Diversity (or lack thereof) Among Allied Health Care Workers: Part 1 of 2

This morning I happened upon an article entitled Where’s the Diversity? on minoritynurse.com, an online supplement to Minority Nurse Magazine. Although the article was written in 2003, the topic is still incredibly relevant today.

The article starts with the quip, “What do Martha Stewart house paint and the allied health workforce have in common? Give up? Both come in any shade of white you can imagine”. From here the article takes a more somber tone, relating disheartening statistics regarding the under representation of minorities in the United States’ allied health care workforce. The author is quick to point out that “the lack of diversity certainly is not due to a lack of available positions”. This very true! I found a pdf document created by the Department of Labor which lists the 30 fastest-growing professions between 2004-2014. Approximately half of these professions were in the field of allied health care. Examples include: home health aides, medical assistants, physician assistants, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, physical therapy aides, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and (of course) occupational therapists, and occupational therapy assistants. Many of these ever-growing job openings will remain vacant, as the demand simply outweighs the supply of allied health care workers.

Many people, including the author of “Where’s the Diversity?”, believe that “the problem of poor diversity in health care professions has its roots in the higher education system. For many reasons, minorities are not enrolling in allied health programs”. One of the primary reasons for the paltry enrollment rate is likely more an issue of socioeconomics than of race. Many minorities attend disadvantaged high schools that are not targeted for college recruitment or financial aid. Furthermore, if students from these schools do seek post secondary education of their own volition, unlike students from more affluent school districts, they are often unable to meet the prerequisite and standardized testing requirements of many health care programs.  Finally, “even for college-bound minorities, the allied health professions may not appear glamorous or financially rewarding enough to be worth the cost in sweat and dollars”.

Obviously, the disparities that plague America’s educational system lead to the under representation of minorities in many job sectors, not just that of allied health care. It seems obvious that, in general, a homogeneous workforce is far from ideal. In the field of allied health care, this may be especially true. “It has become painfully obvious that in this culturally rich country, minorities do not receive the same level of health care as their white counterparts.” These disparities negatively impact millions of Americans every year. Differences in treatment and outcomes result from a number of factors, including a patient’s socioeconomic status, health behaviors, language barriers, education and literacy levels, and health care coverage. Other disparities result from “the lack of multicultural tools and sensitivity in part of the health care provider, outright discrimination and stereotyping by health care practitioners, and the lack of diversity in the health care workforce”.

A more diverse population of allied health care professionals could help circumvent the root of much unfortunate and avoidable health care disparity among individuals of different racial and cultural backgrounds. Practitioners from diverse backgrounds may be able to provide patients with more culturally sensitive/competent care than practitioners hailing from America’s mainstream, majority culture. Also, it may likely be the case that patients from minority or disenfranchised backgrounds feel more comfortable discussing their health care concerns with practitioners of similar backgrounds- i.e. practitioners who understand the unique health-related challenges that minorities face on a day-to-day basis. It is also very plausible that by employing a diverse health care team, a health care facility provides non-minority employees with valuable experiences that will help them become more mindful of cultural issues in their own interactions with patients.

At this point you may be asking yourself important questions, including: “what does the lack of diversity amongst occupational therapy practitioners mean for our patients, and for the field in general?”, and “what can/should/is being done to remedy our profession’s unfortant similitude to Martha Stewart housepaint?”……..well reader, stay tuned-these questions addressed (not answered) in Diversity (or lack thereof) Among Allied Health Care Workers Part 2 of 2…….coming soon!