Stigma In Nursing

a) Stigmatism is a common finding across several of the nurses. The interviewees were able to identify stigma that occurs within their work setting towards substance abuse patients. The most common stigma was that substance abuse patients were “drug seekers.”

b) Lack of training amongst nurses and substance abuse patients is very common in the nursing interviews. In my mind, I believe that continuing education is important, but what I did not consider is that most nurses continue their education in their current field. The two nurses that I found to have the most education or experience in substance abuse patients was a psych nurse and trauma/ER nurse. They both had prior experience with substance abuse patients or a high encounter with addicted