The Pediatricians here work all weekend from Friday morning until Monday covering all the Pediatric services with one doctor so that the others can have a weekend off. It is dreaded by most as there are many calls into the emergency room at night to admit babies and children as well as deliveries to attend to. There are many sleepless nights.
Last night we had a snowstorm in Northern Arizona. After a week of temps in the low 70s the winds came through with snow and temps in the 20s. It was in these conditions that I would trudge back and forth to the emergency room or Pediatrics ward to see patients. Unfortunately although I found the work exciting and interesting I had a bad encounter with one of nursing staff.
To preserve privacy I cannot go into the nature of the case of the encounter but I know encounters come up, and especially with locum tenens (temporary) physicians like myself who are viewed often as second class physicians or hired guns. There are also cultural issues at play. Many Native Americans just as with Afro Americans suffer from societal prejudice and I know Native
American nurses feel the sting of this prejudice. I too feel the sting of prejudice against the Native American hospital and empathize with the Native American staff. Most had to surmount barriers of poverty and education to achieve the positions they have. Most are reminded of the discrimination the moment they step off the reservation and encounter not so empathetic people in the four corners region. We here are working for the same goal of providing quality care for children and with that thought we (Native and Non Native) can come together to for the benefit of our patients.
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