Diversity in nursing is the various demographics that make up the nursing workforce, including age, race, religion, sexual orientation, and more. Nursing diversity benefits the work environment, decreases health disparities, and grows community engagement with healthcare programs. Improve diversity with community partnerships, diversifying hiring practices, and chartering a DE&I statement.
When considering diversity in nursing, we must consider the population as a whole. Health care facilities should embody the population and all its demographics so that patients entering a facility for treatment can see themselves in their caregivers and know their needs are understood, offering a bit of comfort in such a vulnerable time.
Notre Dame of Maryland University welcomes any eligible candidate to apply to our Accelerated 2nd Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. We understand the importance of nursing staff that reflect the community they serve, so we encourage eligible students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree and a passion for nursing to apply to our program.
Let’s explore more about what cultural diversity in nursing means and why diversity in nursing is important.
What is Cultural Diversity in Nursing?
Diversity in nursing encompasses the variety of demographics that make up the nursing workforce or a health care facility, reflecting the population that it serves. Diversity can refer to:
- Age
- Race and ethnicity
- Family structure
- Gender and sexual orientation
- Physical, functional and learning disabilities
- Socioeconomic status
- Language spoken
- Religious beliefs
- National origin and immigration/refugee status
Each of these elements of a patient’s background can influence whether they seek care and the treatments they pursue. When patients see themselves represented among the nursing staff caring for them, nurses can better address health disparities, the workplace culture is improved and relationships between patients and the care provider flourish.
Benefits of Diversity in Health care
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in a 2023 survey that out of all the employed nurses in the U.S., only 33.7% of the workforce identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, or Asian, despite the U.S. Census Bureau’s prediction that more than half of Americans will belong to a minority group by 2045.
The nursing field has a bright and diverse future ahead of it, and the workforce must be ready to meet it. If that’s the future, how can diversity benefit nursing now?
Improves the Work Environment
The role of nurse leaders is to establish the conventions and values of their team. When a team leader makes an effort to form an inclusive workplace with a diverse team where each person has a voice, they cultivate a culture of collaboration and communication, which benefits both the staff and patients. All nurses, regardless of their role as a nurse leader or otherwise, should consistently reflect and determine any unconscious biases, ask for feedback regarding the care they provide, learn about their colleagues’ cultures and beliefs, and foster a work environment that provides opportunities for growth and improvement.
Wondering how you can become a nurse leader? Learn why mentorship in nursing is essential to grow your confidence and patient care.
Increases Community Engagement
If a health care facility is as diverse as the community it serves, it will be better able to understand that community’s needs and factor them into every decision and program. When the organizers understand the community’s needs, community members are more motivated to seek care or attend local events, including vaccination clinics and health screenings. Diversity in nursing allows communities to trust their care providers more fully because they can see themselves among the staff and relate to them.
Reduces Health Disparities
Specific racial, cultural and socioeconomic populations experience health disparities at higher rates due to bias or other social factors that predispose them to particular ailments. For example, a 2019 research article published in the Journal of the National Medical Association reported that Black women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women and found a positive association between diverse health care institutions and more positive health outcomes for patients.
It is easy to understand that such health inequalities can build medical mistrust in the patient population. A 2021 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that racial and ethnic background is significantly associated with medical mistrust and reports of perceived discrimination. They concluded that by addressing this discrimination, such as by increasing the number of nurses from various cultural, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, staff members are more likely to remain conscious of possible health inequalities in their patients and potentially save more lives by catching issues early on.
Understanding a patient’s racial or cultural background is only one factor that guides their care. Explore how clinical judgment in nursing can determine patient outcomes.
How to Promote Diversity in Nursing
The first step to diversifying your nursing team is to establish a welcoming and inclusive setting. Nursing teams where everyone is treated equally and everyone’s perspective is valued encourage diversity because applicants know they can grow their careers in that role.
Let’s look at more practical actions to advance diversity in health care.
Develop Community Partnerships
Partnering with local schools and universities can help ensure you’re hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, especially when you know the institution prioritizes diversity in its application acceptances. Established organizations designed to support nurses of color or other demographics can also be an excellent resource to connect with.
Craft a DE&I Statement
A Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) statement outlines a dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of your organization. This statement also forces an institution to consider the consequences of failing to meet its diversity standards and to install protocols to safeguard its staff from workplace discrimination and harassment. However, it’s not enough to value diversity when things go wrong. Actions can be taken to ensure that staff understand and respect their patients and coworkers, such as cultural competence training. This training helps nurses comprehend how culture intersects with care and how they can remain sensitive to their patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs. Be sure to evaluate any cultural training to guarantee it isn’t reinforcing harmful or inaccurate stereotypes.
Diversity in nursing extends deeper than the surface level. Discover the importance of transcultural nursing and level up your care.
Diversify Hiring Practices
Bias starts at the hiring level, so health care facilities need unprejudiced recruitment, hiring and retention processes to develop a healthy, diverse team. Evaluate current hiring processes to eliminate possible biases at the source, and ensure that hiring language is inclusive of various demographics.
Join a Diverse Nursing Community at Notre Dame of Maryland University
Notre Dame of Maryland University is committed to advancing the nursing field and graduating competent nurses who embrace their patients’ many differences. Our ABSN program allows students to graduate in as few as 15 months with a hybrid curriculum of online coursework, in-person skills labs and clinical rotations — we offer flexibility for a multitude of schedules and lifestyles. Choose one of our three start dates per year, January, May or September, to start your nursing education as soon as possible.
Contact one of our dedicated admissions advisors to learn about the first steps of the admission process.