Diversity in Healthcare, Term Paper Example

Introduction

The key to a diverse society is in allowing equal footing for all, despite gender, ethnicity or race. In healthcare today, there is a growing number of ethnically and racially diverse healthcare workers. The problem is that they only hold a small number of management positions in healthcare. To understand this further, we can look at the American Hospital Association’s 2010 survey, where we see that 94% of all hospital’s Chief Executive Officers were Caucasian. The issue of diversity in healthcare has been recognized to create several remarkable problems for the administration of the operations that the staff members of the organization engage in. In the discussion that follows, giving attention to matters that influence the work operations in healthcare facilities due to diversity of staff members and the inequality resulting from the said situation shall be given particular consideration.

With such a deep divide, this disparity continues even though the healthcare field has been successful in recruiting ethnically and racially diverse graduate students to complete their studies in the field of health administration. Still, we find that only 14% of graduate students studying healthcare management are non-white, and far less were male. Since 2001 however, the number has increased to a full forty-two percent of grad students being minorities.

In addition to these favorable numbers, a collegiate healthcare study which was conducted by a conglomerate of healthcare leaders including: the Asian Health Care Leaders Organization, the Institute for Diversity in Health Administration, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Organization of Health Services Executives, and the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives, revealed that among women, Latinos surpassed all other minorities in achieving upper-level healthcare careers (National Forum for Latino Health Care Executives 2010). In respect to wages in the healthcare industry, African American women earned similar incomes to white women in their healthcare careers. Within the same research, the information for men shows that minority health care professionals continue to bring in a significantly less amount of pay in comparison to their Caucasian colleagues (Asian Health Care Leaders Association ). Some studies indicate that variety in upper-management healthcare positions actually improves the quality of treatment, quality of existence in community relationships as well as the in-office relationships that change their community health standings. Attaining diversity in leadership may entail a dedication to all expert degrees (and including entry-level employees, supervisors, managers and executives) inside the business through the understanding of a variety of issues (Institute for Diversity. (n.d.).

Diversely Promoted Individuals

ACHE promotes diversity in the health care administration sector and understands the problems as both honest and crucial. ACHE urges all medical field professionals, board members, teachers and even politicians to earnestly attempt to improve variety in health care supervisory positions, particularly in respect to cultural ethnicity and race (American College of Healthcare Executives. n.d.). ACHE, as a primary member, is also dedicated to working on problems alongside the Institute with the goal of diversity in Wellness Administration, and also with many other organizations. ACHE supports a significant role that is to be played by many health- related field executives; this is in recognizing such problems and acting upon them by incorporating particular adjustments and solutions to the matter.

Dealing with the Situations and Problems

A boost in the recruitment of graduate students into healthcare professions via college planning and neighborhood initiatives is suggested to be applied in line with the process of recruitment. Such initiatives will motivate healthcare executives to be “shadowed” by students who are researching careers in healthcare. In such positions, managers and executives can share important information such as the requirements that they use to suggest applicants for senior-level positions. Healthcare companies should make sure that guidelines are recognized and that they are well known. They also must be sure that incentive and measure changes are implemented by these guidelines. Diversifying hiring methods can also bring diversified personnel to develop and help in academic programs and businesses. In addition, such employees can take part in company-wide trainings on the diversity of healthcare.

When it comes to improving support systems, healthcare companies should contemplate using pro-diversity initiatives to decrease social isolation through actions such as appointing supervisors that are accountable to workplace diversity. This could be done through appointing a diversity committee, by embracing a diversity action strategy, by the appraisal of supervisors (depending on their diversity effectiveness), and by the encouragement of social events as well as the coaching of healthcare applicants.

When it comes to promotion, healthcare managers and executive recruiters can identify a diverse pool of possible applicants to produce and help clear paths for progress from entry to mid-level jobs and from mid to senior-level jobs. Companies should also create and share particular requirements for progress in administration that will enable all persons with an equal chance for senior-level jobs. It could be recognized that companies should also perform regular evaluations of business settlement plans to ensure wages are nondiscriminatory and fair.

Assistance organizations could be considered as an ally in relation to this aim. Support groups such as The Institute for Diversity in Wellness Administration, the National Association of Health Services Execs, the Asian Health Care Leaders Assoc., and diverse executives that are championed by the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives (Kaley, 2006, 518) could be accounted to notably improve the management of staff diversity through additional development and internships.

In relation to this matter, organizations should empower applied varied professionals to be involved in the plans and become the main volunteer management of such businesses. Companies can supply scholarship assistance to promote the employment of different professionals to take part in management development programs. Invites may also be extended to located events including executive breakfasts, chapter marketing activities and academic programs. Companies should seek internships, fellowships and management growth possibilities that result in permanent jobs and form a basis for creating their careers.

The Application of Affirmative Action in a Positive Approach

Minorities should easily be able to seek jobs in businesses that provide powerful pro-diversity initiatives so as to construct their careers. They should also be able to select jobs offering new experiences that increase their skill sets and administration capabilities. Minorities should socialize with co-workers and earnestly pursue professional advancement by getting involved in professional organizations, this includes looking for mentors, and also to later function as a mentor for future minorities who are seeking to move up the healthcare corporate ladder.

Conclusion

As it has been learned thus far, there are multitudes of ways to recruit, support promote and develop the careers of minorities in healthcare careers and management. ACHE recommends a number of strategies to enhance the fair portrayal of gender, ethnic and racial diversity in health care management. By applying the plan above, we should be able to see a new generation of minority healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, hospital and even organizational executives. This can only happen, however, with community involvement, executive mentoring and quality educational standards that lead into the healthcare sector.

Utilizing the element of diversity as an opportunity to widen the capacity of the healthcare industry to support the needs of a diversified population in the society would best be the source of competence in improving how diversification of employees in healthcare is dealt with. Relatively, through this approach, more individuals in the society could be served with a balanced view of their needs. Improving the healthcare system from within is an important factor in the hope of improving the overall system of operation that the healthcare institutions take into consideration (Kaley, et al, 2006, 590). The diversification of staff should then lead the said organizations into becoming more competent and confident in serving the needs of people from all races and all nations around the globe.

References

Home – Asian Health Care Leaders Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.asianhealthcareleaders.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

Institute for Diversity. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://www.diversityconnection.org.

NFLHE | National Forum for Latino Health Care Executives (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://nflhe.org/

Professional Policy Statement: Increasing and Sustaining Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Healthcare Management. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.ache.org/policy/minority.cfm.

Kalev, Alexandra, Frank Dobbin and Erin Kelley (2006), “Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies”, American Sociological Review 71: 589–617.