DIVERSITY In Healthcare

• Published in: The Sacramento observer Vol. 53; no. 50
• Main Author: Maryland, Patricia
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sacramento, Calif Sacramento Observer 17.11.2016
• Subjects: Executives; Health care industry; Leadership; Minority & ethnic groups; United States > US
• ISSN: 0036-2212

Unfortunately, the reality today is both women and minorities are underrepresented in healthcare leadership positions. While almost 80 percent of healthcare workers are women, they accounted for just 43 percent of hospital executives in 2014. Last year, a mere 11 percent of executive leadership positions at U.S. hospitals were held by members of minority groups, and in a 2015 survey of healthcare executives, less than 20 percent of respondents said that minority executives were well represented in management teams. There are myriad reasons for the shortage of women and minority leaders in healthcare, but one glaring challenge is the lack of a strong talent pipeline. Simply put, women and minorities continue to be significantly underrepresented in the business and clinical areas from which healthcare organizations usually draw their executives. African-Americans, for example, make up just over three percent of practicing physicians nationwide, and a 2014 survey of 5,300 MBA candidates in the United States found that only six percent identified as Black. Working toward greater representation of women and minorities in healthcare leadership roles is not only the right thing to do, it's also a care imperative. Consider that 32 percent of hospital patients in the U.S. belong to racial and ethnic minorities, and that each patient experiences the healthcare system differently based on his or her unique history, environment, cultural background and personal beliefs.