The medical industry must diversify. Otherwise, healthcare disparity will continue, and patient outcomes will remain stagnant. Diversity is needed to improve these outcomes. It goes beyond race. Medical professionals must also recognize a person’s age, ethnicity, disability, religion, and sexual preference. When diversity and inclusion are part of the medical field, patients build relationships with doctors and are more likely to follow their advice. Patient outcomes improve, and healthcare costs decline.
Clinical Trials
Many groups today remain underrepresented in clinical trials. They distrust the researchers, so they are unwilling to participate. However, doctors often don’t ask if they want to participate, which can also lead to worsened outcomes. When medical professionals at all levels come from different backgrounds, underrepresented groups are more willing to participate. Bringing these professionals in may necessitate working with medical workforce staffing solutions.
Recruitment
More women today attend medical school at a slightly higher rate than men. In addition, individuals from diverse groups, including American Indians and Alaska Natives, are going to medical school. These doctors will be able to address the needs of their communities. They are more socially aware and engaged in global activism, so they understand the issues diverse populations face. Medical schools are considering additional factors when accepting students to ensure diversity in the workforce in the future. However, they need to begin targeting these students at an earlier age.
Retention
Medical organizations must understand that more than hiring a diverse pool of healthcare workers is needed. They need to find ways to retain these individuals. Cultural competency must be taught to all healthcare workers so a diverse workforce is celebrated and everyone feels comfortable in the workplace. Workers must receive fair treatment and be respected to have a sense of belonging. Implicit bias training, new hire training, and mentorships can help.
Company Culture
Diversity must be prioritized throughout the organization. It has to be part of the workplace culture to be perceived as genuine and valid. This starts at the top. Leaders must be committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome new staff members, including temporary workers. If they are made to feel welcomed, they may become permanent workers and fill gaps in the organization.
Mitigating Implicit Bias
Biases can derail diversity in the workplace. Every person has biases, even if they don’t recognize them. In fact, these biases make people more efficient because the brain identifies patterns. However, discrimination is often the result of overgeneralization. Therefore, organizations must work to combat implicit biases through learning opportunities that focus on helping people understand implicit biases and their effects. They need to learn to look at situations from the perspective of others. Pairing a mentee with a mentor of a different background can help with this.
The White Male, Diversity, and Inclusion
Systemic racism remains an issue. White men remain at the helm of many healthcare organizations today. Leveling the playing field is essential to diversifying the industry. Doors must be opened for underrepresented groups. White men should be part of enhancing diversity. To do so, they have to learn to bring staff members from different backgrounds together. They must actively work to be allies of underrepresented groups and serve as mentors so individuals from these groups can advance in their careers.
Diversity in healthcare must improve. If it doesn’t, patient outcomes will remain disparate, and costs will continue to rise. Locum tenens greatly help diversify a workforce, so this is one option every healthcare organization should look into today.
