Diversity In Nursing

This is a report I am writing as part of my work experience portfolio showing how individuals care needs are successfully met. This will be done by talking about equality, diversity and anti-discrimination.

Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care

The nursing profession has a long history of assessing and placing patient needs first when giving care. The tenets of nursing practice include meeting those needs using individualized care by collaborating with the patient, family, and health care team members. (American Nurses Association, 2010). The concept of transcultural nursing aligns with these tenets because it calls on nurses to provide patient-centered care by taking into account the patient’s background, beliefs, culture and values. In this paper, I will identify the factors that made it necessary to develop the transcultural nursing theory, describe the meaning of diversity and its relationship to the field of nursing, and explain three ways that I provide culturally sensitive care to my patients.

Health in all cultures is an important aspect of life. A person’s cultural background, religion and/or beliefs, greatly influences a person’s health and their response to medical care (Spector, 2004). These diverse cultures guide decisions made in daily life; what food eaten, living arrangements made, medications taken and medical advice listened to. A nurse must be knowledgeable and respectful of these diverse cultures and understand their importance when providing care. This understanding helps to build a strong nurse/patient relationship, increasing patient compliance, which ensures positive outcomes are met. Patients who are satisfied

The Motion picture film, “Sentimental Women Need Not Apply”, highlighted that the first group of nursing students were all white women (1988). Black women were unwelcomed in some nursing schools hence nursing schools were establish for colored people only (Gary & Hott, 1988). One nurse shared that the lack of black doctors rendered black nurses as the sole healthcare providers in some communities. After years of speaking out against segregation, any capable human, regardless of race or gender can now become a nurse. In the 21st century both men and women of all cultures are welcome to becoming a nurse. Though nursing remains a female dominated profession, the gap between male and female nurses has narrowed. In 1970, three percent of nurses were males compared to ten percent in 2013 (Tanner,

In recent years, there has been a predicted shortage of physicians in the United States of America by 2025, numbering between 46,000 and 90,000 physicians for a growing United States population 1. However, the more pressing issue will be an even bigger shortage of minority physicians. Minorities are underrepresented in medical facilities as students and faculty. However, one minority especially has been on the decline since 1978. African American males in the medical field have been on a steady downward trend. In 1978, 1,410 African American males applied to medical school, compared to 2014, when 1,337 African American males applied to medical school 2. This downward trend is concerning to many persons both inside and out of the medical field. A recent article published by the

According to Essed (1991), the everyday experiences of racism and racist practice involve those routine activities perceived by the majority to be normal and neutral, yet these putdowns and demotions are negatively experienced by minority women and men as a violation of their dignity and humanity. Essed (2002) also points out that everyday racism is entrenched within mainstream institutions so that patterns of dominance are largely invisible to those in power and passively tolerated by the majority. Finally, she argues that it’s not the actions per se that determine whether racism is at play; instead it’s about the contexts that define acts as racist. Everyday racism is subsequently defined (Essed 1991, 5) as a process in which (a) socialized

Although African-Americans represent the largest minority group, studies show they have the lowest success rates in nursing programs. According to the AACN (2013), “African-American nursing students have the lowest graduation rate when compared to other minority groups”. The lack of minorities providing care negatively effects healthcare outcomes and accessibility. In order to increase the number of African-Americans nurses practicing, it is essential to gain an understanding of the conditions that lead to successes and failures. The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the positive and negative experiences had by African-American nursing students, for development of appropriate interventions to increase the number of successful graduates.

Have you ever been to the doctor and don't quite understand what the provider is telling you, or are you a healthcare worker and you don't understand your patients? Should the healthcare provider get diversity training or should they maybe learn new languages? More than ever before, healthcare professionals are subjected to dealing with a number of immense and different cultural diversities. While diversity is often a term used to refer specifically to cultural differences, diversity applies to all the qualities that make people different. Diversity requires more than knowing about individual differences and it key for overcoming cross-cultural barriers in healthcare.

The face of nursing has evolved and changed since it’s inception. Today’s nurse is faced with cultural, ethical and technological issues that didn’t exist even twenty years ago. As such, nurses have had to continuously evolve to continue to provide the quality, selfless care that patients have always relied on them for, and expected, since the very beginning of nursing. From pediatrics to gerontology, nurses are serving a culturally, religiously and financially diverse population with challenging needs. In the face of this, nursing itself is becoming ever more diverse in it’s culture and skill set, which is helping the profession stay in the race, and continue to advance the practice of nursing.

I consider myself to be a fairly traditional American white woman, with non-denominational Christian beliefs. My ethnicity is sort of a mixture of Irish, German, Native American and a few others, but my main cultural background is traditional American. I do not put a lot of emphasis on my ethnicity, because in my opinion and the opinion of many others as well, Caucasian American can be race and ethnicity. I celebrate traditional American holidays such as Christmas, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. I do eat traditional American foods, but I also love ethnic foods of all kinds. According to McKinney, James, Murray, Nelson and Ashwill (2013), “Belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God and the Messiah comprises the central core of Christianity” and “Study of biblical scripture; practicing faith, good works, and sacramental rites (e.g., baptism, communion, and others); and prayer are common among most Christian faiths” (p.44). I am non-denominational; however, I do believe this statement sums up the main core of my beliefs. I pray, I have been baptized, I believe in good deeds, and attending church. The only difference is that I do not believe that you must attend church or partake in communion to have a relationship with God; I believe that relationship is rather personal. Now in terms of American culture in the healthcare setting, Euromed Info Online indicates that Western industrialized societies such as the United States, which

Diversity Diversity respecting and accepting everyone from different backgrounds, culture or religion; this means that everyone is recognised as different and their differences are valued and respected by others. There are many benefits of diversity socially and culturally. Examples of this would be food, language, fashion arts and social cohesion. There are many organisations especially in health and social care that have many diverse costumers from different backgrounds; for example, hospitals and GP surgeries. An employer would allow their employee to change their working hours so that it does not hinder child care arrangements, or a GP surgery may decide to open the surgery on weekends so that they can accommodate individuals who work

In the last twenty years, the rising number of disparities in health and healthcare has increased simultaneously with the influx of minorities within the population (Baldwin, 2003) A4. As the size of an ethnically diverse population steadily continues to increase, so will the level of complexities of patients’ health needs, which nurses and other healthcare staff will be expected to address (Black, 2008) A1. The issue of racial, ethnic and health disparities for minorities exists for several complex reasons, however, even with this being widely known, very little action has been taken to try and correct it (Baldwin, 2003) A4. Research findings suggest that without actively implementing cultural diversity within the healthcare workforce, quality in healthcare will decline while health disparities continue to rise (Lowe & Archibald, 2009) A3. So although the shortage of nursing staff should be a high-priority for change in the U.S., the need for more registered nurses with racially

Every time I read your post, I have learned something new. I am glad you are sharing your knowledge with me about the Nursing department grant scholarship for students. I was unaware about it. Also, I am glad you have had the privilege to attend a diversity conference seminar, not too many people have that opportunity to hear about it, let alone attend the conference. Unfortunately for me, I have not had that opportunity to attend the diversity conference; however, last year I was one of the educator's to organize a multicultural iinternational fair for the school district. We had a great turnout and many people came to learn about the diversity in my school and tasted the variety of dishes that were prepared for them. I was able to learn a

The nurses of today are primarily Caucasian females. There is improvement on expanding the diversity in nursing and many initiatives in place to assist the success of this goal. The image of today’s nurse is apprehensive and invisible; quite the opposite of Margaret Sanger.