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Perceptions of racism in the health service
1University of Central Lancashire, Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Blackburn.
Aim:
The information reported in this article formed part of a large study, which examined how the pre-registration nursing curriculum prepares students to work with minority ethnic groups. Questions on racism were asked as a subsidiary to the main area under study.
Method:
A questionnaire was sent to student nurses (n = 1035) and lecturers (n = 303) teaching pre-registration students in the North West Region. Participants were also invited to record their qualitative comments.
Results:
The results showed that a higher percentage of lecturers than students had heard what they perceived to be racist comments in the classroom. Several students commented that racist attitudes were mainly the result of a lack of knowledge and/or ignorance.
Conclusion:
From the study results, it appears that racism is still evident in the classroom and the clinical placement area.