Angie (a receptionist) answers the phone. The caller has limited English skills and seems to be asking to speak to a nurse about her father, John Smith. Angie sees Maria (a Spanish-speaking RN) walking past and tells Maria, “There’s someone on the phone asking about John Smith but they don’t speak English. Can you talk to him?” and passed Maria the phone. After a few moments, Maria handed the phone back and said the caller did not speak Spanish but should be transferred to the nurses’ station in Mr. Smith’s hall. How could Angie and Maria have better handled the situation?
Jane (a CNA) is collecting meal trays and notices that Mrs. Smith has not eaten much of her food. She tells Maria (the RN) that Mrs. Smith has not eaten much on her tray for the past few days. Maria says, “It’s ok, Mrs. Smith needs to lose a bit of weight anyway” and walks away. What implicit bias has Maria shown? What is the potential danger of this bias?
Mrs. Jones (an elderly resident) complains to Steve (the RN) that she has been feeling very “tired” in recent days. Steve asks her, “is anything wrong? Or are you just feeling your age?” Mrs. Jones responds, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just feeling old.” Steve pats her hand and walks away. What implicit bias has Steve shown? What is the potential danger of this bias?
Mr. Jones (an elderly resident in an Assisted Living community) tells the nurses that he is very excited that his son, son-in-law, and grandchildren are coming to visit the next day. The following day, Mr. Jones’ family comes into the facility and the group sits down in the rec room for a visit. Another resident sees the family and loudly exclaims, “Children need a mother!” and uses some gay slurs to describe the family. A number of employees, including the facility administrator are in the room and look up without saying anything. A few moments later Mr. Jones tells a nurse that he and his family are going to go out for dinner. Mr. Jones’ family does not return. How could employees have diffused the situation?
Jane (a CNA) goes into Susan’s room to collect her dinner tray. Susan asks if there will be a special holiday meal or any activities the next day. Jane responds “No Susan, you must be confused, Christmas is not for another two weeks” and then walks out the door. How has Jane shown implicit bias? How could she have responded differently?
