DiversityNursing Blog

As we are all still grieving the horrific shootings in Orlando, this article points out the hospitals and medical teams who took care of the victims. As staff called co-workers at home and asked them to come in and help with the overwhelming number of patients coming in to the emergency room, the response was “I’ll be right there”. We know our Nurses across the country would respond the same way.

Things started out fairly well, by a busy emergency room’s standards. The Orlando Regional Medical Center had been warned that gunshot victims would be arriving from a nearby gay nightclub, and the first one was conscious, talking and medically stable.

“We didn’t know exactly how many we were going to get,” Dr. Kathryn Bondani recalled Tuesday. “We thought maybe they’re all gonna be like this, and that would be great.”

But then another victim from the mass shooting early Sunday at the Pulse nightclub arrived, and another, and another, in critical condition with devastating injuries. Four or five of the earliest patients died. And then victims kept coming – not always arriving in ambulances, but sometimes in the backs of trucks, sometimes seemingly just appearing in the halls of the hospital, awaiting treatment.

Gunshot victims aren’t an unusual sight at the 75-bed facility in downtown Orlando, nor are they for any trauma center handling the daily chaos of a major American city.

ut on Tuesday, staff at the hospital described what it was like to confront the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, with one staffer likening it to a “war scene.” Forty-nine victims were killed.

Nine of those victims died “in the first few minutes” after arriving at the Orlando Regional Medical Center, which received 44 victims from the shooting, according to Dr. Michael Cheatham, the hospital’s chief surgeon. 

Six of the 27 victims still being treated at the hospital Tuesday were in critical condition, and doctors warned that some may die. Twelve victims were also treated at Florida Hospital in Orlando, where six remained in fair condition.

The victims arrived at Orlando Regional Medical Center in two waves over the course of Sunday morning. There was an initial batch of almost two dozen who arrived shortly after shooting began at 2 a.m. A second group arrived after police confronted and killed the gunman.

Some of the wounds were small, looking like they were from the shooter’s handgun; others were much larger, probably from the shooter’s .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle, according to Joseph Ibrahim, the center’s trauma director.

Some victims looked like they’d been shot from close range. Some looked like they’d been shot while running away. One victim had 11 gunshot wounds; another had four surgeries after arriving Sunday, doctors said. Many of those who died suffered head wounds, they said.

One of the victims taken to the hospital was clubgoer Angel Colon, who was shot three times in the left leg as he ran away from the gunman, and then was trampled by other club patrons trying to escape.

Speaking at Tuesday’s news conference, Colon said his left leg was “shattered” and he couldn’t run, so he lay down and played dead as the gunman began “shooting everyone that’s already dead on the floor.”

“I can just see him shooting at everyone, I can hear the [shots getting] closer, and I look over and he shoots the girl next to me,” Colon said.

“I’m next – I’m dead,” he recalled thinking as the gunman approached.

The gunman shot him in the hip and hand and moved on as Colon tried to show no reaction.

Soon the police arrived, and Colon said he could hear officers trading gunfire with the assailant. Colon saw an officer, and the officer grabbed his hand, saying, “This is the only way I can take you out.” He then dragged Colon out – as broken glass cut Colon’s back and his legs.

“I don’t feel pain, but I just feel all this blood on me, from myself, from my other people,” Colon said. “He just drops me off across the street” – outside a Wendy’s  restaurant -- “and I look over, and there’s just bodies everywhere, we’re all in pain.” There, an ambulance took Colon to the safety, and the chaos, of the Orlando Regional Medical Center.

he hospital normally gets alerts from a “very advanced” emergency medical service system that lets hospital workers know when certain patients are headed their way, said Medical Director Gary Parrish. This time, “there was really no advance notice at all.”

As more patients arrived, the on-duty staff began calling more doctors, and more nurses and other staffers, who answered their phones in the middle of the night with a common answer: “I’ll be right there,” according to surgical intensive-care unit director Chadwick Smith.

An army of nurses arrived – dozens who were supposed to be off-duty – along with X-ray and blood technicians as doctors set up a triage to treat the most gravely injured patients, said Bondani. Workers speedily cleaned up operating rooms after the end of one surgery so doctors could immediately begin another. Coordinators responded immediately whenever supplies ran low.

The scene was emotional, with “people in pain, people worrying about their loved ones, people not knowing where their loved ones are,” said Smith.

But doctors said that despite the chaos, the hospital’s emergency plan worked smoothly and efficiently. Aside from the initial patients who died immediately after the shooting, no one else at the hospital had died in the 48 hours since the attack, doctors said.

Smith got emotional at Tuesday’s news conference as he talked about watching hospital staffers arrive in tears to do their jobs.

“It was singularly the worst day of my career, and the best day of my career,” Smith told reporters. “I would think this is probably the same for every person you see standing up here.”

In honor of LGBTQ – Pride Month, this article touches upon the struggles this community deals with in their personal and professional lives. We all know how important support is from family and friends particularly for teenagers who are questioning who they are attracted to and sometimes, their sexual identity.

As Nurses dealing with the public all the time, this article talks about the importance of listening, accepting and guiding your family, friends and patients to the right resources. We hope you find it helpful.

While LGBTQ people have enjoyed the benefits of more acceptance from society, LGBT youth remain vulnerable to suicide, homelessness and negative health outcomes. This is largely due to their lack of acceptance from their parent or guardians. In our own practice and in numerous studies, it has been proven that more than anything else, the love and support from parents and families are critical to the health and success of LGBTQ youth.

One of the most tragic cases we have seen was Manuel’s (names and other identifying details have been changed), a 16-year-old Puerto Rican teen who was raised in the South Bronx by his mother. All his life he was taught by his family, culture and society that his future would be defined by a wife and kids, by his ability to support his own family and become the “man” of his house. However, while everyone was telling him who and what he should be doing, he had already started to dream of a very different life. From an early age, he knew he was attracted to men – but he kept his feelings buried for fear his family would disown him if they found out or that his sexuality would bring shame to his family. 

One day, his mother went through his cell phone and found text messages from his "best friend" describing how in love they were. His mother put all of her son’s belongings into garbage bags, put them on the curb and told him, “never come back until you like girls!” Manuel became homeless at 16, and with nowhere else to go, he began exchanging sex for money to live. Three years later, he was diagnosed with HIV. When he finally got help, he told his social worker he had two wishes: “That I had been born straight so none of this would have happened, and that my mother believed that I didn’t choose to be this way.”

Now meet Wanda, a 15-year-old African American teen born and raised in Brooklyn by two parents who were actively involved in their church. Every Sunday after church, Wanda and her parents had dinner together and used the time as an informal family meeting where everyone was encouraged to talk openly about their week. While she was sometimes attracted to boys, there was a girl on Wanda’s soccer team that she couldn’t stop thinking about. She tried to ignore her feelings for this girl and put more energy into dating a boy in her class who liked her a lot. One day after church, Wanda’s mother asked her how serious she was about the boy she was dating. 

Wanda shrugged that it wasn’t serious, but then she built up the courage to ask her parents: “What would happen if I liked girls, too?” Her parents sat in silence for a few seconds before her father replied, “We would love you no matter who you like.” “Of course we will always love you,” Wanda’s mother said, “but are you sure about this? This is very new for me, so you’re going to have to help us understand this.” 

How do you think you would react if your child told you they were LGBTQ? Parents play an extremely important positive or negative role in the lives of their children, especially when children are becoming aware of who they are attracted to or love (sexual orientation) or if they feel themselves to be a male, female or somewhere in between (gender identity). In fact research shows that children whose parents belittle or shame them are more likely to suffer from depression, attempt suicide and have poorer health than children whose parents are supportive. 

While you might be afraid that talking about LGBTQ issues with your child will encourage them to be gay or transgender, who they are or who they love is inherent to each person and emerges over time. The best thing for you to do is talk openly and love unconditionally. Don’t be hurt if your child discloses their feelings to someone else first. Most children who are exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity tell a friend, family member or health/mental health professional before they tell their parents because they would rather know for sure before they risk telling their parents. 

As a parent, you can emphasize that there's no risk in talking about these things, because you will love your child regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity – and that you're there for them when they are ready to talk. Being LGBTQ no longer means your child will automatically get HIV or will have a limited life. With pills to prevent HIV and the full range of family options (including marriage) increasingly available to LGBTQ youth, your support is crucial in supporting and accepting your child to emerge as a healthy teen and adult who can achieve their full potential.

While it can be difficult for young people and their families to speak about issues like sex, sexuality and sexual orientation, you are not alone. Many resources exist, such as PFLAG.org (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), GLSEN.org (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), Family Acceptance Project (FAP.org) and our program, adolescentaids.org, which provides care for LGBTQ youth as well as HIV care and prevention services. If you know or think your child is LGBTQ, we hope you will use this year’s Pride Month as an opportunity to proudly celebrate your child and help them navigate this wonderful and challenging time known as adolescence.

Related Article: LGBT People In Rural Areas Struggle To Find Good Medical Care

Nursing assistant Tom Alligood wears camouflage scrubs during his emergency room shifts at the Dorn VA hospital because he says it helps other veteran patients realize they've "walked over the same dirt," the 62-year-old former Army tanker says.

And he doesn't just mean the desert sands of Iraq.

Alligood means homelessness, job loss and the mental anguish of being a long-time military veteran trying to adjust to the trials of a dog-eat-dog, backstabbing civilian world he says nearly ate him alive.

"I need to be around veterans like me. That's where I get my strength, my 'positiveness' from," says the burly former first sergeant who now sports a long, gray braid on his back.

Alligood says he has found a new mission - working in the sprawling Columbia VA hospital and helping as many of his one-time brothers and sisters in arms as he can.

And the VA is looking for more people like Alligood.

In an attempt to respond to the crisis of lengthy patient wait-times and a malfunctioning bureaucracy, VA Secretary Robert McDonald told Congress the agency hired about 14,000 health care workers last year, including 1,300 doctors and 3,600 nurses.

At Dorn, nursing administrator Ruth Mustard said the hospital hired an average of 85 nurses as well as 25 licensed practical nurses and 25 nursing assistants each year for the past two years.

Alligood's background as a military veteran is a plus, she says, and they can always use more like him.

"Veterans know what it takes to serve and what sacrifices they've endured and what some of their challenges have been that have affected their health," the nurse supervisor says.

Alligood said he can relate to his veteran-patients because the route he took from being a VA patient to VA caregiver has been a challenging one.

After leaving the Army, he took a job managing a concrete block plant. The job was eliminated when the plant was sold. Falling deep in debt, Alligood said he took to sleeping in abandoned buildings after losing his car and his home. Life in homeless shelters didn't sit right, either.

"I wasn't in the best of shape, mentally and physically," he said, his rumbling voice catching. "That was the lowest I've ever been."

Alligood said counselors told him about a VA program that put homeless veterans into counseling and back to work. He grabbed the chance to put in 40 hours a week transporting other veterans around the hallways of the sprawling Dorn VA Medical Center in wheelchairs and gurneys.

"It was for $5.15 an hour, minimum wage. But trust me, that $5.15 meant more to me at that time than anything," he recalls.

As he traversed the hospital's maze of corridors, Alligood said he made a point of greeting as many people as he could.

Alligood's banter with other veterans caught Mustard's ear. She told him the VA would pay for his schooling if he wanted to learn to become a certified nursing assistant and come back to help other veterans.

He went back to school and the Florida native returned to the Dorn VA Medical Center, where he's logged three years in an eldercare unit and six years in the emergency department.

"He has a fabulous rapport," Mustard said.

Emergency room nurse Karen Teal says the former first sergeant has a personal touch that put stressed-out patients "instantly at ease."

"He's our jewel," Teal says, beaming at her co-worker.

Alligood said his days in Iraq and Saudi Arabia help him understand veterans who might be dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. He recounted one veteran he found experiencing a "flashback" in the ER.

"I was able to tell him, 'I got your back, I got your back,'" Alligood said, telling how he'd gotten down on the floor with the ailing veteran, assuring him he'd reached a safe place.

"I don't feel that this is a job for me. I feel that this is a calling, because I get to help so many people," Alligood said.

This video follows Stephane, RN, MSN, to give us a look into a day in the life of a Pediatric Nurse. 

Stephane, RN, MSN, was originally a business major but, she fell in love with Nursing while in college, and now works as a Pediatric Nurse in a small unit in Connecticut where she cares for young patients.

"What I love about pediatric nursing is the kids. Kids are just so resilient. And even though you're doing all these things that might hurt, just giving them a little bit of comfort and giving them your time can make such a big difference," said Stephane. "You have that one moment where they look at you and they give you a smile -- and it's like everything is okay. That feels really special."

Stephane also said, "You have to keep learning in any profession because things change and in healthcare in particular, things change pretty quickly." 

Check out the video below!

This video follows a Nurse named Keith Koga. He delves into his personal experiences about Nurses and how they inspired him to pursue a career in Nursing. Watch the video below to follow his journey!

If you have any questions about becoming a Registered Nurse or anything else about Nursing, just click the image below to ask one of our Nurse Leaders!

Pediatric Nursing is not a field for the faint of heart.  You will have times of total heartbreak, and when you think you've seen the worst, a miracle will happen and a child thought to be dying makes a total recovery.  You must love children, but be strong enough to handle it when things don't go well and there will be many times they don't.  

If you want to pursue Pediatric Nursing and can handle the intensity and emotions, here are some things to consider.

• Education:  An Associate's degree with additional classes in child development or a BS in Nursing from a four year college.  You must be eligible and pass the RN licensing exam.  Requirements may vary by state.  Perhaps some work in a day care or school while taking your courses will be helpful.  
• Continuing Education:  Attend every in-service you can find on child development, work with patients from newborns to adolescents, and communicate with children regularly.  
• Experience:  After you get licensed, find a job in a pediatricians office or general practitioners office to get some on-the-job experience. If you can get a position in the pediatric unit of a hospital, that would be great.  It will give you the best experience. If you want to go on to cancer or neonatal, that's the place to get the knowledge.    

What to Expect Daily 

Looking at a Pediatric Nursing job on a daily basis depends entirely upon your position.  If you're in a PICU, it changes daily and minute-by-minute.  In PICU as a rule, you only have one or two patients at a time.  The are several reasons for this. The best one being to provide the best quality of care for both the child and the parents.  When you're dealing with children in a PICU, the parents become your patients too because of the stress and fear they're feeling. Some responsibilities include going over treatment plans for the children under your care; checking notes from the previous shift; giving medications and checking emergency supplies.  Ask the parents if they've noticed any changes or differences in their child.  

In a pediatricians office, things for the most part are less intense except for the occasional bout of sheer terror as most children are afraid to go to the doctor. It will be up to you to calm and console them. One day may be devoted to newborns and toddlers.  The next day may be teenagers. Children will arrive at the office with a variety of problems  from the flu to allergies, bad cuts to broken bones. You'll eventually see it all.  

Preparing 

It takes a certain personality to be a Pediatric Nurse.  Not only do you need to love children, you must also be extremely strong and compassionate.  There will be many tears, but if one child is saved, it will be well worth it.  Pediatric Nursing has one of the biggest burnout rates of any occupation.  There's only so much grief a person can handle.  

If you're thinking about becoming a Pediatric Nurse, you should talk to several in your area or online.  It's one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, IF you can handle it.  

Check out our job database filled with Pediatric Nursing positions. 

Have questions or want to know more about Pediatric Nursing, ask one of our Nurse Leaders by clicking below. 

Self care is one of the most important facets of being a Nurse. On a daily basis, you encourage others to focus on their health and reduce stress. However, it’s necessary that you incorporate relaxation and practices that are beneficial to your health mainly for self care reasons, but also so you can be healthy for your patients. Nurses spend so much time caring for others that self care may not be at the forefront of your thoughts, but that doesn’t change how important it is.

"Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an
empty vessel." -Eleanor Brownn

Maintain healthy eating habits

Nurses need nutrition to maintain health and reduce stressors that cause cravings of high fat and high sugar foods. Your role can be highly stressful looking after seriously ill patients and working long hours. You may also have a family that depends on you. The laundry list of responsibilities can add up quickly. That is why it is essential for you to put your health first beginning with your nutrition. It may be wise to bring foods to work such as cut fruits, nuts, and prepared salads.

As a Nurse, you promote healthy behavior and nutrition information to your patients. You can be much more effective at getting patients to engage in healthy activities when you lead by example. Reduce inflammation and oxidative stress by consuming high amounts of antioxidants. An antioxidant is any food that inhibits oxidative stress. The most effective antioxidants can be found in fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, healthy oils, salmon, and unpasteurized fruit juice. Did you know the pasteurization process reduces a great amount of nutrients in juice?

Exercises at work

To reduce stress and tension while increasing energy, practice deep breathing. This is a simple and highly effective activity that can easily be done at work. Practicing deep breathing after a stressful event is very helpful. The “quick calm” breathing exercise is done by taking a deep breath, holding for 3 seconds while thinking about being warm, and exhaling while thinking about being calm. This simple breathing exercise has a powerful effect in the body by using the abdomen to stimulate the vagus nerve. This nerve causes hormones to come into contact with the heart which lowers the heart rate. Sweating, muscle tension, and rapid breathing are all reduced with “quick calm” breathing.

Doing squats in place helps tone the entire body, especially the legs and buttocks. This exercise increases flexibility and strength. Calf raises are another easy exercise that will help tone muscles. Lunges and hamstring curls leaning over a chair can also be done in the workplace.  

There are countless activities you can engage in before or after work such as:

• Yoga
• Cycling
• Running 
• Swimming
• Weight lifting

Caring for the mind and emotions

All individuals need an activity that will bring them happiness, peace, and sense of well-being. Nurses are in a line of work that requires them to be supportive and show genuine interest in their patients. Your mental and emotional state is directly reflected in the quality of care you provide to your patients. There are healthy ways to reduce emotional exhaustion so that you and your patients have the best experience possible.

You have tremendous responsibilities. You should have an enjoyable pastime or hobby. Examples could be playing chess, painting, gardening, or jogging. Be sure to cater to your own emotional health which will allow you to be supportive to your patients. Taking time to spend with a loved one or enjoying an activity can mean all the difference in your happiness. Happy and healthy medical staff promotes a strong climate for patient care.

The concepts of Caring and Nursing are intertwined. While it is necessary for you to care for your patients, it is also necessary for you to receive care as well. It  is important that you take moments throughout the day for nutrition, exercise, and emotional care. Just as there is no substitution for nutrition, there is none for exercise and tending to one’s mental and emotional state. You may experience guilt for taking time for yourself, but it is unnecessary to feel that way. Self care is essential to the livelihood and health of your well being.

Related Article: Work & Life Balance: A Nurse's Impossible Dream?

If you have any questions about Nursing we can help! Just click below and submit your question! 

Nursing is a challenging and rewarding occupation, requiring long hours and a dedicated focus while offering people who answer the call the opportunity to make a real difference in patients' lives. While many Nursing careers are found inside hospital walls, there is a wide range of settings that a Nurse can choose as a workplace.

Home Care

Most hospitals will try to discharge patients within a few days of treatment. Doctors and Nurses may ask patients to follow specific instructions upon their arrival at home, including taking prescriptions, monitoring symptoms or filling out paperwork. Patients who have undergone major surgery or battled with serious conditions may need additional care, beyond the day they are discharged from the hospital.

In the home, Nurses may conduct physical assessments, administer medications and check the patient's understanding of his condition and treatment plan. They can also clear the environment of any obstacles to mobility or physical health. They help the patient and their family to understand the progress of conditions or diseases, giving them advice to effectively treat the disease.

Holistic Health

An emerging field in the healthcare landscape, holistic health involves caring for the "whole person" in order to meet wellness goals. To take on patients in this line of work, Nurses need to account for the body, mind and spirit of a person. This could mean that treatment will include a variety of therapies. or it could mean that the patient will interact with a wide range of healthcare professionals, from therapists to masseuses or acupuncturists.

Nurses in holistic health work with a patient to form a treatment plan for their physical and psychological needs, while taking into account the person's values, environmental concerns, social activities and anything else that may affect that person's quality of life.

Hospice and Palliative Care

Another option for Nurses to work outside of hospital walls is hospice care or palliative care. Focused primarily on the end of life, this work puts Nurses in the home to care for patients who are elderly and near death or for patients who have a serious disease who are approaching the end of their life. In most instances, the goal of this type of Nursing is to make the patient comfortable in their dying days.

Nurses who work in hospice or palliative care may be on-call for 24 hours and they are often primarily concerned with managing pain. They spend a lot of time interacting with families and loved ones about the patient's condition. Hospice care occurs when a patient's condition or disease cannot be cured, so the focus is on managing the symptoms and giving the patient the best quality of life possible through the end of their life.

School and Camp Nurses

Many Nurses are needed to work in public and charter schools, and even on college campuses. The role of the Nurse will differ depending on what type of school they choose, but these Nurses work during the school day to take care of accidents, injuries and health emergencies that happen while a student is at school. In some cases, Nurses may work with special education students, responding to the needs of the student's disability, as well as administering general care in a school setting.

For another chance to interact with students, Nurses can sign up to be camp Nurses, working at camps of every size and style during the warmer months. While some camp Nurses will be focused on daily needs, other Nurses may attend camps that challenge students in high-risk environments, where students could be injured during activities like rock climbing or mountain biking. In order to serve these camps well, Nurses need to be able to handle serious emergencies that happen on camp grounds, which are often located in a remote area.

Insurance Nurses

Insurance companies also hire Nurses, offering careers in a range of positions. Nurses who work at insurance companies may hold positions as a Case Manager, a Nurse Educator or a Consultant, to name a few. In these positions, Nurses work with members of the insurance company to make sure they understand their disease, treatment plan, and the policies and procedures of the insurance company.

Filling the gap between when a patient leaves a hospital and when they arrive home, these Nurses offer guidance and assist with care at every stage in the process. Depending on the position, they may assist with major healthcare decisions, or spend a lot of time with a patient, ensuring they are getting the proper treatment and care.

Outside of the hospital, there are many career options available for qualified Nurses. The positions in these other areas can be just as rewarding, while offering Nurses the opportunity with work with diverse patients in a variety of settings. 

Interested in other Nursing jobs but, want to get more detail and information?  Ask our Nurse Leader or check out our job board for more detailed job openings!

The proliferation of same-day surgery has changed health care in a dramatic way over the past two decades. Not only can same-day surgeries alleviate overcrowding in hospitals, they can also decrease a patient’s health care costs, decrease rehab time, and diminish the financial loss of taking time off from work to have surgery performed.

Before the rise of same-day surgeries, whether it was open-heart surgery, removal of tonsils, or orthopedic scoping procedures, a patient would be relegated to multiple days and multiple costs of hospital care. This is not the case in today’s medical world where immediacy reigns when at all feasible.

The Rise of Immediacy – From Patient to Outpatient

According to the Living Well blog, outpatient surgeries rose from half of all surgeries in 1996 to two-thirds of all surgeries in 2006. Where did this all begin? How did patients transition from three-day stays to arriving home in time for the six o’ clock news?

Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) techniques have altered a medical practitioner’s need for size and space. Therefore, what used to require a large, fully-equipped operating room can now be performed in a much smaller, cost-efficient outpatient care facility.

Precision instruments that have gone from bulky to miniature have also made same day surgeries common. The smallest instruments range from two to ten millimeters and can free doctors from having to make large incisions so they may work within very small ones. Lumbar fusion and removal of damage caused by a herniated disc are two examples of procedures that used to require close to a week’s stay in a hospital and an incision that could be as large as 15 centimeters. A physician also used to have to clear a path to the spine, which could cause pain and damage to the tissue.

Today, microscopes and x-ray imagery control precise modern tools that clear a more direct path to the spine. The same can be said of hip replacements that used to require slicing muscle, a painful procedure. Today, a prosthesis can relieve pain faster while increasing potential mobility at a higher rate and faster pace. The less you have to disrupt the inside of the body, the quicker the possibility for rehab and the smaller the chances of large permanent scarring.

Why are minimally invasive same day surgeries good for patients and practitioners?

• Advancements in anesthesia have meant that patients regain consciousness in a shorter period of time, allowing them to leave the care facility more quickly.

• A doctor’s time, along with their expertise, can be his or her most valuable asset. Same day surgeries allow doctors to spend that asset on patients with more immediate and dire concerns.

• Cost. Follow the money. Less time in the hospital means fewer expenses from hospitalization. Generally healthy – and often young – people don't have to be saddled with financially crippling health care bills that destroy a fiscal future.

• Large, permanent scarring is decreased, thus allowing a patient to maintain a proud sense of self.

• Many people undergoing medical procedures experience a loss in wages. Same day surgeries allow many to return to their place of employment quicker so they do not lose status or wages. They can bank their personal and sick time for situations that demand more attention.

Experts say the rise of same day surgeries has not yet reached its peak. The goals are two-fold: patient care and physician efficiency. For the relationship between health care practitioner and patient to be effective, both parties must feel satisfied with the experience and recovery. Same day surgeries have benefited both greatly.

America’s top companies are hiring the best, most qualified candidates, by widening their recruitment efforts and increasingly seeking diverse talent.  Diverse workplaces include employees from different races, ethnicities, gender, education, religions, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, geographic locations, and other varying conditions. 

One reason Diversity recruitment is skyrocketing is because of the changing demographics of the United States.  According to the latest census, the ethnic makeup of America is changing more rapidly than anticipated.  Many studies reveal that businesses who have established Diversity and Inclusion initiatives have a competitive edge, particularly in today’s global market.  Following are 6 reasons explaining why businesses should not wait for their CEO to bring up Diversity Recruitment. 

1.  More Creativity

A Diverse workforce promotes creativity and innovation.  When employees of varying qualifications, upbringings, education, and experiences are brought together, they are more capable of coming up with creative ideas that are “out of the box,” and solve problems in novel ways.  According to Roy Y.J. Chua, a Harvard Business School professor, “The more your network includes individuals from different cultural backgrounds, the more you will be creatively stimulated by different ideas and perspectives."

2.  Increased Productivity

Increased productivity is the major reason organizations are choosing to implement Diversity into their workplaces.  Businesses that have incorporated Diversity into their hiring structure have discovered there is increased productivity among all employees, particularly from those groups that have been underrepresented, and underemployed, in the past.  These include many groups including seniors, women, physically handicapped, people of color, and individuals with different sexual orientation.  Increased productivity allows businesses to not only increase profits, nationally and globally, but to edge out their less diversified competition.

3.  Broadening of Language Skills

A huge advantage of workplace Diversity is the broadening of language skills, enabling communication with people from other cultures.  It is almost impossible to build relationships with others if we cannot speak their language or understand the meaning behind their words.  Over the next 4 decades, racial minority groups including Black, American Indian, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders will come to outnumber non-Hispanics.  With the health care industry in particular, it is essential to have a diverse workforce that accurately represents the population of the U.S., if patients are to receive quality care that promotes satisfaction and healthy outcomes.  All businesses that have plans to compete at a global level will experience benefits by increasing language Diversity in the workplace. 

4.  Greater Agility

Business agility requires an organization to be adaptable, flexible, and respond quickly to alterations in both the internal and external environment.  A Diverse and Inclusive workforce is more capable of bringing together a variety of perspectives that can lead to decisions to bring about the most advantageous results.  Leadership coach, Joseph Santana, states that a Diverse workforce can help to avoid “the blind spots that may exist in any single individual or cultural group lens.”

5.  Increased Loyalty from Employees, Customers, and Communities

The cultural fabric of an organization is enhanced with a Diverse workforce.  Diversification has been found to inspire employees and build loyalty with increasing segments of Diverse populations around the world.  Organizations that have made efforts to increase and improve Diversity in their workplace have found that growth in employee loyalty has long-term internal and external benefits.  One definite advantage is that consumers tend to support organizations that are perceived as Diverse. 

6.  Improved Employee Recruitment and Retention

Every individual of the organization needs to be part of, and “buy into” the Diversity and Inclusion policy.  The message has to be clear to employees and customers. The commitment to Diversity and Equality has to be inviolate. 

• Recruitment

Diversity recruitment substantially broadens the candidate pool. This larger labor force will include those applicants with high-level aptitudes, specific skill-sets, and unique life experiences.  Healthcare related occupations are among the fastest growing industries, and Diversity recruitment is helping to attract the skilled workers necessary to fill positions.  Businesses are much more likely to hire the right people when they select candidates from the broadest, and most Diverse, applicant collection possible. 

• Retention

Organizations that clearly value Diversity and Inclusion enhance employee contentment and stability, which has a direct bearing on employee retention.  For employees who wish to succeed and grow in the organization, there is trust in the company that advancements are awarded because of merit, and not because of race, gender, or background.  The Diversity message is not only communicated to the staff, but also to customers, and the surrounding communities. 

Do your organization a favor and don't wait for your CEO to bring up Diversity recruitment.  The research is in.  Businesses that fail to harness the power of Diversity are destined to decline.   

If your CEO doesn't see how important Diversity and Inclusion is, have them fill out our Diversity checklist to show them where they stand on the scale. 

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