The Role of Organizations, Universities, and Minorities in Increasing Minorities in Healthcare

Abstract

The world of healthcare is made up of many healthcare professionals. Healthcare professions can be in nursing, practice as physicians, physical therapists, dietitians, and pharmacists among other careers. A key issue among many of these healthcare professions is the lack of minorities. Minorities are not represented in numbers like Whites when it comes to physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, or any other healthcare professionals (Valentine, Wynn, & McLean, 2016). The importance of having minority representation in the healthcare profession is even more vital today as well as for the future. The nation is growing into a more diverse population and being diverse in the workforce can have several important reasons (Valentine et al., 2016). An exploration of the reason why minorities don't pursue certain healthcare professions will show why they are lacking in these types of careers. The utilization of minorities already in healthcare along with programs can help in the recruitment of minorities to a variety of healthcare professions. Reviewing the healthcare professions of nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and dietitians can give insight on why minorities are in low numbers in these types of careers but with help from certain organizations and other minorities there can be strides in improving these statistics.