To help create health equity in Washington State, we need to attract greater diversity into the nursing workforce. This includes representation from more nationalities, ethnicities, men, LGBTQ populations, faiths and socioeconomic groups. The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 2010, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, found that healthcare transformation isn’t only synonymous with fancy technologies, newly imagined systems or how we provide care, but transformation also includes diversifying who provides care. When the nursing workforce better reflects Washington’s populace, health outcomes improve.
Read WCN’s article on the importance of diversity in nursing: A diverse nursing staff improves patient care.