Directions:
Cultural competency is essential in today’s healthcare field. Diversity among healthcare professionals and patients is found within most all healthcare settings. It is important to create a diverse workplace environment to be effective in a healthcare setting.
Imagine you are a healthcare advocate working in a large medical facility. Part of your role is to encourage cultural competence and diversity among all healthcare professionals and staff. You have a meeting with the Human Resources team to discuss the lack of cultural diversity among employees. Your job is to assess the demographics of the organization and present your findings to the Human Resources team.
Your health organization, Rasmussen Health Clinic, is located in the city where you currently reside. You provide general medical care to the community. There are roughly 100 employees within the organization. Positions within the organization include all administration, physicians, healthcare professionals, and staff. The
demographics are as follows:
Demographic Percentage
Male – 51%
Female – 46%
- Non-binary gender – 3%
- White – 60%
- Black – 12%
- Hispanics – 18%
- Asian – 6%
- Age 18-24 – 20%
- Age 25-34 – 11%
- Age 35-44 – 46%
- Age 45-64 – 23%
- For your initial post, compare these demographics to the city in which you reside. Do the demographics of the clinic employees align with the demographics of the community? Evaluate any discrepancies. How do these discrepancies relate to the quality of healthcare?
- For your reply post, respond to at least one other student’s initial discussion post. Discuss at least one policy or procedure that can be implemented to promote inclusivity and bridge any gaps that were identified in your classmate’s post. Also, identify and discuss any possible discriminatory practices that may have led to the lack of diversity in this workplace.
Due dates for your initial and response posts can be found by checking the Course Syllabus and Course Calendar.A
and response:
Angelica Garciashe/her/hers
an hour ago, at 5:00 PM
NEW
As a healthcare advocate comparing the demographics between Rasmussen Health Clinic and my community, I can confirm that the demographics do not align. Although the percentages of males and females are in alignment, a significant discrepancy is that Hispanics make up a 37.54% of the population in Chicago Heights (World Population Review, 2023). Whereas the clinic has 12%. This group also makes up an employment rate of 60 in my community and are more likely to only graduate high school than to obtain a bachelor’s degree (World Population Review, 2023). Hispanics also make up 31.29% of poverty. So, a few things I would look at are what types of careers is this population going into because healthcare seems to lack resources, like professional translators and providers and medical assistants fluent in Spanish, to overcome language barriers that could help improve the quality of care. If there were more Hispanic healthcare workers, the Hispanic population in itself would feel like there is someone who can relate or understand their ways of culture and traditions. This would also improve the quality of care. I would also look into what obstacles are stopping this population from furthering their education to possibly becoming a healthcare employee. For example, many Hispanics in my community already have had their first job by the age of 14, working with their parents to learn a trade. Many of those in poverty, that are trying to dig their way out of the poverty hole will immediately start work to bring in income to their family home. So, to put a stable paycheck on hold or cutting down to part-time for a college education most of the time isn’t possible.
References:
World Health Population. (2023). Chicago Heights, Illinois Population 2023.
Expert Solution Preview
The demographics of Rasmussen Health Clinic employees do not align with the demographics of the community in which it is located. This can be seen from the significant discrepancy in the percentage of Hispanics in the community (37.54%) compared to the clinic (12%). This misalignment is important to consider as it may impact the quality of healthcare provided.
The lack of diversity in the healthcare workforce can create barriers to effective communication and understanding between healthcare providers and patients from diverse backgrounds. Language barriers, for example, can hinder the delivery of quality healthcare. In this case, the limited number of healthcare workers fluent in Spanish may prevent effective communication with the Hispanic population in the community. This can lead to misunderstandings, misdiagnoses, and inadequate provision of care.
A lack of diversity among healthcare professionals can also lead to a lack of cultural competency. Cultural competency refers to the ability to understand, respect, and respond appropriately to the cultural beliefs and practices of diverse patients. When healthcare providers come from similar backgrounds and lack exposure to diverse cultures, they may inadvertently overlook or misunderstand important cultural factors that could impact patient care. This can result in suboptimal healthcare outcomes and contribute to health disparities among different communities.
To address these discrepancies and improve the quality of healthcare, it is essential to implement policies and procedures that promote inclusivity and bridge the gaps in diversity. One such policy could be the establishment of recruitment and retention strategies that specifically target underrepresented groups, such as Hispanics, in the healthcare workforce. This may include scholarship programs, mentorship opportunities, and partnerships with community organizations that support individuals from diverse backgrounds in pursuing healthcare careers.
Additionally, providing cultural competency training and ongoing education for all healthcare professionals can help enhance their understanding and sensitivity to diverse cultural practices, beliefs, and healthcare needs. This training can also emphasize the importance of effective communication, including the use of professional interpreters and translators, to overcome language barriers and provide culturally competent care.
In identifying possible discriminatory practices that may have led to the lack of diversity in the workplace, it is important to consider systemic barriers and biases that may exist within the recruitment and hiring processes. Biases, such as unconscious bias, can influence decision-making and create barriers for individuals from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt inclusive hiring practices that encourage diversity and equal opportunities for all applicants.
In conclusion, the lack of alignment between the demographics of Rasmussen Health Clinic employees and the community highlights the need for greater cultural competency and diversity in the healthcare workforce. By implementing policies and practices that promote inclusivity, such as targeted recruitment strategies and cultural competency training, healthcare organizations can work towards providing more equitable and effective healthcare to diverse patient populations.
