Understanding how various aspects of identity intersect to shape individuals' experiences and opportunities within healthcare organizations is crucial for fostering inclusive and equitable workplaces. There are many aspects of identity such as gender, race, ethnicity, and disability. All these various aspects can affect employees in the workplace. Gender identity can influence how individuals are perceived and treated in healthcare settings. Women, non-binary individuals, and transgender people may face discrimination, unequal pay, and barriers to advancement. The way that health services are organized and provided can either limit or enable a person’s access to healthcare information, support and services, and the outcome of those encounters. …show more content…
Gender and racial differences continue in healthcare leadership positions. For example, from a personal experience that happened to my wife, women and minority groups are often underrepresented in leadership roles within healthcare organizations. Another aspect of identity intersects with race and ethnicity, as people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds may face unique challenges and opportunities within healthcare organizations. Racism can play out in the way minority ethnic staff are less likely to be recruited or receive professional development and be promoted and are more likely to face disciplinary processes within the workplace than their White counterparts (Naqvi, H., Williams, R. D., Chinembiri, O., & Rodger, S. 2022). For example, Black people, Hispanics, Indigenous people and people of color are groups of individuals who may encounter systemic biases in hiring, promotion, work relationships, and patient interactions. Disabilities I believe is a barrier which will cause an employee to be overlooked and undervalued from promotional opportunities at work. Nationally, approximately 5.6 million African Americans have a disability, and in Michigan, one third have a …show more content…
Identifying the disparity between disability and healthcare organizations requires a commitment to fostering inclusive environments, reducing discrimination, and providing equal opportunities for professional development and advancement. Healthcare organizations can promote disability inclusion through policies and practices that prioritize accessibility, accommodation, and support for individuals with disabilities at all levels. These various aspects of intersectionality can lead to a patient experience and outcome on two diverse levels, good or bad. On the healthcare side, as a paper in The Lancet puts it, "Unconscious bias can contribute to systematic underestimation of the capabilities of qualified applicants." The result, in either case, could be feelings of guilt and shame or fear of being judged that hinder the individual from accessing or entering the health care system as a patient or professional. (L. Thomas, 2022). Intersectionality affects the quality of care for patients due to a range of factors, including implicit biases, cultural competency of healthcare providers, language barriers, and
The healthcare workforce is suffering critically due to its lack in diversity. As healthcare organizations are growing and the number of patients is increasing, so is the diversity of the patients. There are more minority patients are the number of minorities increase in the United States. The need for minority employees is crucial in that they are needed to help assist patients who have the similar cultural, racial, and ethnic upbringings. There are many barriers in healthcare workforce that are keeping minorities from reaching their full potential to become employees in healthcare, particularly upper-level leadership positions; as patients continue to become more diverse, so does the need of employees.
Management activities include educating the group and providing support for the acceptance and respect for various racial, cultural, societal, geographic, economic and political backgrounds.” Management should encourage and spearhead an increase in both ethnic and racial diversity amongst health care workers into management positions. According to Cohen, et-al, (2002) “by having medically trained health care policymakers who will accurately reflect the diverse American culture can eventually, have a substantial influence on the future of health care policy for all Americans”
Some of these barriers can include discrimination and stereotyping between coworkers and also between patients and the healthcare staff. According to Andrews and Boyle (2016), gender can become a barrier for female nurses with males being paid a higher wage and receiving promotions quicker than females. Affirmative action is a policy that provides equal opportunities without being discriminated against (Adrews & Boyle, 2016). However, discrimination can happen when an employer is required to hire a certain percentage of minorities within their company instead of being able to actually hire the best candidate for the job based on experience, work ethic, or education. Role stereotyping can also hinder the workforce. Many see the traditional role of a nurse as being a female and a male being a physician. Many patients will assume that a male entering their room is a physician and therefore have more respect for them and their knowledge as opposed to a nurse. Hatred toward coworkers due to prejudice and discrimination can also play a barrier to diversity. Many employees can show negatively toward specific groups such as, homosexuals or Muslims due to feelings related to previous interactions or behaviors with certain cultures (VanLaer, & Janssens, 2011). Although there are many more barriers in diversity, it is obvious that we need to continue to work on awareness toward other
In the healthcare system, it is needed even more. Many healthcare facilities need to have their workforce diverse in order to reap benefits. In the 2000 U.S. Census, African Americans accounted for nearly 12.7 percent of the workforce, that number hasn’t increased exponentially today. Many minorities are underrepresented in the healthcare workforce, which can affect delivery of healthcare. Some benefits that many organizations see from a diverse work environment are: varied ideas, a larger talent pool, reduced discrimination, and more productivity. These benefits can impact the healthcare delivery system by improving quality of care and quality in the
As healthcare practitioners, it is our duty to identify and rectify these inequalities, advocate for equitable care, and work towards a healthcare system that prioritizes the welfare of all individuals, irrespective of their background or socioeconomic status. Based on my own experience, I can confidently assert that there are evident gender differences in healthcare. Obtaining medical care has become more challenging for me due to the intersection of gender and race. One of the challenges I face in my pursuit of sufficient and fair healthcare is a lack of easily accessible, top-notch medical treatments. The prevalence of institutional prejudices and presumptions that influence my interaction with medical workers is yet another challenge.
People of color, such as Hispanics, Native Americans, and African Americans, and low-income individuals are mostly affected by the health and health care disparities. Health disparities result in a higher number of ill people, injuries, disabilities, and mortality (Artiga, 2016). Patient experience and satisfaction rates of groups that are affected are lower (Artiga,
Lee, W. K., Wong, V., & Judd, N. (2010, May). Promoting Diversity of the Health Care Workforce. Hawaii Medical Journal, 69(5), 130-131.
Equality and diversity by Irwin Wendy address the need for equality in healthcare professions and how it affects the individual. Equality and diversity plays a huge role between patients, families and other healthcare professionals. It takes a unique look distinctive when analysing the support needs of patients in terms of equal opportunities as well as their choices and preferences as the National health service opens to a wide range of people to access the services .
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015) define health disparities as preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Socially disadvantaged populations are groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion. Increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce serves as an effective strategy for addressing racial and ethnic health care disparities.
There should be no difference in the availability of services in the clinic as the patient-provider relationship is built on trust, respect, and equal treatment, irrespective of the race or ethnicity. This calls for targeted and sustained measures toward eliminating discrimination as a determinant of whether healthcare is accessible and effective for all
Despite critiques and apprehensions regarding intersectionality, Bowleg (2012, p. 1268) writes that “the fact cannot be dismissed that intersectionality provides a unifying language and theoretical framework for public health scholars who are already engaged in investigating intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, and disability to reduce and eliminate health
Despite having equal or even higher education than her male colleagues, the majority of patients and even some of her male contemporaries consistently doubt her ability to perform her job. Like anything in society, stereotypes are difficult to dispel, especially when they are unjust and false. Acknowledging the existence of unconscious prejudice and stereotyping is a crucial initial step. It's a process that takes patience and focus. Healthcare personnel can assist dispel prejudices and stereotypes by participating in training and educational programs regarding diversity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and
Since the era of slavery, discrimination towards people of color has been at the forefront of our society. Racism has created endless barriers that have stopped our nation from reaching equality in many areas that affect each one of our daily lives. One field, healthcare, has become consumed by the effects of racial bias and as a result has seen many racial disparities. From nurses of color to patients of color, the delivery of and access to healthcare in our society has turned an environment meant for healing, into an environment of distrust and neglect. Through this paper, impacts on nurses, patients, and how this issue can be resolved will be addressed.
Newman, Constance. "Time to address gender discrimination and inequality in the health workforce." Human Resources for Health, vol. 12, no. 25, 6 May 2014, PMC. doi:10.1186/1478-4491-12-25. Accessed 4 July 2017.
Every day in America, a woman loses a job to a man, a homosexual high school student suffers from harassment, and someone with a physical or mental disability is looked down upon. People with disabilities make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority, with about 56.7 million people living with disabilities in the United States today (Barlow). In every region of the country, people with disabilities often live on the margins of society, deprived of some of life’s fundamental experiences. They have little hope of inclusion within education, getting a job, or having their own home (Cox). Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed in life, but discrimination is limiting opportunities and treating people badly because of their disability.