The number of racial and ethnic minorities is increasing in the United States. Healthcare legislation has improved access to healthcare services, which benefits the population, including minority groups. As the population and healthcare evolve, so does the need to have minority nurses in leadership positions. Barriers such as misperceptions of qualifications, racism, and lack of mentors have hindered minority nurses from pursuing and obtaining leadership roles. Strategies to develop and sustain diverse nursing leaders include engaging in mentoring relationships, participation in clinical ladder programs, pursuing greater formal education, and membership in professional nursing organizations. Nurse leaders influence healthcare delivery and health policy. Minority nurse leaders are poised to take on leadership roles that can benefit healthcare organizations and an increasingly diverse community.
Envision yourself as a nurse manager, and consider what you know about barriers that racial and ethnic minorities face in attaining leadership roles.
Authored by Khaliah Fisher-Grace, PhD(c), MSN, RN, CPHQ, PCCN-K
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