Inclusion Equals Innovation: How Our Diverse Workforce Offers Better Care

Inclusion Equals Innovation: How Our Diverse Workforce Offers Better Care

by | Nov 11, 2022 | Blog, Minority and Community Health, Nursing Diversity | 0 comments

The VA knows that inclusion equals innovation. By ensuring that every Veteran receives care that matters to them and their whole health, VA providers and staff get to know each Veteran personally to provide better care tailored to the patient’s health and wellness goals.

All Veterans are different, and health care is not one-size-fits-all. However, diversity in VA personnel helps bridge the gap in health care disparities, an attitude adopted at the very top of their organization.

And the more diverse the VA workforce, the more tremendous success they’ll shareAnd the more diverse the VA workforce, the more tremendous success they’ll share

“To ensure a welcoming environment for Veterans, we must foster fair and inclusive VA workplaces where the experiences and perspectives of our diverse employees are valued,” says VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “The success of our mission depends on everyone being able to contribute their expertise, experience, talents, ideas, and perspectives.”

Investing in Inclusion

The Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) plays a significant role in developing VA’s diverse workforce.

Healthcare professionals just starting in their careers can take advantage of health professions training and scholarship programs designed to increase job opportunities at VA for racial and ethnic minorities, improving healthcare experiences and outcomes for these groups.

OAA manages affiliations with more than 1,800 unique colleges and universities, including nearly 200 minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Approximately 20,000 health professions trainees from MSIs come to VA each year.

Additionally, the Veterans Healing Veterans Medical Access & Scholarship Program provides full scholarships to 12 Veteran medical students at Teague-Cranston Act and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in exchange for a four-year service obligation at VA.

Inclusion Leads to Innovation

The VA’s academic affiliations put them in a unique position to mentor and fund researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds who are motivated to make a difference in their communities, broadening career opportunities for those seeking to join the VA’s team.

Additionally, the VA recognizes that scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex health-related problems. So the VA has developed funding opportunities in mentored research for junior VA investigators from underrepresented backgrounds. These research supplements pair early-career investigators with established VA researchers.

The supplements, supported by the VA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), have led to research into virtual reality technology to help Veterans with mild cognitive impairment and repurposing existing drugs to treat substance use disorder, among others.

The Road Ahead

Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion among the VA staff is an ongoing effort and a challenge that will continue in the future. As the VA celebrates its successes, they look ahead to further efforts that support and recruit a diverse workforce.

By integrating best practices into all the VA does to expand access to world-class healthcare services and to improve policies and procedures to reflect the diversity of those they serve, the VA continues to strengthen its efforts toward a safe and respectful workplace and healthcare environment.

Serving the most diverse group of Veterans in history, the VA reaffirms its commitment to hiring staff that reflects that diversity, ensuring that VA employees feel supported and providing equitable healthcare access for all.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

by | Sep 24, 2019 | Blog, Nursing Careers, Nursing Diversity | 0 comments

As a minority nurse, you know diversity and inclusion means much more than what the people in your organization look like and where they have come from.

Diversity and inclusion is absolutely focused on creating a nursing workforce that more closely mirrors the different populations in a given area. But diversity and inclusion also means more because the culture of a workplace needs to feel comfortable to the people who work there.

If you’re a nursing leader you hold a responsibility for hiring the right people, and also for creating an environment where employees feel like they can be their authentic selves. When employees feel like they are able to bring the things that make them different to work—whether that’s their affinity for studying languages or for making cat toys for shelters or for four-wheeling in their spare time—it’s up to the organization to honor what they bring to your organization.

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) offers resources for making sure your workplace is not just diverse on the surface, but also goes deeper to be welcoming to employees.

What can you do to make sure your working environment is inclusive to all your employees?

Find the Right People

Make hiring high-quality workers who are similar to the populations you serve a priority. The more diversity you have, the more perspectives you’ll have. That only results in better care for your patients.

Understand the Concerns

Assess the culture of your workplace with open forums and anonymous comment boxes and bring your talent management team in on the results. Ask your employees for feedback about what feels right and what makes the workplace uncomfortable or unproductive for them.

Listen and Respond

Your team wants to be heard. They have voices and experiences that can make your unit stronger, more efficient, more effective, and more in tune to the needs of your patients. Make sure what they say matters, so listen to their concerns and work with them to develop meaningful solutions.

Keep It in the Open

Whatever changes you make probably won’t make everyone happy, but they should address an identified problem that will move your organization toward its goal of inclusivity. Each solution might look different. Sometimes, education about how different cultures make healthcare decisions will dispel misunderstandings. Sometimes it might be a direct policy that will address blatant mircroaggressions against people on your team. Many times, it is an open and honest celebration of they differences among your team members that will make them feel like they have found a place where they can flourish.

Look at the Outcome

In the end, a diverse workforce is essential and will meet many or your organization’s goals. But being an inclusive team is what makes employees committed to where they work and focused on the job at hand.

The outcome is better patient care, longer employee retention, an increased reputation as a fair employer in the community and the industry, and nurses who become ambassadors for your organization.

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