Diversity (or lack thereof) Among Allied Health Care Workers: Part 2 of 2
To pick up where we left off…..
It’s clear that cultural diversity is a valuable characteristic of an effective health care team. Consequently, many health care disciplines actively strive to increase the diversity of their practitioner base. Occupational therapy, a profession staffed primarily by white women, is one such discipline.
AOTA’s Centennial Vision for Occupational Therapy mentions workforce diversity: “We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven, and evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs.” This is a good start; the Powers That Be have recognized an important need and have made it a priority. Or have they? When the AOTA Board met in February to determine which Centennial Vision objectives would be given priority for fiscal year 2010 (which began July 1, 2009), increasing diversity among the OT workforce did not make the cut.
As disappointing as this is, AOTA makes sure to point out that just because an aspect of the Centennial Vision was not selected as a FY 2010 priority does not mean that it will fall by the wayside. AOTA states that efforts to enhance ethnic, economic, and gender diversity in the OT workforce are ongoing. AOTA claims that one efforts toward enhancing diversity is the AOTA E.K. Wise Scholarship. A $5,000 scholarship is given to three female (so much for gender diversity) post-baccalaureate (so much for economic diversity) students every year. Award recipients are able to “meet E.K. Wise’s and the Association’s objectives of developing a workforce to meet society’s diverse occupational needs in underserved areas or communities”. I could write an entire blog post about the E.K. Wise Scholarship, but for now I’ll just say that this is a pretty indirect way to address diversity in the workforce…
Another way that AOTA seeks to enhance diversity is through marketing OT practitioners of minority status. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about this- the people highlighted on this web page are unique individuals who owe their accomplishments to hard work and dedication… should they really be marketed? However, thinking it over, I see the merit in this approach. Through these personal profiles, AOTA demonstrates that the career of occupational therapy has wide appeal, and practitioners of many different backgrounds can advocate for and represent the field.
In addition to efforts undertaken by AOTA as an organization, individual groups have formed to address cultural issues in occupational therapy. There are numerous state-level cultural organizations, as well as national organizations. While these groups may partner with AOTA on occasion, they are independent organizations; individuals do not need to be a member of AOTA in order to join a cultural group. Below are links to National cultural groups that I am currently aware of:
The Black Occupational Therapy Caucus
The Association of Asian/Pacific Occupational Therapists in America
Network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns in Occupational Therapy
TODOS Network of Hispanic Practitioners
Orthodox Jewish Occupational Therapy Chavrusa
As an oft-quoted adage states, “The first step is admitting that you have a problem”. By including diversity in the Centennial Vision, AOTA has publicly recognized the need to improve diversity among occupational therapy practitioners. I look forward to seeing how this aspect of the Centennial Vision is addressed in coming years. Maybe it will even make the cut for a FY 2011 priority!
As I wrote in Part 1, improving diversity in any health care profession requires targeting the higher education system for some much needed change. A focused partnership between AOTA and educational programs around the country may be the profession’s best bet for increasing diversity among the ranks. National education initiatives, such as an OT student loan repayment program are also in order.
Until next time, here’s to diversity!