research Articles

Celebrating the contributions of Black nurses to nursing's history.

Kandace Chimbiri, based in London, is the author of several Black history books for children.

Sleep inequities in nursing: A descriptive qualitative study on causes of poor sleep among black nurses in the United States

Background: Sleep is critical to general health and occupational safety of workers. Black nurses in the United States report sleeping less than their White counterparts, indicating sleep inequity exists. Understanding what workplace factors contributing to this inequity and suggestions for improvement are vital to protecting nurses.Methods: A descriptive qualitative research design with content analysis was used to examine focus group data from Black nurses working in the United States. Participants were invited to virtual focus groups or interviews to answer questions about their sleep. Questions were guided by the Social Ecological Model for Sleep.Results: Fifteen nurses participated. Four themes emerged: Societal Impact, Workplace, Interpersonal-Cultural Context, and Individual. Twelve sub-themes were identified that described factors that affect all nurses (i.e., night shift, long work hours) versus societal and interpersonal events tied to racism that are most impactful for Black nurses’ sleep. Participants offered six suggestions for changing the healthcare setting to increase a sense of belonging.Conclusions: To improve sleep equity among Black nurses working in healthcare settings, a holistic approach towards worker health and safety may help attenuate individual risks from poor sleep. Systemic organizational efforts to increase belonging among staff could benefit from fostering trusting relationships with Black nurses, as well as increasing the diversity of healthcare leaders and managers.

Imposter Syndrome: A Reflective Discourse into the Experiences of Canadian Black Nurses through Art.

Impostor syndrome is a common phenomenon experienced by individuals when entering new ranks in the workplace. Although women experience greater feelings of imposter syndrome than men, Black individuals report a prolonged experience of imposter syndrome when compared to their white counterparts, which negatively impacts their everyday experiences, health, and overall well-being. With growing studies showing the pervasive nature of anti-Black racism on the health of Black people, there remains a paucity of studies showing the connection between anti-Black racism and imposter syndrome. Within nursing, anti-Black racism can be seen to foster imposter syndrome through discriminatory practices that affect the career development, recruitment, and retention of Black nurses. Anti-Black racism is prevalent, and, in this paper, two Black nurses share insight through their own encounters with imposter syndrome and its relationship with anti-Black racism. Guided by Black feminist thought, they use art to navigate their reflective discourse as a means of reclaiming their identity and positionality as leaders in their rights. Reflective discourse is ideal for transformative learning to occur through dialogue. In addition, it promotes the use of art for deeper discussions when understanding the Black experience. Together, these nurses explicate how adopting Afrocentric knowledge and practices through their reflective discourse can affirm their identity, promote a sense of belonging, and assist in dismantling the effects of anti-Black racism and imposter syndrome within nursing.

Original Research: Exploring Black Nurses' Perceptions of Workplace Safety and Personal Health.

This study aimed to assess the perceptions of nurses who self-identify as Black or African American regarding their workplace health and safety and to explore how these perceptions are associated with their perceived personal health. Nurses practicing in unhealthy work environments can experience poorer physical and mental health. Recent civil unrest and ongoing dialogue about structural and systemic racism have prompted calls for greater efforts to understand the workplace perceptions and experiences of ethnic minority nurses, and how these influence nurses' personal well-being. But there is a dearth of relevant evidence concerning these nurses, including Black nurses. This cross-sectional, descriptive study involved analysis of secondary data collected from May 1, 2017, through December 31, 2019, by the American Nurses Association's HealthyNurse Survey (N = 19,131). We employed descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to examine the data for the 1,143 respondents who both self-identified as Black or African American and responded to all items concerning the major variable of personal health. Overall, respondents reported a slight tendency to agree or strongly agree that their practice environments were safe. When looking at various factors explaining personal health, the perception of workplace health and safety was found to be a significant contributing factor. The study findings suggest that, among Black nurses, perceptions about workplace health and safety are associated with perceived personal health. These findings underscore the importance of fostering healthy work environments.

Historical Study of the Graduates of the Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery, a Program for Black Nurses

ObjectiveTo increase awareness of the contributions of Black nurses to midwifery and to provide an understanding of how initiatives in the past address racial disparities in maternal health that are still relevant today. DesignHistorical research. SettingThe Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery. Data SourcesThirty-one Black nurse-midwives who graduated from the Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery and oral histories of two of these graduates. MethodsHistorical research that involved locating and analyzing primary and secondary sources about the graduates of the Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery from 1941 to 1946; the oral histories conducted with two graduates are examples of primary sources. ResultsThe Tuskegee School of Nurse-Midwifery opened September 15, 1941, in Tuskegee, Alabama. The purpose of the school was to educate Black nurses in midwifery to address maternal health in the Black communities where the maternal and infant mortality rates were greatest. By the end of the second year of the program, the maternal mortality rate declined from 8.5 per 1,000 live births to 0, and the infant mortality rate decreased from 45.9 per 1,000 to 14 among the women served in Macon County. However, the school closed in 1946 after graduating 31 Black nurse-midwives. ConclusionThe history of early Black nurse-midwives is relevant to the disciplines of nursing, midwifery, and public health. The Tuskegee graduates obtained an education in a relatively new and evolving profession during a time when racism and discrimination in education, financial opportunity, and housing profoundly affected the health and well-being of Black communities. These factors continue to contribute to racial disparities in maternal health and create barriers for those in the Black community who want to become nurses or midwives. The challenges and successes Black nurse-midwives experienced are significant to the present day, but their stories are often not told.

Black bodies in phenomenological bioethics: cultural othering, ‘Corporeal Uncanny’ and ethical quandaries of black nurses in Take My Hand and Small Great Things

The aims of the present article are twofold. First, it attempts to theorise the thematic and ontological intersection between phenomenological and black bioethics and proposes ‘Ontic-Black Bioethics’, a neologism to...

Factors contributing to nurses' intent to leave during COVID-19.

To examine the association between demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race, age, and years of experience), burnout, and nurses' intent to leave their jobs during the first wave of COVID-19 in New Jersey. COVID-19 has exacerbated burnout and intent to leave among acute care nurses. Nonetheless, little is known about demographic factors contributing to nurses' desire to leave their jobs. A cross-sectional survey of actively licensed registered nurses who provided direct patient care in an acute care hospital in New Jersey during COVID-19. Among 2760 nurses, those who reported burnout were 4.78 times more likely to report intent to leave their job within 1 year as compared to nurses who did not report burnout. Black RNs were 2.06 times more likely to report intent to leave as compared to White RNs. Older nurses (aged 40-49) were 36% less likely to report intent to leave as compared to younger nurses (aged 21-29). RNs with 30 years of experience or more were 58% less likely to report intent to leave as compared to RNs with less than 5 years of experience. In addition, Black RNs with 6-12 years of experience were 2.07 times more likely to report intent to leave as compared to White RNs with less than 5 years of experience. Nurses' intent to leave during the first wave of the pandemic was influenced by burnout, race, age, and years of experience. Based on the results of the current study, Black nurses were more likely to report intent to leave their job within 1 year as compared to White RNs. Nurses' intention to leave is one of the most important global issues facing the healthcare system. Findings of the current study demonstrate that burnout, race, age, and years of experience are significant predictors of nurses' intent to leave their jobs. Therefore, organizations should prioritize strategies to reduce burnout and create diverse and inclusive work environments.

What Got Us Here Won't Get Us There: Critical History in Radical Black Re-imaginations of Canadian Nursing Histories.

As a "foursome" of nursing history students and scholars, upcoming, junior, and seasoned, we presented a panel on new work and possibilities related to histories of Blackness and Black nurses in Canadian nursing history. Our presentation was the 2023 keynote Hannah Panel Presentation for the joint Canadian Society for the History of Medicine (CSHM-SCHM) and the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing (CAHN-ACHN) conference. Reflecting and expanding our perspectives, we share the relevance and significance of engaging with histories of Canadian Blackness and (in)visibility of Blackness in nursing history. This paper considers the overarching question of how does engaging with histories of Canadian Blackness serve as an anti-racist strategy when examining, analyzing and understanding the history of nursing and health care? A core tenant of this work aims at acknowledging how institutional relationships of power are reproduced within scholarship unless there is space for radical re-imaginations. The disruption to power is achieved by exploring the connections between nursing and history from the perspective of Black nurses' history or Black feminist thought. We also disrupt power by our form, in challenging expectations of scientific inquiry as the only format of valid knowledge production within the discipline. Possibilities of arts-based methodology as a site for democratization in nursing knowledge are evoked through the metaphoric language (water, fire, air and earth) interwoven within the text. We highlight how each of us engages with nursing history, further complicating previous narratives of our collective Canadian past. In publishing our thoughts on historical inquiry in a nursing journal, we hope to provoke more curiosity and interest in history within our discipline as a site for liberation!

Academic-professional trajectory of black nurses in a teaching hospital

Objective: To know the academic-professional trajectory of black nurses in a teaching hospital. Methods: Qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study carried out at the Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The participants were five self-declared black nurses, aged between 35 and 47 years, graduated nine to twenty years ago, working in the aforementioned teaching hospital for five to six years. The interviews were conducted virtually from May to June 2022. The content produced was transcribed in full and treated through content analysis. The research followed all ethical principles. Results: Black nurses reported difficulties, mainly financial, which impacted the access and the possibility to continue in university education during training. In addition, they revealed situations of racism experienced in daily life, whether in structural, institutional forms or in the form of microaggressions. Despite this, they understand the importance of their protagonism in the anti-racist struggle. Conclusion: There is a need for more studies involving black women and nursing, the impact of racism on the mental health of black professionals, in addition to greater efforts to combat racism.

Reliability and Validity of the Perceived Racism Scale-Racism on the Job Subscale-in a Sample of Black Nurses.

Background and Purpose: We utilized the Perceived Racism Scale-Racism on the Job subscale-to assess how frequently Black nurses experienced racism on the job in the past year (ROTJ-Y) and throughout their lifetime (ROTJ-L). We aimed to assess the reliability and assess construct validity of each subscale in a sample of 53 nurses. Methods: Reliability was evaluated using coefficient alphas, item correlations, and interitem correlations. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis. Results: Results demonstrated that the subscales are reliable and valid. Coefficient alphas for the ROTJ-Y and ROTJ-L were .93 and .91, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a unidimensional factor for both subscales. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the Racism on the Job subscales are psychometrically sound measures of workplace racism among Black nurses.

Challenges and Reflections of Black Nurses in Mental Health: Navigating between Colonialist and Decolonial/Ancestral Paradigms

Introduction: Racism is considered to permeate the lives of the black population, with black nurses standing out in this context, across different stages of life, causing illness of all kinds, including mental illness. Objectives: Thus, this article aimed to understand the academic and professional experiences of black nurses working in mental health and how they perceive their care from the ancestral decolonial perspective. Methods: It was a sociopoetic qualitative study, conducted with nine black nurses working in mental health in the state of Rio de Janeiro in May 2023, with data produced in a meeting through collective construction on decolonial care, where after transcription of the audios, they were categorized with the support of MAXQDA software (2022), and the research was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee (REC) with CAAE–48959421.1.3001.5279 and approved with opinion no. 5,555,653. Results: The statements of the black nurses who participated in the sociopoetic experimentation resulted in three categories: 1) Racism as a barrier to access in academic training, 2) The experience of being a black nurse in everyday work, and 3) Decolonial/ancestral care as resistance. Discussion: Certainly, nursing education needs to be reorganized; since its inception, its theoretical-practical reading has been based solely on a single worldview, or rather, focused on caring for a single reference of "human being". Hence the need to rethink and incorporate multicultural concepts and care practices that can overcome all structures that sustain racism in contemporary society. Conclusions: Phenotypic prejudice, in addition to preventing different people from ensuring the right to access and opportunities, leads numerous professionals to suffer physically and mentally or to give up their careers. Nursing and mental health need to be prepared for current and future challenges in a world that is becoming more diverse every day. Finally, it is important for other studies to address this issue until racism is eradicated from society and especially from nursing.

It is like “Chasing Your Tail”: The Experiences of Black African Nurses Working in the National Health Service

Objective: The National Health Service (NHS) is made up of diverse workforce, however, not much is known about the experiences of black African mental health nurses working in NHS health care setting. The aim of this research is to unravel the experiences of black African mental nurses working in the NHS. Methods: A qualitative method and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from five experienced registered mental health nurses from sub-Saharan Africa actively practicing in England. Results: Three subordinate themes emerged namely: A little bit shocking, am I valued? and team dynamics and diversity. The analysis highlights explicit insights into participants’ experiences of working in clinical settings in England. Conclusion: It is essential for every nurse to feel valued and realise their full potential, it is essential that we develop holistic and innovative strategies for encouraging diversity and inclusivity in the clinical environment.

Outsiders Within

Few Black nurses occupy positions of leadership, and even fewer Black female nurses advance to careers as nurse executives. The purpose of this 2018 study was to explore the lived experience of being Black and female when becoming a nurse executive, specifically the nuances of being both a racial and gender minority. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological method, this study explored the experiences of a purposive sample of 10 Black female nurse executives through semistructured telephone interviews. van Manen's approach and Collins' Black feminist thought as the theoretical framework guided data analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) living in a constant state of readiness; (b) embracing the responsibility beyond the job description; and (c) overcoming. Participants testified of the psychological dynamics of Black womanness, and the burdens of the intersectionality of race, gender, and class discrimination, while managing the complexities and rigors of a thriving career. Discussing the results of this research will help leaders in nursing, health care, and related professions to understand further the experiences of Black female nurse executives, which will inform efforts to (a) increase minority representation in positions of nursing leadership and (b) improve health equity.

“Eu tenho a fama de ser um pouco transgressora!”: perspectivas interseccionais de enfermeiras negras

This study used the theoretical-methodological framework of intersectional and decolonial feminisms, conceiving the need to problematize discrimination/oppression of gender, race, class, professional training and others, as phenomena in the field of social psychology. The objective of this study was to analyze the perception of self-declared black nurses regarding the hierarchies of knowledge and power in health care work. Seven nursing professionals who work/have worked in hospital units of the SUS in the State of Rio de Janeiro from March 2020 to the moment of the fieldwork were interviewed. The results were divided into two analytical categories: 1.“The Doctor is the demigod!” and the “Doctor without a doctorate!”; 2. Knowledge-power hierarchies and racial relations in health. The results showed that according to their perception, the medical category still exerts a discursive hegemony mainly in general hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. Nurses who hold a managerial/leadership position reported experiences of discrimination linked to gender, race, professional class, among others, and that they react to these through a posture of confrontation and fight against racist and sexist structures. It was concluded that the research shows the importance of questioning the socio-sexual and racial division of work in health and its implications, of acknowledging the protagonism to black women in research, and also the importance of the role of these women within health care in the SUS.

The Work-Life Experiences of Black African Immigrant Nurses in Vancouver: Everyday Racisms and Acts of Resistance

This analysis is based on semi-structured interviews examining the work–life experiences of Black African immigrant nurses in Vancouver, British Columbia, conducted from June 2013 to June 2014. The article argues that nurses experience systemic barriers in which their sense of Canadian belonging and professionalism are called into question by patients, colleagues, and managers. Using the framing device of everyday racism, findings suggest that nurses navigate and counter these socio-cultural barriers by repurposing their daily actions into powerful subversive acts of resistance. The article uses the concept of everyday racism to relate the day-to-day experiences recounted by Black nurses to the larger macrostructural contexts that define the intersecting inequalities they describe. Grounded in Black Canadian feminist theory, this article contends that the lives of Black nurses offer critical insights to challenge structures of dominance. This article builds on existing scholarship discussing experiences of racism among Black and largely Caribbean nurses in Canada. The contribution is important because it offers the opportunity to analyze the lived realities of continental African nurses in Vancouver, in the historical context of a racialized Canadian state policy.

Anti-Black racism: Gaining insight into the experiences of Black nurses in Canada.

The call to address anti-Black racism in workplaces resonates across several organizations and institutions in Canada. But specifically, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic shed further light on how health inequities negatively impact the Black community. After conducting a literature review of the experiences of Black nurses in Canada, a deeper understanding of their plight was gained. In healthcare, the findings from the Black Nurses'Task Force report conclude that anti-Black racist practices are pervasive in nursing, and there remains a paucity of research in this area. This study builds off the report by exploring how Black nurses experience anti-Black racism while working in Canada's healthcare system. Inspired by critical race theory and Black feminist thought, an exploratory qualitative research study was conducted, using semistructured interviews to gather data. The study concludes that Black nurses experience anti-Black racism within the workplace, and it manifests itself through some of the attitudes of colleagues, patients, and nurses in leadership roles. Despite policies and statements that were in place to protect them, anti-Black racism continues to occur systematically. The findings point to the need for change in the overall workplace culture, which includes a fair representation of Black nurses in leadership roles, further research to identify best practices for tackling anti-Black racism within Canada's healthcare system, and mandatory training on anti-Black racism for healthcare leaders, educators, and service providers.

An Insight into the Experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic Nurses within Healthcare: A Narrative Literature Review

An Insight into the Experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic Nurses within Healthcare: A Narrative Literature Review

Outcomes of a leadership programme for black, Asian and minority ethnic mental health nurses

Outcomes of a leadership programme for black, Asian and minority ethnic mental health nurses

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Social Work Environment and Black Registered Nurses' Sleep.

Workplace experiences may place Black nurses at higher risk for poor sleep and adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to identify poor sleep prevalence and associations of workplace discrimination and workplace social capital with sleep. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression with exploratory analyses were conducted of cross sectional survey data from US Black nurses. On average, 63 respondents reported sleeping 6.15 h, 45 min less daily than 6.9 h reported nationally for nurses. Ninety-percent of respondents reported poor sleep quality. While no direct significance was found, respondents reporting sleep quality changes had lower workplace social capital and higher workplace discrimination. Black nurses may have higher prevalence of poor sleep than the larger nursing workforce. A potential relationship between decreased sleep quality and negative perceptions of the work environment may exist. Organizations should examine sleep and potential occupational health inequities among Black nurses when considering worker health.

Melting the Snowy White Peaks: The needs, expectations and experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic student nurses to support equitable nursing education and career progression

BackgroundThere is an under-representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic nurses in senior positions within the UK's national healthcare system. ObjectivesTo understand student nurses' perspectives on the role of race and ethnicity on career expectations, course learning and delivery, and areas for additional training and skill development for all nurses in understanding structural inequalities in healthcare. DesignQualitative study involving semi-structured interviews. SettingsUniversity in south-east England, UK. Participants15 nursing students (14 women, one man) from a range of ethnic backgrounds, age-groups and nationalities. MethodsInterviews lasting 30–60 min were conducted with nursing students and thematic analyses undertaken. ResultsFour inter-related themes were constructed: altered career expectations, lack of understanding, absent discussion of racism and missing representation. Experiences of racism were not uncommon for students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and these experiences affected these students' career expectations. Students described a lack of understanding about racism and that it was a taboo topic on their course and in placements. ConclusionsFindings highlight an urgent need for universities to challenge existing nursing curricula to ensure inclusive, anti-racist educational provision that works equitably for all future nurses. The importance of representation was highlighted among those who deliver courses, in the content of nursing curriculum through inclusive education, decolonised curricula and with student voices embedded to enable the development of culturally-competent nursing graduates.