DiversityNursing Blog

In today's increasingly diverse healthcare landscape, Nurses from various backgrounds play a pivotal role in delivering culturally competent and inclusive care. As a diverse candidate entering the Nursing field, you possess a unique set of experiences and perspectives that can greatly enrich patient care and the overall Nursing community. However, standing out amidst the competition requires a strategic approach. Here's how to set yourself apart and excel as a diverse candidate in Nursing.

Embrace Cultural Competency: Cultural competency is an essential skill for Nurses, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. Understanding and respecting patients' cultural beliefs, practices, and values not only enhances patient outcomes but also demonstrates your ability to adapt in different scenarios. Take the initiative to educate yourself about various cultures, languages, and traditions, and showcase your willingness to work effectively with patients from all walks of life. 


Highlight Multilingual Abilities: Being fluent in languages other than English can be a significant asset in Nursing. The ability to communicate directly with patients in their native language fosters trust and ensures accurate information exchange. Include your language proficiency on your resume and during interviews to demonstrate your added value in providing patient-centered care. 


Share Personal Experiences: Your unique life experiences can enrich the Nursing profession. Whether you've overcome personal challenges, immigrated from another country, or come from a non-traditional background, share these experiences to showcase your resilience, adaptability, and empathy. These qualities resonate with patients and colleagues, setting you apart as someone who can connect on a deeper level. 


Pursue Further Education: Continuous learning is a hallmark of a successful Nursing career. Consider pursuing certifications or advanced degrees in areas related to diversity and cultural competence. This not only deepens your knowledge but also demonstrates your commitment to staying informed about the latest healthcare trends and best practices.


Advocate for Inclusivity: Promote diversity and inclusivity within your workplace and the Nursing community as a whole. Participate in discussions, seminars, and workshops centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion. By actively engaging in these conversations, you position yourself as a leader who is dedicated to driving positive change in the Nursing field. 


Network Effectively: Forge connections within Nursing associations, multicultural organizations, and professional forums. Networking not only exposes you to valuable opportunities but also enables you to exchange ideas with fellow Nurses, creating a supportive community that values diversity and collaboration.

Exhibit Strong Leadership Skills: Leadership transcends job titles. Display leadership qualities by taking the initiative, demonstrating problem-solving skills, and mentoring others. Showcasing your ability to lead and inspire can set you apart as a diverse candidate who brings innovation and positive change to the Nursing environment.

Tell Your Story: Craft a compelling narrative that showcases your journey and aspirations in Nursing. Whether it's in your cover letter, personal statement, or interviews, your story adds depth to your application and demonstrates your passion for the field. Connect your experiences to your desire to make a meaningful impact on patient care and the Nursing profession. 

Participate in Community Outreach: Engage in community service and outreach programs that align with your background and interests. Volunteering demonstrates your commitment to making a difference and highlights your compassion for marginalized or underserved populations.

Stay Resilient: As a diverse candidate, you might face unique challenges on your path to success. Persevere in the face of adversity, using setbacks as opportunities for growth. Your resilience will not only propel your own journey but also serve as an inspiration to others. 

Being a diverse candidate in Nursing offers you the chance to bring a wealth of experiences and perspectives to the profession. To truly set yourself apart, embrace cultural competency, share your personal stories, continue your education, advocate for inclusivity, and exhibit leadership qualities. By doing so, you'll not only excel as a Nurse but also contribute to a more inclusive and effective healthcare system. Your journey as a diverse candidate is a testament to the richness of the Nursing profession, and your impact will be felt far and wide.

 

The tragic events of the past year has brought an increased awareness to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As a result, healthcare organizations are hiring Chief Diversity Officers (CDO’s), implementing initiatives, providing educational programs, and using new recruitment strategies to increase diversity in medicine.

Increasing diversity in healthcare organizations benefits both the healthcare provider and the patient populations they serve.

To increase diversity and lower racial healthcare disparities, many hospitals and health systems are looking to their CDO for guidance moving forward.

Last year, CDO hires grew by 84%, making it the fastest growing C-suite title, according to LinkedIn.

Some health systems are going beyond hiring a CDO and are creating entire teams or councils to implement and foster best practices. 

Northwell Health formed the Emerging Leaders Diversity & Inclusion Council which is responsible for analyzing current conditions within the health system while seeking to implement best practices in 3 key areas:

• Onboarding
• Mentoring
• Succession Planning

Englewood Health assembled a Diversity and Inclusion Education Council consisting of 12 team members across all departments and leadership levels.  

Warren Geller, President and CEO of Englewood Health said, “Our country’s history of racism and current inequalities have impacted every aspect of life and, most importantly, our health and well-being. With the establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Education Council we are committing to doing more and doing better for the communities we serve.”

More hospitals are providing educational resources and training programs for their staff members.

At Ochsner Health in Louisiana, they’ve rolled out training to address implicit bias across the organization. Melissa Love, VP of Professional Staff Services and The Office of Professional Well-Being said, “People are really curious. I’m seeing people be very surprised by their lack of knowledge, even those that think they’re very knowledgeable.” 

Hospitals are also participating in evaluation programs to help improve their DEI efforts. 

The HRC Foundation's Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) evaluates healthcare facilities nationwide based on non-discrimination & staff training, LGBTQ patient services & support, employee benefits & policies, and LGBTQ patient & community engagement. 

Last year, a record 765 healthcare facilities participated in the HEI survey. These organizations recognize the importance of implementing LGBTQ-inclusive practices alongside their foundational non-discrimination policies.

When it comes to diversifying the hiring process, Daniel Benavides, Manager of Talent Acquisition at CHG Healthcare, suggests hospitals increase the number of people who select candidates. 

Benavides noticed only one or two people were filtering candidates for interviews. He determined that having a larger mix of individuals looking at applications would result in a greater diversity — and higher quality — of selected candidates.

It’s critical healthcare organizations improve diversity within their staff to reduce healthcare disparities. They must ensure ALL people are equally represented. 

Last year, Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) hires grew by 84%, making it the fastest growing C-suite title, according to LinkedIn.

There has been a national wave of concern about racial inequities, especially in healthcare, with the arrival of the COVID pandemic.

Many healthcare organizations are increasing their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. Leaders are addressing racial health disparities and finding ways to improve patient care for all. Part of their efforts include establishing a Chief Diversity Officer role.

Winifred King is Cook Children’s first ever Chief Diversity Officer. King said, “It is hard to put into words what this decision and investment means to people of color and anyone who has ever felt different or excluded. For all of us who may have experienced inequities and mistreatment in our lifetimes, it is comforting to be a part of an organization that accepts our differences, our failures, and is willing to look inward and truly examine what is at the heart of our culture.”

“COVID-19 is amplifying health disparities in communities of color,” said Quita Highsmith, the Chief Diversity Officer of biotech company, Genentech. “It is now time for us to stop tiptoeing around it and start thinking about what we are going to do.”

CDOs are responsible for addressing these healthcare disparities. They are developing strategies to promote diversity, inclusivity, and equitable cultures throughout their organization.

Education and awareness are playing a key role in improving health outcomes for diverse communities. The CDO coordinates efforts internally to provide staff with resources and courses, such as cultural competence training as well as finding ways externally to work with the community they serve.

In addition, the CDO helps to create recruitment programs that ensures their DEI message is reaching diverse candidates. As a member of the C-suite, the CDO can communicate to all leaders that diversity recruitment, for all position levels, should be a priority.

Studies suggest diversity in healthcare leadership enhances quality of care, quality of life in the workplace, community relations, and the ability to affect community health status.

The CDO helps to define, educate, and communicate the hospital/health system’s culture and DEI message to its staff, patient population and community.

Joseph Hill, was the first Chief Diversity Officer at Jefferson Health. He requested they establish focus groups with patients to better understand their expectations and view of the system. With the information provided by the focus groups, they found the areas that needed improvements.

HCA Healthcare created the BRAVE Conversations program, an ‘outside the box’ platform designed to facilitate interactive, inclusive, innovative and safe ways for employees to share their thoughts on issues that may be difficult to discuss.

It is imperative that leadership is committed to their DEI mission. Without it, the CDO cannot wave a magic wand and transform an entire organization overnight. It takes commitment, communication both internally and externally, resources, time, and effort from all areas of the health system.

Major health care giants like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital have pledged to improve diversity recruitment of health workers. Reports showed a lack of diversity in hospitals and care discrepancies among patients. The hospitals plan to increase resources, hire executives focused on improving diversity and inclusion in their organizations, and more.

The lack of diversity in the healthcare workforce can impact patient care. Minority patients are more likely to seek out and follow advice from health professionals who look, sound, eat, worship and share the same cultural customs and values like they do. 

The U.S. population overall is changing and quite rapidly. In 2010, the number of residents age 5 and older speaking a language other than English at home had climbed 158% to 59.5 million from 23.1 million in 1980, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2044, more than half the nation is expected to be made up of minority races or groups, according to a 2015 Census Bureau report.

Yet, statistics show healthcare isn't keeping pace with population changes. Minorities made up just 14% of hospital boards and only 11% of executive leadership positions in 2015, according to a survey from the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity in Health Management. This disparity exists even though minorities represent roughly 30% to 35% of patients in hospitals.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute officials told Becker's Hospital Review they plan to hire a leader for diversity programs, and will require all faculty and administration to complete a bias awareness workshop, among other initiatives, as part of the institution's 2018 strategic plan.

Dianne Austin, workforce diversity program manager at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Healthcare Dive, "Mass General has an orientation where new employees attend a program on diversity and inclusion and learn about various resources available to employees, such as a citizenship program, careers days and school admissions officers. There are also multiple staff committees focused on improving diversity and inclusion."

Akron Children's Hospital supports a program that aims to improve Nursing diversity. The program's plan is to increase the number of interns in the program and provide tuition support during their senior year of college. The hope is that program participants will return to Akron Children's after graduation to begin their Nursing career.

 "Nursing diversity is vital to ensuring a positive experience for our patients," said William Considine, CEO of Akron Children's Hospital. "Not only does this program provide a valuable educational experience, it also helps Akron Children's recruit more prepared Nurses and helps our workforce reflect the diversity of the patients, families and communities we serve."

UC Health intends to contribute $1.5 million to create University of Cincinnati scholarships designed to diversify the medical profession. The hospital system hopes the scholarships will help all local health systems diversify their workforce when hiring doctors, Nurses, pharmacists and medical technicians. 

“We know through recent research that underrepresented adults in Cincinnati believe their race negatively impacts their treatment from medical professionals,” said Dr. Rick Lofgren, CEO of UC Health. “This investment is a step to improve health care for all of our patients and to foster a health care workforce that reflects the diversity of our population.”

Diversity & Inclusion initiatives can be difficult to sustain, but commitment to increasing D&I at all levels of your organization will bring new perspectives and values to your hospital/health system, which can help decrease health disparities across the board. Bravo to the healthcare leaders that are seriously acting on their D&I initiatives! Do you see progress in this area where you work or teach?