Diversity

[BABYJADE06]

I have a question for any any of the nurses who may be reading this post. First of all let me begin by telling everyone that I live in a major city with a very racially diverse population. Most of the hospitals in my area have a nursing population that reflects the diversity of the city but there is one hospital that does not. I used to work at this hospital and I felt very uncomfortable with this. I just wanted to ask any of the nurses out there reading this post how important is it for you to work at a hospital with a great variety of racial diversity or does it not matter to you? I just do not understand why every hospital in my area boasts such diversity but one particular hospital is lacking significantly. A friend of mine is considering taking a job at this hospital but she asked me the very same question I'm asking you guys. Is it something that we should worry about? Thanks in advance

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

I didn't tell my friend anything, she called me with concerns about this issue. Just about everyone in this city notices the exact thing about this facility. I am not racist just because I prefer to work in a diverse work environment with people from many different backgrounds. Are you or any of the other previous people who posted racist because you don't care about diversity.

Is the issue that your friend is concerned because she isn't part of the numerically dominant group and isn't sure she will be accepted of fit in there?

That's a legitimate concern.

We should keep in mind that diversity means many things. Not only race, or national origin, but also age, gender, religion, political viewpoints, sexual orientation etc. Perhaps this place is lacking in one type of diversity, and rich in others. Always working in Chicago, I've always worked with a diverse population, but the specific groups would differ based on setting.

Sometimes we also tend to self-segregate and may not apply at a place due to a perception of bias.

If there is discrimination in hiring practices, I would hope someone would report that.

[forgop]

I don't care about the race of anyone I work with. I want to work with qualified people. Discrimination is wrong-no doubt about it. That said, in order to "not" discriminate, our schools and employers have gone out of their way to discriminate against many higher qualified candidates to let in lower qualified candidates in order to get more minorities.

Not all aspects of promoting diversity are great.

[canigraduate]

Is there any actual mistreatment going on at this facility, or is it just a lack of rainbow stripes?

I would base my concerns more on whether or not actual discrimination is going on. The lack of diversity may be because diverse people are too intimidated to work there, not because the hospital isn't encouraging it.

If your friend is of a different race/religion/sex/culture than the hospital's predominant culture, then I would encourage her to lead the charge and start diversifying that hospital.

I personally don't notice that kind of thing. I just assume everyone has gone through enough "sensitivity" classes to refrain from being racist/religious/cultural/sexual jerks. I know I have!

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Is this about a job, or some agenda to enlighten them (or someone else)? You have to pick your battles. With the economy and jobs the way they've been extensively discussed here, I wouldn't go into anything in a manner that could close doors in the future. If that hospital is the only way to get the rent paid because of some unexpected downsizing where you work, what are you going to do? Sometimes you have to just deal with the fact that places are different (whether you can see it or not).

I can't think of too many situations where discrimination has been any ongoing issue- I was the token white chick at one place- it was uncomfortable for a while (and I was the supervisor, so I felt like I had a lot to prove, that I didn't feel 'superior'), but once everyone got to know each other, it was fine- I was there for the patients- as were the other staff members, not to be buddies with anyone, or have the admin over for brunch.... :)

Sometimes you just have to let it go :) OR, be prepared to go alone.

[jmtndl]

How do you "encourage racial diversity"? Quotas?

[GM2RN]

OP..."worrying" accomplishes nothing. You asked if a lack of diversity at a particular hospital is something to worry about, and you got many opinions. You obviously didn't like what you got, but it is what it is. So what do you want from us? What do YOU want to do about it? Anything? Or did you just come here so we could all commiserate with you about how terrible it is that a hospital is not diverse enough for you?

[OCNRN63, RN]

If the OP really believes it's a problem, she should come up with proof and then report the facility. Until then, she's not really doing anything to improve the situation...if there really is one.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Excuse me for being an airhead, but I am failing to understand the dilemma here.

Your friend is wanting to work at a hospital where the ethnic makeup of the nursing staff is primarily one race...right? And you worked at this hospital, and the lack of diversity made you uncomfortable...right?

What made you uncomfortable? Were you singled out? Not accepted into the camaraderie of your peers? Were you made fun of? Did you feel slighted by them simply because of your race?

If the quality of care is not lacking, you and your co-workers delivered a high standard of care, worked well as a team, and helped each other out, I still fail to see the issue here.

Can you help me understand a little more? Maybe my synapses aren't firing at a high rate or something...

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Hey guys, instead of flaming the OP, why don't we dissect down to the root cause of why she feels strongly about this issue?

I am having a hard time myself understanding the issue. Perhaps the OP can explain some of the circumstances that made her feel uncomfortable working at this particular hospital.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Just about everyone in this city notices the exact thing about this facility.

The way you make it sound, I wonder why/how this facility is still open? If the hospital takes great care of patients, the patients are comfortable there, why should it matter if they are diverse enough (apparently 80% is some magic number I didn't learn about in social studies).

[glencovediva]

As long as the numbers are correct at the end of the pay period, thats all I care about.

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

Racism- the belief that a given genetic/cultural population is inherently superior than another.

Bigotry- dislike for people of differing genetic/cultural backgrounds, with or without specific cause. See also, "xenophobia".

"Diversity", is no indicator of institutional intellect or performance ability. Neither is, "racial purity".

In this day and age, those that can, do,those that can't, cry discrimination. If the facility is truly "bigotted/racist", then it has to have a fairly limited (non-Medicare/Medicade, private-pay) clientelle, because it really is impossible to hide such an institutional mindset, and complaints/suits would already have been filed.

Not flaming you, OP, but IME, discrimination campaigners frequently have some vengence-based/superiority issues of their own to address. Discriminatory policy, left to itself, will destroy itself. Frederic Bastiat addressed this, in the business model, far more eloquently than I ever could. http://mises.org/books/bastiat2.pdf