The Importance in Diversity in Nursing
Developing sensitivity to diversity is not only a legal obligation in the United States, it is also a moral and ethical obligation that speaks directly to aspects of the social contract and the longstanding human need to ensure that all human beings are treated with respect and accorded dignity. When diversity is not respected, the effects on victims of discrimination can be quite extensive. In this essay, the importance of diversity acknowledgement and responsiveness in the nursing profession will be examined.
The negative effects of stereotypes, bias, discrimination, and fear based upon race or ethnicity are well known. Voices such as those of Brent Staples (1986, p. 503) make this clear: ôOver the years, I learned to smother the rage I felt at so often being taken for a criminal. Not to do so would surely have led to madness.ö Similarly, Arab-American Magdoline Asfahani (1996) pointed out that while discrimination is not unique to America, as she attempted to become acculturated to life in the United States, she encountered a lack of understanding of diversity as well as overt discrimination.
This kind of treatment is not unique to African-Americans or Arab-Americans. Amy Tan (1990), an Asian-American born in the United States, stated that for her Chinese-born mother, mastering the English language was a difficult task and, as significantly, one which rendered her mother vulnerable to criticism from others and made her stand out as a ôforeigner.ö These voices strongly support the belief that developing sensitivity to diversity is a necessity in order to ensure that human and social interactions take place in an environment conducive to the promotion of harmony and cooperation.
Nowhere is this issue more important than in nursing. Madeleine Leininger and Marilyn R. McFarland (2002) are nurses who have devoted much of their professional effort to the creation of a th...