Nikki Chen, MSN, FNP-C
Abstract
Diversity in healthcare goes through constant modification to accommodate societal changes. Diversity may revolve around the patient’s and the provider’s perceptions related to their ethnic background, educational training, socioeconomic status, chronological age, sexual orientation, and moral convictions. In today’s society these are ever-changing traits. It is important healthcare providers receive distinct education in relation to diversity. By educating, graduating, and employing a diverse educational staff, the patients will receive diverse care. Therefore, there is a need to develop an understanding of limitations and opportunities promoting diversity in the nursing education workforce.
Limitations to underrepresentation is caused by “low expectations, lack of science career information, vigorous recruitment into the sciences, weak academic preparation, and inadequate financial resources” (Belcher & McFadden, 2015, p. 385). Additional barriers identified were “limited access to research resources, a lack of mentoring and career development advice, and the absence of a supportive circle of underrepresented background (URB) researchers” (Rubio, Mayowski, & Norman, 2018, p. 2). One unrealistic measurement of diversity stated by Celik, Abma, Widdershoven, van Wijmen, and Klinge (2007) is that all healthcare is “neutral”, meaning there is no discrimination in standards of care for a patient population (p.65).
Opportunities to promote a diverse nursing education can be seen through the implementation of Kowlowitz, Johnson Rowsey, Woods-Giscombe, Kneipp, Page, and Fowler Gray’s (2018) Careers Beyond the Bedside (CaBB Program). The CaBB program was developed to assist with the low number of diverse healthcare nurses. The CaBB program had two aims. The first aim was to increase the diversity of the bachelors of science in nursing; while, the second aim was to support and nurture growth of students by assisting them in continuing their education through a graduate program. The implementation of the Cioffi’s “Rainbow Model” assists to increase recognition of issues associated with underrepresented population through educational preparedness (Cioffi, 2013, p. 250). This aids healthcare providers to identify and implement diverse sensitive care.
Diversity is constantly changing due to graduation and retirement of a diverse nurse population. Improvement to diversity can occur by development of programs and offering a collaborative approach in development of diverse nursing faculty. In return, this will provide the student population a knowledge base related to diverse ethnic groups and cultures. It will also offer a diverse healthcare staff with better educational standards related to diversity causing issues related to diverse care to be addressed and not be a source of health discrepancies in the patient population.
References
Belcher, H. M., & McFadden, J. (2015). Rise: Promoting dviersity among public health professionals. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, 21(4), 384-391. doi:10.1097/PHH.0000000000000052
Celik, H., Abma, T. A., Widdershoven, G.A., van Wijmen, F.C., & Klinge, I. (2007). Implementation of diversity in healthcare practices: Barriers and opportunities. Patient Education and Counseling, 71, 65-71. doi:10.1016j.pec.2007.11.021
Cioffi, J. (2013). Being inclusive of diversity in nursing care: A discussion paper. Collegian, 20, 249-254. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2012.11.004
Kowlowitz, V., Johnson Rowsey, P., Woods- Giscombe, C., Kneipp, S. M., Page, J., & Fowler Gray, T. (2018). Careers beyond the bedside: An effective program to increase diversity in nursing. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 25 (2), 41-48.
Rubio, D. M., Mayowski, C. A., & Norman, M. K., (2018). A multi-pronged approach to diversifying the workforce. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(10). doi:10.3390/ijerph15102219
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