Walden Univerity Discussion Board
Question Description
Amanda Kells
Week 9 Main Post
Main Post
Lussier and Hendon (2018) opine that diversity is good for businesses because it allows for better services that appeal to larger diverse groups, and it fosters creativity and innovation amongst its employees. It takes executive leaders to role model inclusivity, support its diverse workforce, and employ strategies that demonstrate the commitment to cultural diversity for their businesses to succeed. However, despite these intentions, patients and employees may be subjected to culturally insensitive care and work environments. This discussion will explore an example of cultural insensitivity and how the nurse leader can use highlighting similarities amongst the parties involved and diversity training to raise cultural competence in the department.
Diversity Issues
The rural academic medical center is a large, diverse campus that employs healthcare providers from all across the globe. It is also the partner in educating a diverse medical student population through its partnership with a local university. However, the local area is not as diverse, so cultural insensitivity from patient to provider due to race, ethnicity, or sex is more often the case.
The current work unit that the nurse leader manages consists of 50 registered nurses and six patient care assists. Of the 50 RNs, five are male nurses. Over the past three years, there have been multiple situations where the patient’s family has requested to not have a male nurse care for their child. There have been several requests that were legitimate due to sexual trauma, and the nurse leader honored these requests. The remaining requests were considered a form of discrimination and required resolution amongst the nurse leader, nurses, patients, and families.
Commonalities and Strategy for Appreciation
Manion (2011) recommends utilizing transformational leadership to overcome conflict related to diversity by taking time to listen to opinions and ideas and using them to make decisions. Listening allows the nurse leader to determine all parties’ needs and then define the next steps towards resolution. In situations related to sexual bias, most cases reported were related to a perception that their child was receiving inadequate care or was at risk of becoming victim to a sexual predator.
A tactic to ease concerns of families is identifying the similarities shared amongst the male and female nurses. The male nurses are quite accomplished in that all hold certification and are preceptors, and more than 50% are charge nurses and on the clinical ladder. When one focuses on similarities versus the differences, it reduces conflict (Lussier & Hendon, 2018). The rest of the nursing team understands how important this is to families and will manage up their colleagues by assuring patients and families how excellent their male colleagues are and the nursing care they provide. Families are reassured that all employees undergo clearances and background checks before employment commences.
Beheri (2009) recommends including diversity training in nursing curriculums, and Lussier and Hendon (2018) recommend that organizations offer training as a strategy to overcome obstacles related to diversity and create a culturally competent environment. The organization mentioned does offer diversity training to each employee, which includes how to respond to patients who are not culturally accepting in addition to co-workers who demonstrate cultural insensitivity.
Summary
Organizations must create a workforce that is as culturally diverse as the populations they serve. Without this diversity, a lack of cultural sensitivity negatively impacts patient care and potentially patient outcomes (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Nurse leaders must ensure that their employees are trained to deliver culturally competent care and equip their staff to resolve conflicts that arise when patients lack the cultural tolerance of their healthcare providers.
References
Beheri, W. H. (2009). Diversity within nursing: Effects on nurse-nurse interaction, job satisfaction, and turnover. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 33(3), 216–226. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Lussier, R. N., & Hendon, J. R. (2018). Human resource management: Functions, applications, & skill development (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Manion, J. (2011). From management to leadership: Strategies for transforming health care (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2017). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
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