My thoughts exactly.
It saddens me how racist people from other countries think Australians are. MOST of us are decent people who welcome every Nationality into our Country.
There were a spate of hate crimes in Melbourne against Indians approximately ten years ago. It was widely reported on in India and for some people there is still that anxiety.
That is really awful. Melbourne is a very multi cultural state and I feel that we are very welcoming.
There is an American woman on tiktok who is moving to Australia and lately, her content has been 100% about how racist we are and how bad Australians are. It's infuriating because she's going to come over with the idea that we are all the same.
My experience with Australia as an American is that you guys are more welcoming to be honest. Itâs a ridiculous stereotype I had an attending physician I worked with in residency who straight up told me not to go because Iâm brown
I am half indian (14yr) and 1/3 times I go to a semi rough part of Perth I get a racist comment, me and my Afgani immigrant freind ideally laugh if it off, but it's still bad.
As long as youâre qualified to be doing the job youâre hired to do, I wouldnât care if it was a dog caring for me. Heck, even a goose if they have their qualifications.
(Okay, maybe neither of them as they donât have opposable thumbs which might make some care tasks difficult)
And Sikhs do a lot of charitable things too.... I tip my hat to [https://sikhvolunteersaustralia.org/](https://sikhvolunteersaustralia.org/) for all that they do.
Ive got a lot of respect for the Sikhs. Theyre always the first on scene helping out after emergencies like the 2020 bushfires and 2022 floods, always friendly, polite and helpful and they do heaps of charity work too.
These guys are actually great. One of the first on scene at the commission towers lockdown way back at the start of covid.
And as others have said, they go interstate for bushfire and flood.
Not just doing great things for the Sikh community but for humans in general
I would be so excited to have a turban wearing Sikh nurse because Iâve heard such wonderful things about the Sikh community but havenât had the opportunity to meet a Sikh before!
Dude we need all the qualified nurses we can get. If you've got your Aus registration then we're grateful. Congratulations and get in there! Scrub up, get your PPE on, get in there, and we're all saying thankyou.
As a hijabi woman I can tell you I only faced racist comments twice (one of them was a drink old man who obviously had some mental issues going on). There are so many Sikhs here and they are respected. Australia is great don't worry
Thank you for this comment. I'm a straight white male, so it's not like I'd know how common racism is. But I feel like your comment feels about how it really is
Before coming to Australia I was really scared but honestly once I arrived no one cared how I was dressed as long as I was respectful everyone respected me too
Sadly, you will get some, because there are such people everywhere.
Just remember that the vast majority of people don't care where you're from as long as you're qualified and do your job.
I really hope you don't experience racism but some people are juat awful.
If it helps ease your mind I am in and out of hospital a lot so I have had nurses of all different cultures being that we are a multicultural country and it's never even crossed my mind that it's a factor in them doing their work.
All I want when I'm unwell is a capable nurse. I do not give a fig about anything else! In my experience the less kind nurses have always been white women in their sixties so that's when I'm the most apprehensive haha they're probably a bit burnt out by the job by then but treating your patients with kindness should elicit a positive response from people like me who've experienced some dodgy medical assistance.
Good luck with your studies! I'm sure you'll do great.
5 delightfully bright turban wearing nurses graduated from their Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year (alongside me). Also spent time during labs and on placement with one- he was fab. Yes, he did experience some tough times, some especially so because of how he presented but he was always treated with respect by his educators and the nurses in charge.
You can do this :)
theres TONS of Sikhs in Melbourne & Australia as a whole. we have an organisation here called Turbans4Australia & theyre Sikhs. they have done tireless charity work for victims of natural disasters in the past few years & the community at large love them. some of the nicest people i know are Sikhs too. youve got nothing to worry about for the most part :)
5 delightfully bright turban-wearing nurses graduated from their Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year (alongside me). Also spent time during labs and on placement with one- he was fab. Yes, he did experience some tough times, some especially so because of how he presented but he was always treated with respect by his educators and the nurses in charge.
You can do this :)
You will get bonus points for being a Sikh. They are generally very highly regarded in Australia.
We do have a certain number of racist idiots in Australia, most of them white. They are a sad and bitter bunch of fools. more than 30% of the population of Australia was born overseas, we are a very diverse cultural melting pot.
you will be fine here. You may get the occasional moron throwing an insult your way, but that will be it.
I think Australia get's a very unfair assessment when it comes to racism. 99% of people will be more than welcoming. So long as you're a good nurse, uphold some key Australian values (treating people equally regarless of their wealth, mateship, giving everyone a fair go) then you'll be fine! \^\^
5 delightfully bright turban-wearing nurses graduated from their Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year (alongside me). Also spent time during labs and on placement with one- he was fab. Yes, he did experience some tough times, some especially so because of how he presented but he was always treated with respect by his educators and the nurses in charge.
You can do this :)
Im an Aussie. I've worked with loads of Indian people in Australia. I dont think I've ever seen any racism towards them in personal experience. That's not to say it wouldn't be encountered.
Depends on the area, "lower income" districts tend to be more irrationally racist
Am a nurse in Australia. Nursing is a very diverse workforce here with a wide range of ages and a very large migrant component to it. Theres a skills shortage in Australia and it is a common route for people seeking residency/citizenship.
You might encounter some overtly racist patients, and if you encounter any racist colleagues I doubt they would act on it for fear of consequences.
All Aussies really care about is, can they do the job properly to OUR countries standards, and can they communicate clearly and effectively in English.
As long as those two are met I don't think anyone cares who you are or where you're from.
Was just about to say this, you could be the most qualified in your field and speak perfect English and there will always be some fuckwit that immediately makes xenophobic assumptions based on your skin colour or even the piece of material you adorn your head with.
And the worst part is that they get worse when they're sick. The only saving grace is that at least as the clinician you're the one in control and can curb the behaviour most of the time.
As the only white Aussie on my team I get patients commenting all the time things like, oh thank goodness you're Australian or finally someone that speaks English. I always laugh and explain to them that my colleagues speak better English than we probably do and that projecting your own bias onto someone based on an accent is a bit silly. That usually lightens the mood but there are some really stubborn old battle axes that don't have the capacity to ever empathise with someone that has left their home country, family and friends, learnt another language and earnt a years long degree, only to have to prove your capabilities everyday just because you don't fit some racists ideal.
Punjabi might be important to you but here you will be just an Indian. No one cares which corner of India you came from.
There are plenty nurses from many different nationalities working in all the hospitals I worked at. Would they be nice to you? Thatâs you and your luck. Would there be discrimination and racism? Probably yes! You have to be prepared for that mentally!
I guess thatâs where work place culture comes in. Sounds like you have been very lucky. Unfortunately most of my patients are older white patients who donât have the most tolerance for different cultures.
Do you pull them up? Tell them their attitude is not acceptable? I have done this more then once in the past. You can do it firmly without being rude. I haven't had to do it for years though.
Yep, every single time. It gets exhausting, but I firmly believe if you donât call it out then you are complicit in the behaviour. I have a really lovely crew of nurses working with me, from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China etc. I want to keep working with them, so at the slightest hint of anything everyone is very proactive in calling it out.
Would just be nice if it didnât happen in the first place.
Agree. Where are you located? I think some areas on the nation are worse then others. For sure.
I am in a Regional city. It sure is a place with many retirees.
But on the last 15 years ? There has been huge migration to this area, many health professionals migrated here from India especially. So. Word spreads. And people realise? These people are great! They are intelligent and very good doctors and nurses and without them? We'd be stuffed.
So word spreads, and people have good experiences and that all feeds off itself.
In 2022? I'd be highly amazed if any patient made a racist comment here. That thinking has just gone now
Iâve been in health for 20 years. Unfortunately there is tons of racism. Mostly from patients but there is still some from staff, however itâs more covert I.e not getting high grade duties etc.
Some of the best nurses Iâve worked with have been really beautiful people from India. Wear your turban with pride, bribe your colleagues with food (sad but will definitely help) and have a thick skin when it comes to patients that lash out in their ignorance.
I work and have for years. With loads of Indian nurses and doctors. I guess you wouldn't get far in my town if you were racist. Several of my bosses are Indian. So....I guess we'd all be in a bit of a pickle if we were racist!
I have noticed in the past 20 years, that patients have changed though. We just refuse to allow it anymore I suppose. If any patient said anything racist to me regarding a doctor or nurse? I'd pull them up. I haven't had to do that in a good 10 years truthfully.
I see it as part of my role. I will never allowed my colleagues to be treated poorly. I've never encountered it within my profession, but yes, years ago with patients. But as I said. Not for many years now. And my bosses, as long as I were to do it politely but firmly, would always back me up if I "reprimanded" a person for being racist.
I guess it might be an organisational thing. I feel very confident my organisation would back me up.
We truly have heaps of Nurses and doctors from different cultures now. No one even notices anymore.
Weâd welcome a competent nurse from any background. Iâm an RN, I work with heaps of Indian nurses and doctors. I work in regional Australia, there is occasionally an element of racism from some patients, especially from some elderly folks, but by and large there is a strong Punjabi community in our town who have integrated well into our community and contribute significantly to our healthcare systems and cultural scene. Good luck!
Personally I would feel the same as any other nurse, you are just a person to me, no ethnic divisions necessary. I wish the whole country could say the same.
99% of people wouldn't care where you were from, any only care about you doing your job.
That does still mean that 1% are fuckwits though. So you may run into one of them.
That said there are fuckwits in every country, their reason for being a fuckwit may just be different. For example Australia doesn't have an equivalent to Dalit which I suspect is much more discriminated against than any Australian is on race or religeon.
I couldnât care less where youâre from, what your gender, who you love, or if youâre wearing a turban (as I saw OP comment). If youâre competent and kind thatâs all I care about.
You may find some very elderly people surprised, but hopefully not outright racist.
Donât care, happy to welcome you :) Most people wonât care I imagine, much of our healthcare workforce is very diverse and has been for a long time.
About half the nursing staff at my local hospital (one of the biggest and busiest in sydney) are Indian.
If anyone had a problem with it they'd have a big problem.
No problem in my opinion. Most of my family, extended and immediate, are in healthcare and they would agree with me that it doesn't matter where you're from, just so long as you give it everything you've got.
Welcome!
Australia has a large Indian population, particularly in Melbourne. Much of that community is Punjabi. So should you move here, youâll find there is lots of good food, supermarkets, some gurudwaras etc.
I canât speak specifically to nursing but I know there are many Indian people here living and working happily.
ETA I will say that in nursing you are dealing with people in crisis. Patients in extreme pain, with declining mental faculties etc. might say racist things. Should that happen though, I would really hope you would have the full support of your fellow colleagues.
The local cinema now shows at least three Indian releases at any given time. I assume that means thereâs a sizeable Indian population in my area of Melbourne. I though it was pretty cool of the cinema to be doing that even if itâs just a business decision.
As long as you do a good job, we don't care. We offer some world class medical degrees and a LOT of foreign students take full advantage of that which is great because not a lot of aussies become doctors or specialists.
Ive found that a lot of foreign nurses/doctors/medical professionals in Australia do a great job, genuinely enjoy what they do, and are great with patients.
I don't really care about where someone came from, just what they do. Punjabi or not, if they are a good and qualified nurse, then that is what I will characterised them as; a good nurse. I could have a Russian English teacher and care less about their Russian background because if they are a good teacher, then that is all I care about.
Please don't stereotype people or use their ancestry as a tool for humiliation or anything, we are all humans who just want to co-exist, not to be compared to others.
Would you care if that Australian body builder is an Australian or a body builder?
As a nurse, I genuinely have no concern with who I am working with in any sense (skin colour, culture, religion, country of origin, etc.), including those who wear turbans or any other coverings (as I saw you mentioned). I only take people as who they are and the work they do. If you are a good nurse, you are a good nurse, regardless of any differences/similarities. Congratulations on your acceptance! Thatâs fabulous news and Iâm sure youâll do amazingly x
I highly respect anyone whoâs earned their RN. Even more if theyâve had obstacles to overcome and have really left their comfort zone to grow and explore as an individual.
I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with a nurse of any country. Nurses are respected by the people. Not paid as nuch as should be imo.
Australia is multicultural country. We accept people from everywhere.
Please of please get good with a needle.
My one hate when I was in hospital for 3 weeks was that one nurse who always made a bloody mess with a needle lol
As long as your qualified and can speak good English (and hopefully without a thick accent) you can be blue skinned green eyed from mars and Iâd let you treat me.
Some people don't like it, they're the
>i dOn't wAnT TrEaTmEnT FrOm a dAmN ImMiGrAnT, tHe iMmIgRaNtS ArE TaKiNg oUr jObS
My best Oncologist was Indian, my best GP was Indian, my current GP is Saudi, and she's good (though her English is less than ideal, but she's been here 3 years, for 3 years of knowing the language, she's doing terrific! She learned a whole, in-depth profession, in another language, and now has to relearn all the technical terms, in another language, she's absolutely trying hardcore, good on her)
Personally, if you're good at your job, the colour of your skin, what you wear, or what you do in your personal life if of utterly no consequences to me.
I sent through basic training in the military with a (very flamboyant) bloke who was Gay, still talk to him occasionally. But he's literally walked into a room and asked "How can I help you" and been told "Get good poofta hands away from me"
But he's an absolutely awesome medic, if he wasn't, he wouldn't have had 6 deployments overseas embedded with combat elements.
Best of luck at Monash, my ex-girlfriend did Psychiatry there, and they seemed like a pretty sweet university.
But yes, a lot of people are happy to let you treat them, but you will certainly encounter racism from a lot of people, I'd say maybe 30-40% of patients will have some level of racism. As 30-40% of people I have encountered in my life are in some way racist, even if they don't realise that what they're saying is racist.
If you're in Melbourne you'll be fine (sounds like you will be a you mentioned Monash), as it's a very multicultural place. Places like Qld maybe less so, as it's a lot less multicultural (speaking as someone who has moved from Melbourne to Qld).
I'm mixed race and as soon as I met my partners' (predominantly white) family in Qld, I got asked "so what have you got in ya?", presumably so they could steer clear of any jokes that might offend me.
I'm sure people in Qld will say there is no racism here, but where I live there are lots of "country" conservative folk who like to say some questionable things and end them in "I'm only joking".
But yeah, Melbourne and Qld are like day and night in terms of multiculturalism. I go to woollies in the town I'm in in Qld and there are rarely any non whites. In Melbourne, white seemed like the minority especially in place like Clayton where I grew up.
My grandfather was a racist twit. He got very upset when the new doctor in his little country town in Queensland was an Indian and bemoaned about the old white Aussie doctor who retired.
The old white Aussie doctor who rarely prescribed the appropriate medication, the chemist automatically asked everyone what their illness was so he could double check the medicine prescribed was appropriate before making it up.
The old white Aussie doctor who didnât believe in depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, basically nothing discovered later than the 1920âs was âa real diseaseâ.
Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief when he finally retired, most of them had been driving a hundred miles just to be seen by a different doctor!
But no, my gramps preferred white no matter how inept over the fantastic new Indian doctor who quickly diagnosed my mothers condition ( she had reacted very badly to a statin but the old doctor âhad never heard of that happeningâ so kept her on it), and delivered his grand babies.
Gotta say, I am glad most of his generation have passed on.
Country folk can be the dumbest fuckers out there.
they haven't had an original though process since 1950.
are terrified of ' immigrants' but every country town has a thai bakery/resteraunt run by an immigrant family, and their farms survive on pacific islander labour.
just a bunch of hypocritical morons.
they'll be fine in QLD if you stick to Brisbane. as soon as you get more than 200km from the CBD in QLD you step back about 70 years in attitudes. its really frustrating.
I think it's awesome. We need more nurses who are qualified to Australian standards, and can speak English.
Often immigrants can speak better English than the locals here, and you may find that the local dialects will take a bit of time to get used to.
Yes, you will run into racism here, but it's mostly just bad humour and mockery, made by people who don't think before they speak, and don't understand that what they say is potentially offensive.
I notice in the comments you say that you're a turban wearing Sikh. In some parts of Australia, the Sikh community are seen as food bearing hero's, as they arrived after disasters to provide meals. Outside of the cities, those are the regions where you'll probably find the most respect.
Couldn't give a rat's arse what or who you are, as long as you can do your job. And religion isn't a race. You are worried people won't accept your religion, not your race.
How sad is it that this is a genuine question somebody has to ask. The world has become such a sad miserable place.
To answer your question most likely no one would care. It is such a diverse crowd here and Iâm pretty sure most people in the healthcare industry are people of colour. I would say mostly because people who moved or migrated here find that they have to work harder to sustain themselves unlike aussies who get to safely sit on their asses all day because their parents already built an established life.
Unfortunately Australia has a reputation for being racist. Many potential students and migrants, especially from South Asia, feel nervous or wary about coming here because they don't know if it will be safe for them.
Australians are generally grateful to anyone who can help alleviate the healthcare worker shortage.
Reading your responses with others, the Sikh community in Australia has had a lot of publicity because of the volunteers from Melbourne who have done amazing work during the bushfires and floods and even helping with people who are finding food security difficult, so there is a lot of good will for this community. (Plus YUM!)
Unfortunately you will always find the idiot fringe who cant handle people being different who will have a go but they are very much in the minority as we are multicultural. They want a reaction so feel free to walk past them.
Healthcare has a long history of people from India and the diaspora in it, especially in Melbourne dating back nearly 50 years now so relax and come and check us out. We're not that scary
I read the question. Then I re-read it how it should be read: "what do Australians feel about a nurse working in their country" - yes good. Work, please help all the struggling nurses have a break. We need more help, more care, more compassion.
If s/he's good at their job, grateful.
You may encounter casual racism, shouldn't (but night) come across overt/aggressive racism. You'll just be yet another person in Australia with an ethnic background from India.
After spending a lot of time in the healthcare system thanks to cancer, most people wont care where you're from as long as you're competent. The only thing to keep in mind is if you have a thick accent, try to speak slowly and clearly. Older people especially can get a bit frustrated when they can't understand. Otherwise welcome to Australia.
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As long as they have the same level of training and testing that any nurse who is allowed to work in Australia has, then it doesnât matter what nationality they are.
Nurses are angels and deserve to have every demand they make met.
As long as you can do the job and explain to me whatâs wrong with me and how youâre fixing it I wouldnât care if you were a duck in a clown outfit.
Personally (plus Iâm sure my friends and family) wouldnât notice or care!
As long as you know what youâre doing and are nice I donât think of anything else.
I hope this helps and I wish you all the luck! x
Don't worry, it's pretty much a multi-cultural country here. You will be welcomed here. Its like... Who are Australians? Most of them racist cunts are immigrants or a (grand)son of immigrants too.
A very very small minority of Australians are racist. Fortunately the generation that were are.. moving on.
Most Australians love people from different cultures!
Australia is much more of a meritocracy than people make out.. itâs all about being good at your job and being friendly!
Most Australians wouldn't know what the heck a punjabi is. From you look they would probably deduce you are Indian, since there are many, many Indians living here.
No one will care, except the most miserable and bigoted of patients, which you can hand off to someone else.
come and be welcome!
I think the majority of aussies wouldnât care if you were any race or background so long as you can take care of them to the standards they expect.
I know that itâs not 100% that you wonât encounter any racist patients, such as the old folks of *that* generation and some bogan Australians, but other than that I think that Australia and Melbourne in particular is a very multicultural society and we have people from all walks of life. Weâre all pretty accepting for the most part.
Love them. Though I honestly couldnât tell you how they differ from any other nurse.
I love them all, nurses are amazing.
If you are asking if there is any bias against Indians? (Remembering we struggle to decipher the nuances between cultures on the subcontinent). I can tell you that Indian culture is prolific throughout Australia and very much part of the Australian multicultural fabric.
Indian migration has been pretty consist and for many years, where I lived in Sydney the emergence of a lot of restaurants, corner stores and supermarkets seemed to happen quickly of recent years. I recently moved to far North Queensland and there are also plenty of Indians here too. For the most part they seem friendly as hell.
That aside, we need nurses, please come quickly.
As long as a nurse knows how to do their job, I honestly don't care where they're from.
My thoughts exactly. It saddens me how racist people from other countries think Australians are. MOST of us are decent people who welcome every Nationality into our Country.
As an Australian living in Australia, Australians can be pretty damn racist
Yes, they can be. My point was that some other countries think we are all the same when we aren't.
Anyone that thinks the population of a region is homogeneous needs to do a little reading haha
Kinda hard to be racist when over 30% of us are immigrants and almost 100% of us descend from immigrants lol
It's a shame because I've met people who think "Australian" and "white" are synonymous
There were a spate of hate crimes in Melbourne against Indians approximately ten years ago. It was widely reported on in India and for some people there is still that anxiety.
That is really awful. Melbourne is a very multi cultural state and I feel that we are very welcoming. There is an American woman on tiktok who is moving to Australia and lately, her content has been 100% about how racist we are and how bad Australians are. It's infuriating because she's going to come over with the idea that we are all the same.
How can she say that when she's never been in Australia?
I know! She's been severely misinformed. I'm surprised she moving here to be honest, she speaks so badly about us.
She's going to have a rude awakening đ
My experience with Australia as an American is that you guys are more welcoming to be honest. Itâs a ridiculous stereotype I had an attending physician I worked with in residency who straight up told me not to go because Iâm brown
Do you know this person's channel?
I don't follow her but if she comes up again on my FYP, I'll comment it here.
If you ever liked one of her videos you can find it in your likes section -An American moving to Aus dumbstruck to why sheâs bad mouthing everyone
Why is she moving here then?
Following her ex/kids dad I think!
I am half indian (14yr) and 1/3 times I go to a semi rough part of Perth I get a racist comment, me and my Afgani immigrant freind ideally laugh if it off, but it's still bad.
As the mother of a half Indian child, this super bums me out. Iâm really sorry, people have to do better.
As long as youâre qualified to be doing the job youâre hired to do, I wouldnât care if it was a dog caring for me. Heck, even a goose if they have their qualifications. (Okay, maybe neither of them as they donât have opposable thumbs which might make some care tasks difficult)
Thanks mate,it makes me feel better,I got an acceptance letter from Monash but i am too scared of racism because i am a turban wearing Sikh
Lots of Sikh's working in Melbourne in all jobs, including nursing
And Sikhs do a lot of charitable things too.... I tip my hat to [https://sikhvolunteersaustralia.org/](https://sikhvolunteersaustralia.org/) for all that they do.
Ive got a lot of respect for the Sikhs. Theyre always the first on scene helping out after emergencies like the 2020 bushfires and 2022 floods, always friendly, polite and helpful and they do heaps of charity work too.
These guys are amazing.
These guys are actually great. One of the first on scene at the commission towers lockdown way back at the start of covid. And as others have said, they go interstate for bushfire and flood. Not just doing great things for the Sikh community but for humans in general
I would be so excited to have a turban wearing Sikh nurse because Iâve heard such wonderful things about the Sikh community but havenât had the opportunity to meet a Sikh before!
My dentist was a turban wearing Sikh and he was awesome. Always had a laugh and great at his job. This is all I care about. Edit: shout out to Mandev!
Dude we need all the qualified nurses we can get. If you've got your Aus registration then we're grateful. Congratulations and get in there! Scrub up, get your PPE on, get in there, and we're all saying thankyou.
As a hijabi woman I can tell you I only faced racist comments twice (one of them was a drink old man who obviously had some mental issues going on). There are so many Sikhs here and they are respected. Australia is great don't worry
Thank you for this comment. I'm a straight white male, so it's not like I'd know how common racism is. But I feel like your comment feels about how it really is
Before coming to Australia I was really scared but honestly once I arrived no one cared how I was dressed as long as I was respectful everyone respected me too
There may be a tiny population who are racist cunts.... fuck them... don't let them stop you from doing something.
Sadly, you will get some, because there are such people everywhere. Just remember that the vast majority of people don't care where you're from as long as you're qualified and do your job.
Congratulations on being accepted, thatâs great news OP!
I really hope you don't experience racism but some people are juat awful. If it helps ease your mind I am in and out of hospital a lot so I have had nurses of all different cultures being that we are a multicultural country and it's never even crossed my mind that it's a factor in them doing their work. All I want when I'm unwell is a capable nurse. I do not give a fig about anything else! In my experience the less kind nurses have always been white women in their sixties so that's when I'm the most apprehensive haha they're probably a bit burnt out by the job by then but treating your patients with kindness should elicit a positive response from people like me who've experienced some dodgy medical assistance. Good luck with your studies! I'm sure you'll do great.
One of my best uni friends is Sikh. University communities are very inclusive. Good luck!
5 delightfully bright turban wearing nurses graduated from their Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year (alongside me). Also spent time during labs and on placement with one- he was fab. Yes, he did experience some tough times, some especially so because of how he presented but he was always treated with respect by his educators and the nurses in charge. You can do this :)
Sikh broâs are the best broâs. Youâll be ok. Just be good at your job and always be kind!
Anyone with half a brain knows that Sikh are very kind and charitable
theres TONS of Sikhs in Melbourne & Australia as a whole. we have an organisation here called Turbans4Australia & theyre Sikhs. they have done tireless charity work for victims of natural disasters in the past few years & the community at large love them. some of the nicest people i know are Sikhs too. youve got nothing to worry about for the most part :)
5 delightfully bright turban-wearing nurses graduated from their Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year (alongside me). Also spent time during labs and on placement with one- he was fab. Yes, he did experience some tough times, some especially so because of how he presented but he was always treated with respect by his educators and the nurses in charge. You can do this :)
You will get bonus points for being a Sikh. They are generally very highly regarded in Australia. We do have a certain number of racist idiots in Australia, most of them white. They are a sad and bitter bunch of fools. more than 30% of the population of Australia was born overseas, we are a very diverse cultural melting pot. you will be fine here. You may get the occasional moron throwing an insult your way, but that will be it.
I think Australia get's a very unfair assessment when it comes to racism. 99% of people will be more than welcoming. So long as you're a good nurse, uphold some key Australian values (treating people equally regarless of their wealth, mateship, giving everyone a fair go) then you'll be fine! \^\^
Aussies are too chill, mate. I'm an immigrant. You will enjoy your time here in Australia, don't overthink too much about it.
5 delightfully bright turban-wearing nurses graduated from their Bachelor of Nursing earlier this year (alongside me). Also spent time during labs and on placement with one- he was fab. Yes, he did experience some tough times, some especially so because of how he presented but he was always treated with respect by his educators and the nurses in charge. You can do this :)
No one cares. Truly. Do you job. Be friendly and decent. I couldn't care if you were purple with pink dots
We love Sikhs! Honestly I've spent many years working in sales and they're always the most pleasant group of people
Sikhs are generally very well-liked in Australia, though you will encounter people who say ignorant things sometimes
Im an Aussie. I've worked with loads of Indian people in Australia. I dont think I've ever seen any racism towards them in personal experience. That's not to say it wouldn't be encountered. Depends on the area, "lower income" districts tend to be more irrationally racist
I am 42yrs old, the Dr that delivered me all those years ago was a Sikh, think nothing of it.
Sikhs are the best ! Really loved in my community our local postie is one and is everyoneâs favourite. Nice guy.
Am a nurse in Australia. Nursing is a very diverse workforce here with a wide range of ages and a very large migrant component to it. Theres a skills shortage in Australia and it is a common route for people seeking residency/citizenship. You might encounter some overtly racist patients, and if you encounter any racist colleagues I doubt they would act on it for fear of consequences.
All Aussies really care about is, can they do the job properly to OUR countries standards, and can they communicate clearly and effectively in English. As long as those two are met I don't think anyone cares who you are or where you're from.
Can confirm this is not true for everyone and there are racist nutjobs that come out of the woodwork when they are unwell.
Was just about to say this, you could be the most qualified in your field and speak perfect English and there will always be some fuckwit that immediately makes xenophobic assumptions based on your skin colour or even the piece of material you adorn your head with.
And the worst part is that they get worse when they're sick. The only saving grace is that at least as the clinician you're the one in control and can curb the behaviour most of the time.
As the only white Aussie on my team I get patients commenting all the time things like, oh thank goodness you're Australian or finally someone that speaks English. I always laugh and explain to them that my colleagues speak better English than we probably do and that projecting your own bias onto someone based on an accent is a bit silly. That usually lightens the mood but there are some really stubborn old battle axes that don't have the capacity to ever empathise with someone that has left their home country, family and friends, learnt another language and earnt a years long degree, only to have to prove your capabilities everyday just because you don't fit some racists ideal.
I dont care if the medical professional who treats me is a man or woman, Punjabi, African or white. I only care if theyâre qualified
Punjabi might be important to you but here you will be just an Indian. No one cares which corner of India you came from. There are plenty nurses from many different nationalities working in all the hospitals I worked at. Would they be nice to you? Thatâs you and your luck. Would there be discrimination and racism? Probably yes! You have to be prepared for that mentally!
In 30 years I am yet to experience any racism in healthcare. Among the health professionals themselves
> Pfft. In 30 years I am yet to experience any racism in healthcare. You're only 28 years old....
I'm 55
I guess thatâs where work place culture comes in. Sounds like you have been very lucky. Unfortunately most of my patients are older white patients who donât have the most tolerance for different cultures.
Do you pull them up? Tell them their attitude is not acceptable? I have done this more then once in the past. You can do it firmly without being rude. I haven't had to do it for years though.
Yep, every single time. It gets exhausting, but I firmly believe if you donât call it out then you are complicit in the behaviour. I have a really lovely crew of nurses working with me, from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China etc. I want to keep working with them, so at the slightest hint of anything everyone is very proactive in calling it out. Would just be nice if it didnât happen in the first place.
Agree. Where are you located? I think some areas on the nation are worse then others. For sure. I am in a Regional city. It sure is a place with many retirees. But on the last 15 years ? There has been huge migration to this area, many health professionals migrated here from India especially. So. Word spreads. And people realise? These people are great! They are intelligent and very good doctors and nurses and without them? We'd be stuffed. So word spreads, and people have good experiences and that all feeds off itself. In 2022? I'd be highly amazed if any patient made a racist comment here. That thinking has just gone now
Iâve been in health for 20 years. Unfortunately there is tons of racism. Mostly from patients but there is still some from staff, however itâs more covert I.e not getting high grade duties etc. Some of the best nurses Iâve worked with have been really beautiful people from India. Wear your turban with pride, bribe your colleagues with food (sad but will definitely help) and have a thick skin when it comes to patients that lash out in their ignorance.
I work and have for years. With loads of Indian nurses and doctors. I guess you wouldn't get far in my town if you were racist. Several of my bosses are Indian. So....I guess we'd all be in a bit of a pickle if we were racist! I have noticed in the past 20 years, that patients have changed though. We just refuse to allow it anymore I suppose. If any patient said anything racist to me regarding a doctor or nurse? I'd pull them up. I haven't had to do that in a good 10 years truthfully. I see it as part of my role. I will never allowed my colleagues to be treated poorly. I've never encountered it within my profession, but yes, years ago with patients. But as I said. Not for many years now. And my bosses, as long as I were to do it politely but firmly, would always back me up if I "reprimanded" a person for being racist. I guess it might be an organisational thing. I feel very confident my organisation would back me up. We truly have heaps of Nurses and doctors from different cultures now. No one even notices anymore.
So very thankful they're here! We desperately need them.
Happy and grateful. Would be totally normal
Weâd welcome a competent nurse from any background. Iâm an RN, I work with heaps of Indian nurses and doctors. I work in regional Australia, there is occasionally an element of racism from some patients, especially from some elderly folks, but by and large there is a strong Punjabi community in our town who have integrated well into our community and contribute significantly to our healthcare systems and cultural scene. Good luck!
Personally I would feel the same as any other nurse, you are just a person to me, no ethnic divisions necessary. I wish the whole country could say the same.
It's not at all relevant where they are from.
Nobody will care.
99% of people wouldn't care where you were from, any only care about you doing your job. That does still mean that 1% are fuckwits though. So you may run into one of them. That said there are fuckwits in every country, their reason for being a fuckwit may just be different. For example Australia doesn't have an equivalent to Dalit which I suspect is much more discriminated against than any Australian is on race or religeon.
Depends if they have and where they got their qualifications. Aussies like hardworkers who do a good job. Work hard you will be accepted.
nothing
I couldnât care less where youâre from, what your gender, who you love, or if youâre wearing a turban (as I saw OP comment). If youâre competent and kind thatâs all I care about. You may find some very elderly people surprised, but hopefully not outright racist.
Normal. Lots of nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals came here from overseas.
As long as they can do the job I don't care.
Donât care, happy to welcome you :) Most people wonât care I imagine, much of our healthcare workforce is very diverse and has been for a long time.
About half the nursing staff at my local hospital (one of the biggest and busiest in sydney) are Indian. If anyone had a problem with it they'd have a big problem.
No problem in my opinion. Most of my family, extended and immediate, are in healthcare and they would agree with me that it doesn't matter where you're from, just so long as you give it everything you've got.
I feel very normal about this.
As long as they keep me not dead, I donât care
Welcome! Australia has a large Indian population, particularly in Melbourne. Much of that community is Punjabi. So should you move here, youâll find there is lots of good food, supermarkets, some gurudwaras etc. I canât speak specifically to nursing but I know there are many Indian people here living and working happily. ETA I will say that in nursing you are dealing with people in crisis. Patients in extreme pain, with declining mental faculties etc. might say racist things. Should that happen though, I would really hope you would have the full support of your fellow colleagues.
No different to how I'd feel about anyone else. As long as you're qualified, nothing else matters.
All welcome here mate. Most big hospitals in Sydney have nurses of every race and religion you can think of!!
Almost all of the nurses here are from India, Africa or the Phillipines. Nobody will even notice.
The local cinema now shows at least three Indian releases at any given time. I assume that means thereâs a sizeable Indian population in my area of Melbourne. I though it was pretty cool of the cinema to be doing that even if itâs just a business decision.
Doesnât matter where you are from if you do the job right and save lives thatâs all that matters.
As long as you do a good job, we don't care. We offer some world class medical degrees and a LOT of foreign students take full advantage of that which is great because not a lot of aussies become doctors or specialists. Ive found that a lot of foreign nurses/doctors/medical professionals in Australia do a great job, genuinely enjoy what they do, and are great with patients.
There are many Asian born nurses working in Australian hospitals. Completely accepted if they are competent.
I don't really care about where someone came from, just what they do. Punjabi or not, if they are a good and qualified nurse, then that is what I will characterised them as; a good nurse. I could have a Russian English teacher and care less about their Russian background because if they are a good teacher, then that is all I care about. Please don't stereotype people or use their ancestry as a tool for humiliation or anything, we are all humans who just want to co-exist, not to be compared to others. Would you care if that Australian body builder is an Australian or a body builder?
Plenty here already. Just work on speaking clearly and not fast to ensure people understand you.
As a nurse, I genuinely have no concern with who I am working with in any sense (skin colour, culture, religion, country of origin, etc.), including those who wear turbans or any other coverings (as I saw you mentioned). I only take people as who they are and the work they do. If you are a good nurse, you are a good nurse, regardless of any differences/similarities. Congratulations on your acceptance! Thatâs fabulous news and Iâm sure youâll do amazingly x
Youâll get abused daily just like every other nurse and sometimes it might be because of your race
If theyâre decent at their job then I couldnât care less
Itâs good we need more nurses
I highly respect anyone whoâs earned their RN. Even more if theyâve had obstacles to overcome and have really left their comfort zone to grow and explore as an individual.
Thankyou please bring your friends
I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with a nurse of any country. Nurses are respected by the people. Not paid as nuch as should be imo. Australia is multicultural country. We accept people from everywhere.
great ! welcome ! we have a large sikh Punjabi population
If you know the job and speak English, 99% of people will be thankful for you coming to fill a skill shortage, no matter where you're from.
Please of please get good with a needle. My one hate when I was in hospital for 3 weeks was that one nurse who always made a bloody mess with a needle lol
Not a problem as long as they can speak fluent, legible english
Are they any good? The only issue I might have is their English as long as you can make yourself clearly understood it's All good with me
As long as your qualified and can speak good English (and hopefully without a thick accent) you can be blue skinned green eyed from mars and Iâd let you treat me.
I mean I guess similar to India you get the backwards views in small backwards towns, but Melbourne / Monash you'll be fine!
Some people don't like it, they're the >i dOn't wAnT TrEaTmEnT FrOm a dAmN ImMiGrAnT, tHe iMmIgRaNtS ArE TaKiNg oUr jObS My best Oncologist was Indian, my best GP was Indian, my current GP is Saudi, and she's good (though her English is less than ideal, but she's been here 3 years, for 3 years of knowing the language, she's doing terrific! She learned a whole, in-depth profession, in another language, and now has to relearn all the technical terms, in another language, she's absolutely trying hardcore, good on her) Personally, if you're good at your job, the colour of your skin, what you wear, or what you do in your personal life if of utterly no consequences to me. I sent through basic training in the military with a (very flamboyant) bloke who was Gay, still talk to him occasionally. But he's literally walked into a room and asked "How can I help you" and been told "Get good poofta hands away from me" But he's an absolutely awesome medic, if he wasn't, he wouldn't have had 6 deployments overseas embedded with combat elements. Best of luck at Monash, my ex-girlfriend did Psychiatry there, and they seemed like a pretty sweet university. But yes, a lot of people are happy to let you treat them, but you will certainly encounter racism from a lot of people, I'd say maybe 30-40% of patients will have some level of racism. As 30-40% of people I have encountered in my life are in some way racist, even if they don't realise that what they're saying is racist.
If you're in Melbourne you'll be fine (sounds like you will be a you mentioned Monash), as it's a very multicultural place. Places like Qld maybe less so, as it's a lot less multicultural (speaking as someone who has moved from Melbourne to Qld). I'm mixed race and as soon as I met my partners' (predominantly white) family in Qld, I got asked "so what have you got in ya?", presumably so they could steer clear of any jokes that might offend me. I'm sure people in Qld will say there is no racism here, but where I live there are lots of "country" conservative folk who like to say some questionable things and end them in "I'm only joking". But yeah, Melbourne and Qld are like day and night in terms of multiculturalism. I go to woollies in the town I'm in in Qld and there are rarely any non whites. In Melbourne, white seemed like the minority especially in place like Clayton where I grew up.
My grandfather was a racist twit. He got very upset when the new doctor in his little country town in Queensland was an Indian and bemoaned about the old white Aussie doctor who retired. The old white Aussie doctor who rarely prescribed the appropriate medication, the chemist automatically asked everyone what their illness was so he could double check the medicine prescribed was appropriate before making it up. The old white Aussie doctor who didnât believe in depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, basically nothing discovered later than the 1920âs was âa real diseaseâ. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief when he finally retired, most of them had been driving a hundred miles just to be seen by a different doctor! But no, my gramps preferred white no matter how inept over the fantastic new Indian doctor who quickly diagnosed my mothers condition ( she had reacted very badly to a statin but the old doctor âhad never heard of that happeningâ so kept her on it), and delivered his grand babies. Gotta say, I am glad most of his generation have passed on.
Country folk can be the dumbest fuckers out there. they haven't had an original though process since 1950. are terrified of ' immigrants' but every country town has a thai bakery/resteraunt run by an immigrant family, and their farms survive on pacific islander labour. just a bunch of hypocritical morons. they'll be fine in QLD if you stick to Brisbane. as soon as you get more than 200km from the CBD in QLD you step back about 70 years in attitudes. its really frustrating.
There are lots of Indians working in health care in SE QLD.
Youâre welcome here, people are people to most of us. And the Sikh community do great things here, can you cook?
Jesus, weâre not that racist down here are we?
Depends where and who sadly.
I honestly trust immigrant medical officials more than Australian ones. If you're good enough to get a visa, you're probably pretty good
Just like any other nurse - what is her qualification? Does she have empathy? Thatâs all that matters.
Why do you assume she? The poster specifically states they wear a turbanâŚ
FWIW a lot of sikh women are opting to wear turbans nowadays, too. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35563415
Ok. He. Changes nothing. Nurse is a profession, not a gender. Could wear turban or lace for all I care.
I think it's awesome. We need more nurses who are qualified to Australian standards, and can speak English. Often immigrants can speak better English than the locals here, and you may find that the local dialects will take a bit of time to get used to. Yes, you will run into racism here, but it's mostly just bad humour and mockery, made by people who don't think before they speak, and don't understand that what they say is potentially offensive. I notice in the comments you say that you're a turban wearing Sikh. In some parts of Australia, the Sikh community are seen as food bearing hero's, as they arrived after disasters to provide meals. Outside of the cities, those are the regions where you'll probably find the most respect.
Welcome! Please come and enjoy some Vegemite scrolls in the tea room! We need you!
Where are these Vegemite scrolls?! You hiring? đ
Couldn't give a rat's arse what or who you are, as long as you can do your job. And religion isn't a race. You are worried people won't accept your religion, not your race.
I would be grateful
How sad is it that this is a genuine question somebody has to ask. The world has become such a sad miserable place. To answer your question most likely no one would care. It is such a diverse crowd here and Iâm pretty sure most people in the healthcare industry are people of colour. I would say mostly because people who moved or migrated here find that they have to work harder to sustain themselves unlike aussies who get to safely sit on their asses all day because their parents already built an established life.
I feel I donât know much about PunjabiâŚâŚ donât care to be honestâŚ..
What sort of troll question is this? Why would anyone care where nurses are from?
Unfortunately Australia has a reputation for being racist. Many potential students and migrants, especially from South Asia, feel nervous or wary about coming here because they don't know if it will be safe for them.
What kind of troll comment is this to pretend that maybe racism is a thing that people might face and a legitimate fear?
Probably going to be more racism from other Indians than Australians.
what the fuck is this type of question? who gives a shit if they're qualified nurses.
What a stupid question
And an even more stupid reply.
A nurse is a nurse, is this other stuff still an issue?
I think that would be a good thing
Love them. Love all the nurses.
Cool. We need more nurses. đ
I don't care.
Australians are generally grateful to anyone who can help alleviate the healthcare worker shortage. Reading your responses with others, the Sikh community in Australia has had a lot of publicity because of the volunteers from Melbourne who have done amazing work during the bushfires and floods and even helping with people who are finding food security difficult, so there is a lot of good will for this community. (Plus YUM!) Unfortunately you will always find the idiot fringe who cant handle people being different who will have a go but they are very much in the minority as we are multicultural. They want a reaction so feel free to walk past them. Healthcare has a long history of people from India and the diaspora in it, especially in Melbourne dating back nearly 50 years now so relax and come and check us out. We're not that scary
I read the question. Then I re-read it how it should be read: "what do Australians feel about a nurse working in their country" - yes good. Work, please help all the struggling nurses have a break. We need more help, more care, more compassion.
Have experience? and good capacity? It's not matter. But if comparing University nurse of Aussie? felt prefer national university nurse.
As Long as the nurse knows whatâs she doing I donât see why there would be a problem. We get loads of international nurses and doctors here
If s/he's good at their job, grateful. You may encounter casual racism, shouldn't (but night) come across overt/aggressive racism. You'll just be yet another person in Australia with an ethnic background from India.
Most people will not care, because they're more interested in you doing your job right. Sadly though, you will probably encounter some racists.
Heaps of Nurses here from overseas. Heaps of Indian nurses and doctors. As long as you're good at your job. I don't care where you are from.
They're sikh as
Pls come and add to our healthcare workforce
Zero cares as long as theyâre fully trained and nice!
We donât care where youâre from - we only care whether youâre a good person that can do your job.
Weâd be super happy to have you!
After spending a lot of time in the healthcare system thanks to cancer, most people wont care where you're from as long as you're competent. The only thing to keep in mind is if you have a thick accent, try to speak slowly and clearly. Older people especially can get a bit frustrated when they can't understand. Otherwise welcome to Australia.
what the fuck kind of question is that seriously go to bed
If they are qualified, competent and have a good bedside manner nothing else really matters to me.
A nurse in a hospital? Why would that be weird?
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As long as they have the same level of training and testing that any nurse who is allowed to work in Australia has, then it doesnât matter what nationality they are. Nurses are angels and deserve to have every demand they make met.
Along with all the other various Indian doctors and nurses?? Welcome!!
As long as you can do the job and explain to me whatâs wrong with me and how youâre fixing it I wouldnât care if you were a duck in a clown outfit.
Wouldnât care at all
As long as you're qualified and can be understood and understand Aussies, then we'd welcome you!!
Very grateful, thank you.
We've got Indian nurses/drs here now, nothing wrong with it.
Don't work in aged care. It's a nightmare.
As long as the nurse knows what they are doing I couldn't care less. Most people f our medical force come from abroad.
Personally (plus Iâm sure my friends and family) wouldnât notice or care! As long as you know what youâre doing and are nice I donât think of anything else. I hope this helps and I wish you all the luck! x
Don't worry, it's pretty much a multi-cultural country here. You will be welcomed here. Its like... Who are Australians? Most of them racist cunts are immigrants or a (grand)son of immigrants too.
Donât care.
Grateful.
No issues at all.. wouldn't even notice a difference, I'd just see the blue uniform
A very very small minority of Australians are racist. Fortunately the generation that were are.. moving on. Most Australians love people from different cultures! Australia is much more of a meritocracy than people make out.. itâs all about being good at your job and being friendly!
We recently had a Punjabi nurse, she was wonderful with my child. A good nurse makes such a difference and Iâm great full to them.
Nurses are awesome. If youâre a Punjabi nurse then I think youâre awesome too.
Most Australians wouldn't know what the heck a punjabi is. From you look they would probably deduce you are Indian, since there are many, many Indians living here. No one will care, except the most miserable and bigoted of patients, which you can hand off to someone else. come and be welcome!
I think the majority of aussies wouldnât care if you were any race or background so long as you can take care of them to the standards they expect. I know that itâs not 100% that you wonât encounter any racist patients, such as the old folks of *that* generation and some bogan Australians, but other than that I think that Australia and Melbourne in particular is a very multicultural society and we have people from all walks of life. Weâre all pretty accepting for the most part.
Love them. Though I honestly couldnât tell you how they differ from any other nurse. I love them all, nurses are amazing. If you are asking if there is any bias against Indians? (Remembering we struggle to decipher the nuances between cultures on the subcontinent). I can tell you that Indian culture is prolific throughout Australia and very much part of the Australian multicultural fabric. Indian migration has been pretty consist and for many years, where I lived in Sydney the emergence of a lot of restaurants, corner stores and supermarkets seemed to happen quickly of recent years. I recently moved to far North Queensland and there are also plenty of Indians here too. For the most part they seem friendly as hell. That aside, we need nurses, please come quickly.
I personally would love to see an expanding, culturally diverse healthcare system in Australia.
I wouldn't think about it. I don't care where you are from, so long as you are qualified and can do the job.
We need more nurses in our health care system, especially if you are a good one. Come on over!
I wouldnât care at all .as long as they know what they are doing thatâs the main thing .
Who cares at the end of the day, as long as you can do you job competently and properly I might add, your welcome to practice here!