POZ Community Forums

Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: yogalover on June 07, 2013, 11:05:44 pm

Title: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: yogalover on June 07, 2013, 11:05:44 pm
Was wondering if anyone else was dealing with being poz while also working in the medical field! I am an Xray technologist and work in a facility that has alot of hiv positive patients! I have not disclosed my status to anyone other than a couple of very close family members!
It can be very tough when I have to deal with co-workers making comments when a positive patient comes in...especially if its a female(I myself am female). The doctor also has made some comments too....nothing necessarily negative but I know if I was to tell them I was positive it would be the last thing they would ever imagine! A negative comment was made the other day and made me so mad...and I was mad at myself for not saying anything!
Does anyone else deal with the same issues and how do you deal with it!! I just so wish that people were more educated about hiv...its the young people that are less tolerant and less educated from what i have encountered anyway!
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: Common_ground on June 08, 2013, 12:01:57 am
So why didnt you speak up?
It doesnt happen me that often but when HIV comes up I always educate the less informed about treatment, transmission etc. It has been very appreciated by the people involved and most get a much more understanding approach to the virus.

This course of action should of course go for all negative remarks made against minorities, dont let it slip through like you didnt hear or care.
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: actonye on June 08, 2013, 12:03:04 am
Hey there just came across ur post. I'm a medic an emergency physician, low risk group too but somehow hiv positive. Anyway regarding ur post ur bound to hear comments like that from people who are negative and have no idea what hiv is apart from the media sensation that they are fed with. I hope u can cope with the comments being made and try to keep ur cool. In some instances maybe telling might help let people understand that an hiv positive person could be anyone a doctor, minister, Hollywood star etc, not what the world has come to expect the stereotypical hiv pos person is. The virus has no morals and no morals. I'd advice that u just look after your own mental health and as much as u can continue to correct people's misconceptions of the disease without implicating yourself if you think it might be a harsh environment if you did. Wish I all the best. Remember ur not alone.
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: karry on June 09, 2013, 07:45:38 am
Hi
I don't work in the medical field but I have come across people who were ignorant about HIV and said some awful things about people living with HIV. Some were colleagues, family members and friends who don't know I am positive. I did not reveal my status to them, but I always told them that as long as you have an immune system, you are at risk for HIV infection. It works.
Karry
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: intaglio on June 09, 2013, 09:33:41 am
I would have to wonder the training of your coworkers, making the comments they do. It sounds like they are in great need of updating their credentials.

If their attitudes carry over to the way they handle HIV+ patients, it could leave your worksite liable for discrimination charges/issues.

If you want this to change, maybe you need to talk to someone in your HR or another staffer who can tell whether your employer cares how your coworkers behave or not. Then you can decide if pushing for better training on HIV issues is worth it.

Only you know if saying something would effect a positive change or whether it would end up causing you problems.
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: mecch on June 09, 2013, 10:54:23 am
1) Inform yourself about your legal protection for employment discrimination for being HIV+.
2) Discretely try to find out how your particular employer has ever dealt with HIV+ staff.  This may not be so easy.

Do 1 & 2 before you even think of disclosing your own status.

And i agree with intaglio, an option that does not put an OBVIOUS suspicion of your own HIV status, is to treat this as an example of bias, like any other, and have discussions with HR, or directly with these people, or both, in which you do not disclose your own status but do make it known how you consider bias to be offensive, bringing in other examples that are not HIV related, perhaps...  Also, a simple, "I have a lovely cousin who is HIV+ and your bias comments offend me" could open the door.  Or at least shut down the comments.

Remember you have a bigger mind then these narrow-minded people, so don't hurt yourself because of their arrogant stupidity....
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: LiveWithIt on June 09, 2013, 01:14:58 pm
I don't deal with this but I would ignore the comments.  Never let them see you sweat.  It's their problem not yours.
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: yogalover on June 09, 2013, 01:25:11 pm
Thanks everyone for your messages!! I do ignore them to a certain extent...but sometimes I cant help it but it affects me!! I know that it is lack of education on their part which in 2013 is very sad and makes me sad!! I am not in the position at the moment of disclosing my status at my workplace as I havent even disclosed to my parents...and unfortunately ignorance is also the reason why!! They live in another country and my mother would just die of worry...so for now am not telling!!
I work in a small facility so there really is no HR dept for me to go to!!
I am dealing with it...and just wanted to hear from other people who were in the same situation! I will educate them in the future if comments are made not as an HIV+ woman but as a decent human being who cares about the welfare and lives of other people!
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: Joe K on June 09, 2013, 05:02:35 pm
I find that the best way to deal with such comments is to ask the speaker, how they would feel if someone made such a comment about them or their loved ones?  The question seems to short-circuit their criticism and they have to think about what they were "really" saying.  You never need to compromise your own security to help others develop a little empathy.

Joe
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: idee on June 09, 2013, 09:41:15 pm
I am going to school now for sonography. I probably would not have spoken up either. Maybe not for the same reasons you did not. I would just want to keep my job and help people at the same time.
At the same time I cannot believe that any medical person would treat anyone like that. Especially since they are suppose to be there to help people.
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: mecch on June 09, 2013, 10:00:36 pm
idee - there is a lot of bias and ignorance about HIV in the health professions. Just like any other profession.  Surprising perhaps, sad surely, but true.  But, its just some of the people...
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: buginme2 on June 09, 2013, 10:59:16 pm
How does you saying something to stop this behavior translate into outing yourself as HIV positive?

If someone is insulting a patient because they are HIV positive and you tell them to stop they are not going to assume its because your also positive.

I don't work in the medical field but I have come across coworkers making comments about HIV that are false and disparaging.   I have corrected them before and I don't think that outs me as positive.
Title: Re: Poz and working in the medical field
Post by: OneTampa on June 09, 2013, 11:47:50 pm
I worked in the medical credentialing field for five years. I found people in that profession to generally express themselves as no more enlightened than the general population.

I also seem to recall a prior discussion thread here on the Boards a while back along these lines that included  responses noting encountering insensitive medical professionals with regard to HIV.