Impacts of Bias and Stigma within the Nursing Role

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT 1
Clinical Reflection Nursing Assignment
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NURSING ASSIGNMENT 2
Impacts of Bias and Stigma within the Nursing Role
All the healthcare professionals have an ethical responsibility to provide optimal care,
equally to all suffering patients. Healthcare providers should never let the societal stigma
influence their responses and decisions. Unfortunately, it is not always the case, most of the
providers have chosen to adopt the societal opinions of the general public. Consequently, there is
evident bias and stigma within the healthcare system. This paper aims to highlight the
consequences of bias and stigma within the nursing role. The paper also discusses the importance
of having personal and professional values as a registered nurse, strategies of maintaining self-
integrity, and importance of developing interpersonal communication skills as a registered nurse.
In the healthcare sector, stigmatization manifests in three levels simultaneously-
intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural. Structurally it can be exhibited through poor
investment of resources and low quality of care standards (Knaack et al., 2017). Interpersonally,
stigma and bias is shown through the consumer-provider interactions, presence of discriminatory
behaviors, and negative attitudes. On the intrapersonal level, a client is subjected to self-stigma
and is afraid to seek medical care while a nurse may be reluctant to disclose their conditions to
their colleagues or even seek care (Knaack et al., 2017). Several studies have shown that the
marginalized that are subjected to bias and stigma have a higher mortality rate compared to the
rest; this can be credited to delayed medical interventions for the marginalized patients (Creel &
Tillman, 2011).
Bias and stigma present in the healthcare system and among healthcare providers has
been identified as a major barrier in seeking treatment and achieving recovery. In one study it
was reported that mental health consumers felt devalued, dismissed, and dehumanized by many
health care professionals whom they had contact (Ross & Goldner, 2013). Most of the patients

NURSING ASSIGNMENT 3
complained of being excluded from decisions, made to wait for long when seeking help, health
providers holding back their health status information, and being treated in a demeaning manner.
Tyson (2013) in his study observed that stigma was a barrier in seeking clinical care even when
the primary reason for seeking admission was not related to the pre-existing psychiatric
disorder(Tyson, 2013).
In the workplace context, there is kind of an organizational culture where the healthcare
providers cannot disclose their psychological concerns. In return, many nurses are forced to rely
on self-treatment and are in process denied the necessary peer support for such conditions. There
is a conception that nurses with mental health concerns are less competent, unpredictable, and
dangerous not fit for the job (Golberstein et al. 2010).. As a result many nurses opt not to seek
medical attention and hence a decreased productivity in the healthcare system. In conclusion, it is
evident that bias and stigma issues can be attributed to delayed medical intervention,
discontinuation of treatment, and compromised therapeutic relationships. Stigmatization hurts
the delivery of quality care; registered nurses have the responsibility of providing a conducive
environment where individuals can engage each other in a non-judgmental and trusting way.
Importance of Personal and Professional Values in the Nursing Role
The essential factor of the nursing practice is the art of caring. The two are so
interdependent that it would be difficult to separate them. It takes moral personal and
professional values to provide the best care and create a connection with strangers. Caring is the
foundation value for the important therapeutic relationships built between the nurses and the
patients. The actions and thoughts that nurses have should be a clear reflection of what they
would like provided to them and their families. Nurses do interact with vulnerable ill people