Diversity in Healthcare

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

Being culturally competent and delivering culturally sensitive care is imperative for anyone in the medical profession. It is important because of the many diversities faced every day in the health care field. However, simply understanding the fact that there are so many health disparities is not enough. In order to reach out and effectively care for patients of different backgrounds and cultures one must understand the importance of cultural competency. In order to be culturally competent, a nurse must have knowledge of the different cultures, and

            The world has become ethnically diverse owing to the increase in global mobility of the general population. Nevertheless, the nursing principles regarding the care of patients advocate for the development of cultural competence. While working with students from other programs, I realized the need for hospitals and health care agencies to accommodate the special needs of the culturally diverse populations. This is especially because we all as a team act as advocates for the

Healthcare workers and leaders must bring awareness to ethnic disparities within the communities; this can be done by educating providers on cultural diversity. Healthcare workers need to have the ability to communicate and understand patients from an array of cultural backgrounds. Negative stereotypes of AA may unintentionally persuade healthcare providers who are unfamiliar with this diverse population to provide low-quality care. “Even though the impact on health care of cultural differences between racial groups is recognized, less is known about dissimilarity within ethnic groups, especially concerning cultural factors that shape health beliefs (Rovner, Casten, & Harris, 2013, p. 29).” The absence of diversity and cultural competency in health care hinders the quality of care provided.

Unfortunately, the lack of culturally competent healthcare providers such as nurses, leads to negative patient outcomes and low quality healthcare. Culturally competent nurses are required to adequately treat our culturally diverse population. Nurses are frontline patient advocates and education and training in cultural competence is an intervention that will implement positive changes in healthcare delivery in the U.S.

Cultural competency not only encompasses race or ethnicity, but a quality of care for all individuals. Studies illustrate that cultural competency is currently lacking in the health care field; this results in the disparities that exist among the minority population with low

The human resources department is an essential aspect to any healthcare organization. In order to reduce these disparities HR departments and their organizations recruit, train and educate a more diverse workforce (Fried, & Fottler, 2011, pg. 301). These diverse workforce employees will continue to be the new norm as the population increases. One of the main objectives of the human resource department is to make their employees culturally aware and provide them with the cultural intelligence that it takes to furnish their patients with the best quality

The best way to combat prior-held stereotypes that providers have about minorities in the clinical setting is to completely integrate it into their medical education. Cultural competency curricula in medical schools should not be an additional class or lesson added on top of their normal classes. It should be integrated into every lesson and every discussion about disease and medical care. They should be taught to consider how their actions in every step of the clinical encounter can contribute to health disparities, and how to work against

This concept enables healthcare professionals to deliver services that are considerate and open-minded to health beliefs, practices and specific needs of diverse patients. (National Institute of Health, 2015) Cultural competency is an important concept in reducing

My diversity and culture are important to attributes for me in becoming a healthcare worker. These attributes help me understands the patient better and their emotions during the time. As a first generation Chinese immigrant, I was the one who my relatives would call if they have any help that involved English. Most of the trips involved hospital visits, after a few trips with my relatives when I was in my teenage years. I understood the emotions that my relatives go through. The constant worries that they had if their visit is covered if the condition is lasting, and their ability to continue to work. It was those trips to the doctor's office that helped me understand the things that people go through when they’re in the waiting room of a

Cultural competence is not a new anomaly in nursing. Cultural competence is the ability to provide essential care to patients with backgrounds and belief systems different from our own. Being culturally sensitive is an important part of nursing practice and most employers of nurses usually have diversity training to help facilitate awareness at their healthcare facility. Diversity is prevalent in our society and we only need to look around at the peers we work with and the patients we care for to clearly understand this fact. Cultural differences and the lack of self-awareness about our own attitudes, beliefs, and biases, can negatively affect the nurse-patient communication, the patient’s quality of care, and their health outcome. The

Diversity is exhibited in many ways, including a multiplicity of upbringing, dress, thought, lifestyle, values, food preferences, family relationships, and in gender, ethnicity, and age. These factors exist throughout the gamut of health care patients and the interactions designed with the nurses who care for them. Diversity in healthcare refers to the cultural setting in how the patient lives and in some measure defining their connection to healing, health, and their own role in the nurse to patient relationship (University of Phoenix, 2012).

As a healthcare professional it is important to be aware of the complex issues that shape the healthcare field. One of the major topics that have raised concern in healthcare is diversity. Diversity is having people of different race or different cultures together in a group or organization. Diversity extends beyond race and culture and encompasses differences related to age, gender, sexual orientation, education, income, social status, and so on (Blais & Hayes, 2016). Every healthcare organization has patients with diverse background whether it is healthcare workers or patients.

Healthcare, ever changing, has advanced to an era of progression in which it is becoming more and more common for radical change in all varieties of aspects of the process within which the health care system runs to occur. For many of us, there is the ever so present idea that constant change is necessary not only to stay competitive in regards to any other competitors in the same field of service, but also to also provide groundbreaking and innovative equalized opportunities and treatment of all. As modern day society becomes increasingly aware and active on the topic of equality, it is important for health care providers to remember that it is essential for there to be diversity within the culture imbedded in healthcare delivery systems. Many of the reasons that make the issue of culture a topic worth mentioning include, but are not limited to, the potential positive and/or negative impacts culture and diversity can have on the healthcare delivery system, the importance in staying up to date and staying competitive with other healthcare systems, and the internal factors that have a hold in the change of culture and whether or not it can be successfully maintained within the health care organization. As stated by B.E. Smith’s article Leadership Diversity: The Path to Value-Based Care, “Increasing the racial, ethnic, gender and generational diversity of health care leadership is essential for the provision of culturally competent,

The underrepresentation of minority populations in the health care workforce negatively impacts the health of the population, civil rights, educational benefits and business gains (Grumbach & Mendoza, 2008). Research indicates healthcare workforce diversity (racial, ethnic, and linguistic) correlates with improved access to and quality of care for underrepresented populations, and those in medically undeserved areas (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2008). As diversity in the US population maturates, it is important to increase the diversity in the healthcare workforce as well. There is a greater likelihood that patients will find providers who share their values, culture and speak their language (Moy & Freeman, 2014). Grumbach and Mendoza (2008) notes that it is important not to make the assumption that minorities have an unequalled ability to care for this population; when in fact it takes a collective effort of all health care personnel to reduce the health disparities that