Research Paper on Mercy Med Center: Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Workplace for Quality Care

Introduction

Mercy Medical Center's diversity and inclusive workplace will provide opportunities to administer quality care to patients. Patient care can be enhanced when healthcare providers within and outside this medical center bridge the divide between the beliefs, culture of medicine, and practice that make up a patient's value system (Dreachslin et al., 2017). This nursing workforce will reflect its patient communication and demographic to make the patient feel more comfortable. The main goals of the project include:

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• To improve and leverage a broader range of competencies
• To foster a culture of innovation, dignity and cultural effectiveness
• To ensure and maintain equitable access for our employees and patients
• To eradicate and eliminate health disparities among our diverse patients and communities
• To deliver culturally competent care and services while improving patient safety and satisfaction

The initial priorities of the diversity and inclusive project by Mercy Medical Center will include to connect and communicate, to challenge and change, and to equip and inform all the stakeholders within and outside Mercy Medical Center.

The first priority is to connect and communicate to all members and stakeholders across a broad range of areas from professional nursing guidance, policy consultations, employment relations negotiations, and research, and generic operations. It, therefore, refers to our ability to demonstrate leadership articulating a compelling and clear narrative that will promote inclusion and equality (Downey et al., 2015). Usually, it intends to strengthen the link between workplace engagement, inclusion, and, finally, the delivery of better outcomes for patients. This narrative will, therefore, be widely shared and will focus on the importance of organizational design, inclusive system, and cultural as well as a leadership practice (Holck et al., 2016). The central aim of this strategy is to broaden and deepen the understanding and deployment of engagement techniques within the workforce of Mercy Medical Centre.

The second priority is to challenge and change employers and service providers to improve outcomes for nurses. This strategic priority focuses on the importance of Mercy Medical Center. It generates a robust and compelling evidence base through which to challenge service providers, employers, and policymakers; this will initiate structural and long-term positive change, thus delivering better outcomes for all Mercy Medical Center members (Lawton, & De Aquino, 2015). It will ensure that nurses and health care support team can work in a fully inclusive environment and free from unlawful discrimination (Dreachslin et al., 2017).

The third priority is to equip and inform Mercy Medical Center representatives of the newly accredited skills in challenging discrimination and promoting inclusion in the workplace. Our capability to positive change in the arena of inclusion and equality needs to strengthen the continuing development and learning provided to the accredited representatives on a wide range of inclusion and equality issues (Debiasi, & Selleck, 2017). It thus remains an essential ability to enhance the support provided to the members in increasing remedies to unlawful discrimination and any form of disadvantage in the workplace. Besides, this strategy also focuses on building skills and knowledge that will help to promote inclusion and tackle inequality among the broad membership of Mercy Medical Center.

Composition of a Team with Characteristics that Can Effectively Address a Diversity Issue

Generally, teams offer the potential to achieve more than any person could accomplish working alone; however, it is critical to capitalize on a variety of skills, knowledge, and abilities available. Senior leadership support is thus vital for diversity council success. While the composition of the diversity committee can vary from council to council, engagement from senior-level management, ideally the CEO or other senior executive is necessary if the committee is to fulfill its mandate (Rubino et al., 2020). A group of 5 members who will participate in the committee tasked with addressing the diversity issue will thus include a CEO or one member of other senior executives to chair the meeting. We, therefore, prefer the team to incorporate at least one head of departments, a doctor, administrative staff, and one head of the nursing staff. We also propose that a representative of the patient or patient families to be reflected in the committee.

Some of the essential characteristics that can make the team effective include

• Open communication among the members
• The existence of autonomy and equality of resources
• Clearly communicated goals and outcomes
• A long-term strategy that drives short-term initiatives and activities and
• Members seeing their roles as necessary to the team

A Plan that will Effectively Foster Interprofessional Group Collaboration

The project will use a didactic component plan to teach and encourage interprofessional group collaboration among its members effectively. During the educational phase, members of the workforce will attend 30-minutes interprofessional small group sessions that will be held on every Friday afternoon. Five sessions will be devoted to the leaning concepts of interprofessional healthcare teams, collaborative patient-centered care (functioning as a collaborative team), healthcare professions (time to learn about their health profession), service learning and health assessment, and advocacy and error cases. The remaining sessions will be set aside for discussion, preparation, presentations, and celebration of achievements. Workforce objectives, case studies, and role-play will be used to develop focus. Different members will volunteer each session to moderate the group to improve their communication and leadership skills (Lawton, & De Aquino, 2015).

Fundamental Characteristic of a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

One of the characteristics of a diverse and inclusive workplace is that it is a working environment that values the group and individual differences within its workforce. It usually enables a company or an organization to embrace the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives of the employees; this will, in turn, increase their talent, creativity, innovation, and contributions. A diverse and inclusive workplace also makes divers employees feel valued, integrated, and included in the workforce instead of isolated (Downey et al., 2015). Another significant characteristic of a diverse and inclusive workplace is that everybody has equal access to opportunities; it also includes open communication and information sharing as well as shared accountability and responsibility (Downey et al., 2015).

Benefits of Promoting and Supporting Diversity within an Organization

Diversity and inclusive workplace are associated with a wider variety of skills and abilities that directly contribute to the productivity of an organization. Diversity in an organization usually results in an increased innovation among the interprofessional groups; more diversity in leadership roles typically creates an environment where more diverse ideas are heard and welcomed.

The pursuance of diversity in the nursing workforce guarantees members of ethnic groups, communities, and cultures are presented on the staff. It thus enhances the contribution of unique ideas and perspectives from different individuals; the team can, therefore, utilize these ideas in the treatment of patients

An increase in the cultural diversity of the nursing workforce can result in programs that educate the healthcare professionals of the future; it can, therefore, prepare nurses to provide comprehensive, equitable care that promotes a healthier and less stressful experience for patients and their families (Debiasi, & Selleck, 2017).

When teams of professional healthcare reflect the diversity of their patients, it is easier for providers to develop cultural competency, thus allowing providers and patients to communicate more openly. Through communication, patients tend to feel safer and also facilities with a more diverse team working together effectively (Gotsis, & Grimani, 2016).

References

Debiasi, L. B., & Selleck, C. S. (2017). Cultural competence training for primary care nurse practitioners: an intervention to increase culturally competent care. Journal of cultural diversity, 24(2). https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P4-1974490916/cultural-competence-training-for-primary-care-nurse

Downey, S. N., van der Werff, L., Thomas, K. M., & Plaut, V. C. (2015). The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(1), 35-44. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jasp.12273

Dreachslin, J. L., Weech-Maldonado, R., Gail, J., Epane, J. P., & Wainio, J. A. (2017). Blueprint for sustainable change in diversity management and cultural competence: Lessons from the National Center for Healthcare Leadership diversity demonstration project. Journal of Healthcare Management, 62(3), 171-183. https://journals.lww.com/jhmonline/FullText/2017/05000/Blueprint_for_Sustainable_Change_in_Diversity.5.aspx

Gotsis, G., & Grimani, K. (2016). Diversity as an aspect of effective leadership: Integrating and moving forward. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LODJ-06-2014-0107/full/html?fullSc=1

Holck, L., Muhr, S. L., & Villeseche, F. (2016). Identity, diversity and diversity management: On theoretical connections, assumptions and implications for practice. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 35(1), 48-64. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d64c/b027746d68a0703478ca835bf115cd1c38a4.pdf

Lawton, D. S., & De Aquino, C. T. E. (2015). Diversity in the workplace and the impact of work values on the effectiveness of multi-generational teams. i-Manager's Journal on Management, 10(3), 20. https://imanagerpublications.com/assets/pdfDownload/JMGT/2016/01JMGT_February_16/JMGTFebruary16RP02.pdf

Rubino, L. G., Esparza, S. J., & Chassiakos, Y. (2020). New leadership for today's health care professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Todays-Health-Care-Professionals/dp/1284023575