What is Diversity in Nursing?

Multicultural nursing encompasses differences in race and ethnicity, gender, national origin, immigration or refugee status, age, and religion. It can also refer to differences in socioeconomic status, family structure, and physical, functional, and learning abilities.

According to the 2024 National Nursing Workforce Study, the diversity of registered nurses has increased over the past five-plus years. More than 23% of RN survey respondents come from a diverse ethnic background. Regarding age, the majority of nurses are over 50. In addition, the number of men in the field increased to 10.4% in 2024, up from 8% in 2015, survey data shows.

No matter your age, gender, or cultural background, nursing has a place for you.

Why Is Diversity Important in Healthcare?

Cultural diversity in nursing is important for many reasons and benefits nurses, patients, healthcare organizations, and communities. Consider the following:

Impact of Diversity on Patient Care

As nurses are often the first provider a patient sees at a healthcare facility, they must build trust quickly. Nurses have been the most trusted profession for over two decades, according to an annual Gallup poll.

A diverse nursing workforce can help build that trust, cultural diversity in nursing contributes to better patient outcomes. Similarly, other studies demonstrate that diverse nursing teams can provide a higher quality of care than non-diverse nursing teams.

The nurse-patient trust relationship reduces treatment time for patients and increases job satisfaction for nurses who take a patient-centered approach and show respect to patients and their loved ones. If patients feel they can trust their nurses, they might be more willing to divulge sensitive health information that is vital to their care and more likely to follow treatment recommendations.

Addressing Health Disparities Through a Diverse Nursing Workforce

Inequalities in healthcare, such as access to care, are common in the U.S. Healthcare inequities discourage patients from accessing the care they need and contribute to worse outcomes.

There are multiple factors that impact health equity, according to the Centers for Disease Control. They include some of the following:

• Social determinants of health, which refer to the conditions in which people are born and live and work.
• Social and community context, in which people can experience discrimination.
• Healthcare access: Some people cannot get the care they need due to where they live, lack of insurance, or finances.
• Education: A lack of education leads to lower literacy and health literacy, which can make managing one’s health difficult.

As the U.S. population becomes more culturally diverse, an equally diverse nursing workforce could help close those healthcare gaps.

Organizational Benefits of Cultural Diversity in Nursing

Diversity in nursing doesn’t just benefit the nurses and patients; it can benefit whole health organizations. Why is diversity in healthcare important for health systems? Diverse health organizations tend to enjoy the following:

• Better nursing recruitment and retention
• A favorable organizational reputation
• Better financial performance

How to Promote Diversity in the Nursing Field

Now that you have a better understanding of why nursing and diversity go together, how can nursing professionals and organizations promote diversity?

An organization can employ several strategies to promote greater diversity, such as:

• Diversity in recruitment: HR managers can ensure that all nurse recruitment efforts are inclusive. It’s also important for HR professionals and managers to be aware of personal biases during interviews.
• Supportive and inclusive work environment: Promoting diversity in nursing is essential for an inclusive work environment that actively combats problems like discrimination, harassment, and hate speech. Nurse leaders can cultivate a welcoming space in each department. It’s also important to establish clear, consistent protocols for reporting, investigating, and responding to adverse incidents.
• Cultural competence training: Nursing is a profession that necessitates lifelong learning. One important professional development initiative for all organizations is cultural competence training. Nurses can learn to recognize biases and combat them, and they can develop skills to meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of diverse patients. Research has shown that training healthcare providers can help make them better communicators when dealing with patients of different backgrounds. This can lead to improved patient outcomes.

Pursue Your Future in Nursing at Utica University

The nursing department at Utica University is committed to preparing professionals who can promote equitable healthcare. Utica has also received national recognition as a College of Distinction for its commitment to equity and inclusion.

Regardless of your background, Utica’s ABSN program and Advanced Standing BS in Nursing program are designed to prepare you to provide empathetic and competent care as an RN. Both programs have three start dates per year, in January, May, and August. If you have 65 college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you could be eligible to enroll.

Our curriculum is a blend of three main components:

• Online coursework that covers foundational nursing concepts like pathophysiology, informatics, and pharmacology.
• Skills and simulation labs in which students practice skills like checking blood pressure and inserting IVs, using hospital equipment and medical manikins.
• Clinical rotations at top area hospitals, where students provide direct patient care under supervision in specialty areas that could include acute care, mental health, or pediatrics.

In as few as 16 months, you will be prepared to take the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. Contact our admission team today to explore your future in nursing.