Diversity is something that is an issue that has always existed in nursing, perhaps in more recent years has it become an important subject in delivering modern nursing care. But are we as diverse as we like to think? How diverse are we in reality?
I have no doubt that at junior level, nursing is very diverse. I have worked with nurses from many different corners of the world, of different ages, backgrounds and ideas and personal values. That is true of people in general and is nothing unique to nursing. I find it sad that some members of the public and other professions do not find as much value in diversity as the profession claims to be proud of. I recall some time ago, the NMC sent out a questionnaire to every nurse and midwife asking them about their background. The NMC stating that they we interested in learning about the diversity of the registrants.
Would I be correct in thinking that nurses believe diversity is a good thing in the profession and this reflects the diverse needs of the people we care for? sadly I've noticed that in reality we really don't have to look very far to see the lack of diversity in the profession, the last time I looked at actual numbers regarding people in the profession, the number of men registered as nurses was only 11%. Would it be true that there are more nurses from abroad recently due to chronically low staffing levels forcing employers to look elsewhere? Are we only as diverse as we are due to practical need as opposed what we should be to claim to be truly diverse?
The Nursing times recently wrote that nurses BME background were more likely to be involved in fitness to practice cases compared to nurses of white ethnicity, would this be a true reflection of nursings opinion of diversity or simply a coincidence in cases of poor practice? http://nursingstandard.rcnpublishing.co.uk/news-and-opinion/news/bme-nurses-more-likely-than-white-staff-to-face-nmc In reality, I learned from one ward sister I worked with when I was newly qualified (who was filipino as it happens) that no-one would ever intend to practice badly, but all of us have a chance that things could go wrong, that even as an experienced nurse, it could happen to her and I should therefore not worry about it as much as I did.
I would be interested to find out exactly why BME nurses are more likely to be referred to fitness to practice proceedings.
The nursing times and nursing standard also went further to look at the number of BME nurses employed in senior positions in the profession, or lack thereof I should say. I would be interested to find out the diversity of council members at the NMC and whether the council also reflects diversity of the profession it regulates and the public it serves. http://www.nursingtimes.net/why-are-there-so-few-bme-nurses-in-senior-nhs-posts/5000204.article
I don't doubt however that the diversity of nursing has really evolved and developed over time, according to the history of nursing, Florence Nightingale herself was discouraged from taking up nursing as it was not seen by her family as work befitting a woman of her class. Some years later, Florence refused the assistance offered to her group by Mary Seacole, again I would be interested to find out why.
I often think that the publics perceptions of what a nurse is can influence the professions diversity. Sometimes I have connotations of a young woman, wearing a crisp apron and a cap with a fresh face. I wonder who else has that idea of what a nurse is? Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to leave much room for all the different nurses in reality.
Ultimately though, the point is diversity is a good thing, provided we as nurses and the public open up our minds to what a nurse is, was and will be in all their different forms. we may not be able to fully meet the diverse needs of the people we care for. If we can be completely open and diverse, how good is the care we provide? At least for now, I think the solution could just be as simple as an old saying I once heard..."Free your mind, and your body will follow".
