McCullum Legal Nurse Consulting

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Let's cut out about 3 emails and go straight to scheduling that phone call: https://calendly.com/mccullumlegal/introductory-phone-call

Implicit bias is not overt racism, homophobia, or sexism. It's a subtle, unconscious, automatic reaction, and it may actually contradict one's stated beliefs and values.

Implicit bias is insidious, nebulous, and requires thorough self-awareness to mitigate. It's the precursor to explicit bias, which is why self-awareness and being open and frank about oneself is so important.

Need a medical example?

Explicit bias: stating Hispanics can't tolerate pain because they are very vocal about it.

Implicit bias: ordering smaller doses of pain medication for the Hispanic population despite severely high stated pain scores compared to similar pain scores from the white population.

Bias is scary, and people don't want to believe they hold bias. My presentations on bias make some people defensive or uncomfortable, and that's the point.

What are some examples of implicit bias you've seen?

I see a lot of posts by nurses wanting to leave the bedside. It seems like the goal of so many nurses, the ephemeral hands-off nurse job while raking in the cash.

That's not my goal.

I like being a testifying expert, but I also like being a nurse. Emergency nursing takes a special breed, and it suits me well. Besides not being built for a desk job and liking the adrenaline, I enjoy seeing how healthcare evolves through the years and what impact I can make, whether that's a personal change, a change in my department, or a regional/nationwide change. I use that knowledge to write publications and speak in webinars and conferences.

My dad once said, "you're not just a nurse." But I am. I'm the full package, a nurse who is here for the entire experience, a nurse who has a seat at many tables. I write, I consult with attorneys, I testify, I speak at conferences, and then I clean up vomit or hold a hand.

I'm a nurse.

The actual text may not be saved into the medical record...
.. but the audit trail will show if a secure message was sent at the time stated it was sent.

It's mildly intriguing how many attorneys will respond back to my weekend communications within a few hours.