Diversity in Health Care
July 12th, 2007 by khartby Nancy Vaughn
With the current shortage of professionals in the health care industry, it may seem less important to focus on diversity, inclusion and cultural differences, as many health care organizations’ primary goal is to staff their facilities with professionals who can assist their patients. After all, it can be assumed that health care organizations desire to provide excellent service to any patient who comes through their doors. However, when diversity management isn’t an integral part of the process, the consequences will have an immense, and negative, impact in the long run.1
What research has found … health care and diversity stats
• Data collected by the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) in 2005 revealed that Americans of color know less about when they should begin cancer screening exams like mammograms, Pap tests and colonoscopies. For example, when asked when screening for colorectal cancer should begin, 38% of white respondents did not know the recommended age, compared with 79% of Hispanics, 75% of African Americans and 70% of American Indians/Alaska Natives.
• Two in five Hispanics (42%) reported knowing only a little or almost nothing about mental illnesses, according to a survey done by the American Psychiatric Association. Asked whether they would benefit from knowing more about the warning signs of mental illness, 84% said yes.2
• The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) research found close to 3 million nurses in the U.S., and the race/ethnic statistics gathered indicated: 88.4% were white nurses; 4.6% were of African heritage; 3.3% were Asian/Pacific Islander; 1.8% were Hispanic; 0.4% were American Indian/Alaskan Native; and 1.5% were from two or more racial backgrounds. 4
With the statistics referenced above, what should a health care organization focus on? Attempting to eliminate the racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare? Educating health care professionals in diversity/cultural issues? Or hiring more racial/ethnic minority nurses and healthcare professionals? The simple answer is – all of the above.
Impacts for health care professionals and patients
Gender, ethnicity, race, generational issues, culture and sexual orientation are just a few of the items that fall under the complex diversity and inclusion umbrella. These issues not only impact us all as citizens and consumers in regard to choices we make for spending, but also how organizations reach out to employ individuals of diverse backgrounds.
For many, it may be difficult to actually conceptualize what the future holds in regard to diversity. Through the years the “face” of America has slowly evolved, incorporating diversity into our everyday lives. By 2010, minorities will make up 30% of the population, and by 2050, this number will increase to almost 50%. An increase in these numbers will not only represent larger buying power, but an increased presence in the future workforce. Specifically, in regard to health care, this population increase also impacts the number of diverse patients who will come through the doors of hospitals, seeking quality health care from professionals who are sensitive to their individual needs for treatment. Presently, Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group5 and the largest, with Asians being the second fastest growing group. 6
Why is a culturally and racially diverse workforce important?
From entry-level health care professionals to senior-level management, the definitive goal for all is to provide quality care to patients.
The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP) stated that “a culturally diverse nursing workforce is essential to meeting the health care needs of the nation.” 8 This statement holds true for every specialty within the health care industry.
If hospitals and health care facilities want to progress in step with other industries, they must quickly embrace diversity within their organizations. This will include reaching out to diverse health care groups and conferences, like the National Black Nurses Association, Asian American/Pacific Islander Nurse Association, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, National Medical Association, National Association of Health Services Executives and the African American Health Summit; networking with local minority groups; and incorporating diversity as part of your organizational philosophy and core values. From finance and insurance industries to retail and hospitality organizations, companies are preparing themselves for the ever-changing demographics of the population in the U.S.A.
DiversityInc.com recently released their 2007 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list;
health care-related companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. are ranked in the top 50. These companies not only understand the impact diversity has on their profitability; they have a strong obligation to diversity, CEO commitment and diversity initiatives in place. Since they are adapting and growing with the changes that are occurring in the U.S., they are laying the necessary foundation before they are forced to make these changes due to an impact on their organization’s bottom-line, as well as to avoid being reactive and behind the curve. 9
Progressive health care professionals and those who are trying to make a positive impact are also adapting accordingly to meet the health care needs of this country. Many of them are starting early and reaching into the school setting so that they can promote interest in the health care field. By reaching out to diverse populations and by promoting and ensuring career development in its own current workforce, the health care industry can help alleviate some of the racial disparities, even though this may be a long-term proposition.
For instance, the American University of Health Sciences (AUHS) opened the nation’s first undergraduate, minority-owned, Christian-based School of Nursing, serving the minority population. They’ve developed a three-year nursing program to attempt to meet the needs of the current nursing shortage, and are the only school in Orange County and Los Angeles to have such a program. 11
In addition, a study conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) “found that many institutions use a combination of traditional marketing methods, targeted outreach campaigns, and strategic planning to encourage diversity and eliminate barriers.
For example:
- Using funding provided through a Workforce Diversity Grant, Montana State University has partnered with six American Indian tribes to increase interest in nursing careers. To date, the program has enrolled 40 new students in the baccalaureate nursing program and identified an additional 758 tribal members with an interest in health careers.
- Savvy college recruiters, like those at Indiana University, are working to develop a pool of future nursing students from diverse backgrounds by reaching out to middle and high school students from undeserved communities.
- The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston has updated brochures, retooled promotional messages, and used images of diverse groups of nurses to appeal directly to underrepresented groups.
- Through a HRSA-funded grant, the University of Missouri-Kansas City launched a coordinated outreach campaign which has boosted minority representation to 36% in its baccalaureate program.
- At the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where minority student admissions increased by 43% last year, administrators are reaching out with recruitment materials translated into other languages besides English.
- Mentoring is a key element in attracting new student populations, and schools such as Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Ohio provide one-to-one attention and counseling to assist minority students throughout their entire college experience.
- And finally, partnerships and collaborations are forming nationwide between schools of nursing and practice settings wishing to diversify the workforce, address the RN shortage, and broaden minority faculty representation.” 12
While there is a national nursing shortage, and minority nurses in all ethnic categories total less than 20% yet in three short years, minorities will be 30% of the population – it seems that health care organizations should strongly consider reaching out to this untapped resource.
Without a commitment to diversity that is incorporated into a health care organization’s strategic plan for financial growth, advancements in research and technology, and attempts to meet staffing needs – the organization will fail to make an impact in today’s changing market. An organization should focus on eliminating the racial/ethnic disparities or hire more racial/ethnic minorities, the one cannot be addressed without considering the other. A health care organization is sure to be successful in influencing both health care disparities and the lack of minorities in the industry, as long as they have a strategic diversity plan in place within their workplace.
REFERENCES
1 Overcoming cancer health disparities. National Cancer Institute. www.cancer.gov
2 Many Hispanics know little about mental illnesses, most agree knowing warnings signs would help. Hispania News. http://www.hispanianews.com/archive/2006/10/27/04.htm; October 27, 2006
3 MatchMaker Bone Marrow Project. Mavin Foundation. www.mavinfoundation.org
4 Preliminary Findings: 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
View Now >
5 Hispanic, Asian populations are fastest growing minorities. CNN. View Now >; August 29, 2000
6 Minority population tops 100 million. U.S. Census Bureau.
View Now >; May 17, 2007
7 Carol, Ruth. Overcoming bias in the nursing workplace. Minority Nurse. February 5, 2005
8 Bednash, Polly. To Institute of Medicine Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing the Diversity of the U.S. Health Care Workforce. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. February 5, 2003.
9 The DiversityInc 2007 Top 50 Companies for Diversity. DiversityInc. June 2007.
10 Outwitting discrimination: New job market tactics for Women and Minorities. IMDiversity.com. Check it out >. June 2004.
11 Nation’s first undergraduate minority-owned nursing school in the making. National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations. www.mcemna.org
12 Bednash, Polly. To Institute of Medicine Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing the Diversity of the U.S. Health Care Workforce. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. February 5, 2003.
Nancy Vaughn is a Senior Account Supervisor and Diversity & Campus Specialist at Bernard Hodes Group. She can be reached at nvaughn@hodes.com.
To contact a Hodes Health Care team member, call us at 800-582-4668 or email us at healthcare@hodes.com