Jamie Walloch

Blog for Herzing University

In 2021, here in the United States of America, there is still a lack of diversity in the healthcare industry. It is crucial healthcare organizations ensure people of all backgrounds are represented in the workforce. Having a wide range of diversity will have a positive impact not only on healthcare students and patients, but greater communities. 

Diversity in healthcare goes beyond just a language barrier. It is about understanding the patient on a deeper level, that includes culture, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic circumstances. Medical professionals should be providing custom care that recognizes and respects these differences in order to make every patient feel comfortable and welcomed. When a predominantly causasian workforce cares for a diverse range of patients, the quality of care can suffer in more ways than one.

Representation

Most working physicians today are white males and most nursing positions are currently held by women. People of color are still vastly underrepresented in these fields. It is imperative for employers to understand the barriers faced by women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community in the healthcare industry and what we can do to help make them feel more comfortable.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, “only 36% of active physicians are female. Only about 5% of physicians identify as Black or African-American, despite this group making up 13% of the U.S. population, and fewer than 6% of physicians identify as Hispanic, despite Hispanics making up about 19% of the U.S. population. However, 28% of physicians and surgeons in the United States are immigrants, with doctors from India and China making up the largest groups. This speaks to issues of systemic oppression: People from minority groups who have been oppressed for generations in the United States are less represented as physicians than are immigrants of color.”

Challenges of Underrepresented Groups

Underrepresented genders, sexual orientations, and racial groups face obstacles everyday in the healthcare industry, including discrimination, fewer jobs opportunities, uneven and unfair promotions, and access to quality education to enter the medical field. It is imperative we strive every day to combat these obstacles and reach true equality for everyone, not just in the healthcare industry.

Why Is It Important?

It has been proven people with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds have unfair access to high quality education, housing, and food. It is important we continue to bring awareness to this situation and help reverse it. Everyone deserves the same opportunities to obtain their dream job.

“The more diverse the people are who provide medical care, the better they can respectfully and knowledgeably assist their patients.”

Advantages of Increased Representation in Healthcare

• Increased comfort levels for minorities
• Boosted creativity
• Enhanced understanding of representation
• More innovation
• Increased patient trust
• Higher employee retention
• Improved communication
• Reduced health disparities
• Increased employee engagement

Equality and diversity are essential elements to health and social care. Equality means ensuring everyone has equal opportunities. We are not there yet in the health industry and bringing awareness to the situation will help others realize the importance of diversity in healthcare for the greater good of every community.

It is critical for health organizations to commit to increasing representation in their field to improve patient outcomes, build stronger communities, and increase employee satisfaction.

Making healthcare education more accessible to diverse applicants helps reduce the barriers to higher education for people with all different backgrounds. It ensures the services provided to people are fair and accessible to everyone. Colleges and universities have the opportunity to create a more inclusive work environment for all of their students.