Discussion Board Example: Workforce Diversity as a Nursing Trend

The nursing practice has seen a significant change in the profession from being predominantly an occupation for white and females to a trade that accommodates all constituent groups of the US society. The proportion of nursing professionals from ethnic minorities in the last twenty years has risen from less than 15 percent in 1995 to over 20 percent in recent years. At the same, the representation of men has increased from 8.7 percent in 2010 to 10.7 percent in 2013, representing an additional of 70, 000 men as nurses in the period under consideration. These men are also likely to become from minority backgrounds (Villarruel, Washington, Lecher, & Carver, 2015). The trend will create a significant impact on the nursing profession.

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The impact of diversity in nursing is that people with different perspectives on nursing are entering the system. Diversity will add views on how major issues affecting nursing should be approached in practice. Diversity about knowing what do when working with nurse colleagues of differing cultures, religion, and gender, among other categorization (Phillips & Malone, 2014). This includes how to relate with colleagues from minority groups and how such relationships affected patient outcomes. An appreciation of the nurses from ethnic minorities and those from unrepresented groups would not add more expertise and also create positive attitudes among the minority groups regarding their input into the welfare of patients at the workplace. As noted by Cherry and Jacob (2016), increasing diversity of the nursing workforce will have a significant impact on practice in that nurses are trained to learn to appreciate others, respect for differences and preferences. Thus, cultural competence will be a vital requirement to ensure close collaboration among nurses.

Conclusion

It is common knowledge that the healthcare needs of minority groups in the country are not adequately met. According to the US Statistics Bureau (2012), America will become a minority-minority nation for the first time in history in 2043. The increase in diversity of the nursing profession implies that the needs of the expanding minority people will be tackled sufficiently as nurses from these backgrounds are likely to help in providing culturally-sensitive care. People tend to trust people from their ethnic backgrounds, especially in a society where discrimination is widespread, and this is no exception to nursing. Nurses from minority backgrounds will, therefore, help address the cultural gap whereby lack of cultural awareness among majority ethnic nurses hampers delivery of quality care for the minorities. Diversity will also enrich the nursing profession in that it will help nurses learn about the unique needs of minorities. Since minority groups continue to rise, the nursing profession can be expected to sufficiently meet the needs of minorities not only in the next decade but also in many more years to come.

References

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Phillips, J. M., & Malone, B. (2014). Increasing racial/ethnic diversity in nursing to reduce health disparities and achieve health equity. Public Health Reports, 129(1_suppl2), 45-50. doi:10.1177/00333549141291s209

US Census Bureau. (2012). U.S. Census Bureau projections show a slower growing, older, more diverse nation a half century from now. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb12-243.html

Villarruel, A., Washington, D., Lecher, W. T., & Carver, N. A. (2015). A more diverse nursing workforce. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 115(5), 57-62. doi:10.1097/01.naj.0000465034.43341.b1