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Unlocking Your Potential as a Health Care Professional Relies on Understanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Published On 3.2.21

By Stephanie Long, PT, DPT, GCS, CEEAA

Physical Therapist

When future generations reflect back on all that occurred in 2020, I hope they will be proud of the health care professionals who became heroes during this time. We worked through a global health crisis of immeasurable proportions to improve the quality of life for our patients. Additionally, I hope we will be remembered as the generation of health care professionals who acknowledged racial, ethnic, and social disparities in healthcare and put it upon ourselves to stand up and work toward positive change.

As health care professionals, we are constantly adapting, evolving, and sharpening our clinical skills for the betterment of our patients and the continued enhancement of our professions. Early on in our professional careers, perhaps many of us didn’t understand what diversity, equity, and inclusion conceptually meant. We also likely didn’t understand how those three concepts could impact us as PTs, OTs, and SLPs.

During these turbulent times, the need to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into mainstream culture has come to the forefront. But what does it all mean?

  • Diversity is the presence of differences within a given setting. It can describe differences in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic class, religion, language, disability, political perspective, etc.
  • Equity is the act of ensuring that processes and programs are impartial, fair, and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual.
  • Inclusion is an outcome to ensure those that are diverse actually feel and/or are welcome.

Diversity in Healthcare

All too often, the general topic of diversity brings up a sense of unease. We may be so fearful of saying the wrong thing or perhaps hearing the wrong thing that conversations about diversity are often avoided. Diversity is no longer something we as health care professionals and skilled clinicians can glance over. We are ready for change.

Diversity is not just the color of our skin. Diversity is what makes “us” unique. Our race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and identification, religious beliefs, political beliefs, and socioeconomic status are only some of the factors that help shape who we are. As health care professionals, we have a professional duty to acknowledge and appreciate the diversity of our patients, ourselves, and our colleagues.

Equity in Healthcare

Unfortunately, most of us already know that there are implicit racial, ethnic, and social disparities and biases in healthcare. These disparities impact the quality of health care provided to diverse populations. Likewise, it can impact diverse health care professionals.

As health care professionals, we have a passion to help others. In our attempts to help others, I believe many of us try to treat everyone equally. While that is an amazing effort and a step in the right direction, equality and equity are not the same. We should come to appreciate and acknowledge that everyone has different needs. Some individuals may have more challenges and barriers to overcome attributed to their own unique racial, ethnic, or social characteristics and may require additional support in particular areas.

Healthy People 2020 describes Health Equity as the “attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Achieving health equity requires valuing everyone equally with focused and ongoing societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and the elimination of health and health care disparities.”

Inclusion in Healthcare

As health care professionals, by acknowledging the racial, ethnic, and social disparities that exist, we can hope to move forward and make a positive change for generations to come. I wholeheartedly believe that we can foster a culture of inclusivity in healthcare by acknowledging our differences and similarities. As PTs, OTs, and SLPs on the frontlines of healthcare, we can make positive change. As APTA President Sharon Dunn in her 2018 Presidential Address stated, “Our vision charges us not to stand at a distance and point our fingers at our nation’s ills but instead to accept a personal responsibility to try and make a difference.”

Ready for Change

It is our professional duty to sharpen our clinical skills to embrace DEI in a positive and impactful manner. Increasing our understanding of the uniqueness of our patients and colleagues by acknowledging what barriers they may have to overcome will better improve healthcare for all.

As health care professionals, let us rise to the challenge. Let us show others how our skills of communication and empathy coupled with our natural abilities to adapt and evolve can help change lives for the better. DEI should be linked to our clinical skills. We should continue to enhance and grow in appreciation and understanding so that we can fully understand ourselves, our patients, our colleagues, and the impact of our interactions.

Without fully considering DEI, we may only be scratching the surface of what we can all achieve together.

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