Racial Microaggressions within the Field of Nursing

Racial microaggressions (RM) have transitioned into a subtle form of contemporary racism and are potentially involved within our communication as healthcare providers. Though cultural competency is addressed within nursing education, this RM phenomenon continues to happen in everyday discourse and can occur with little or no awareness on the part of Caucasians. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of how RMs against African Americans exist within the field of nursing and how their underlying discrimination increases the marginalization of this community. A detailed search was conducted using CINAHL, PsycInfo and ProQuest databases using the keywords: racial microaggressions, subtle racism, African Americans, nursing, health disparities, health outcomes, healthcare, cultural competency. Peer-reviewed studies written in English and published between 2008 to 2017 were considered. This review discusses the chronic presence of RMs against the African American population and identified the defining characteristics of RM within the nursing literature. Their effect on the marginalization of this community was organized into two major pathways of stress suffered by the individual: psychological stress and biological stress. RMs within an institutionalized healthcare system were associated with decreased level of care and ultimately contribute to the ongoing health disparities suffered on the part by the African American population.