A Labor & Delivery Nurse 'Treats Her Black Patients Differently' & Is Getting Praised For It
"I'm well aware that what I'm about to say could get me in a lot of trouble."
Nurse Jen Hamilton on TikTok. Right: An empty labor and delivery room.
A labor and delivery nurse in North Carolina says she treats her "Black patients differently" and is getting an overwhelmingly positive response from her followers.
The TikToker, Jen Hamilton (@_jen_hamilton_), is going viral for being transparent about her job and sharing professional advice. So, when she published a video on TikTok about why she gives special attention to this community, people paid attention.
"Black women are more likely than any other race to be harmed in pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. The U.S. is the worst place to have a baby if you're Black in the developed world. Why is this not happening anywhere else? Systemic racism. If you don't believe me, just google James Marion Sims," she said.
Sims was a white American physician known to have developed some of his gynecological surgery techniques by practicing on enslaved Black women without anesthesia in the 1840s.
Hamilton continues to give examples of what she does to treat her Black patients differently, including not expecting them to trust her right away and understanding that she has to prove that they can trust her.
She says she emphasizes that they are being listened to and that she believes everything they are telling her.
"I can neither confirm nor deny whether I've slapped a provider's hand away when the patient said 'no,'" she said.
Hamilton says she makes sure to include everyone in a conversation about pre-eclampsia, a leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S.
Black women flooded her comments section, delighted at her words.
"Legit cried. This is one of the main reasons I love you. I was blessed to have a nurse and a doctor who had the same attitude," one commenter wrote.
Others shared stories about how they were ignored in the hospital when they were having medical issues.
"Thank you. I am a Black woman. I had an allergic reaction to a med following the delivery of my son. It wasn't until a Hispanic nurse heard," another mother wrote.
Many people, including other health care professionals, said her work was appreciated and her message is important.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of racism, refer to these mental health resources and advocacy supports across the U.S. or contact the Racial Equity Support Line at 503-575-3764.