Inclusive Profession Research Articles

Exploring perceptions of what increased gender diversity might bring to the nursing profession.

To explore university nursing students and academic staff's perceptions of what increased gender diversity might bring to the nursing profession. An exploratory study with students and academic staff from two university nursing schools. Students and staff in two university nursing schools were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey (October-November 2022). The survey focused on gender diversity within nursing and patient care, asking respondents about existing barriers to gender diversity and inviting ideas on increasing gender diversity within nursing. The survey findings helped inform questions, which were used to further explore views and thoughts of gender diversity within nursing through semi-structured one-to-one interviews (January-February 2023). Nearly, two-thirds (64%, n = 69) of survey respondents strongly agreed/agreed that the lack of gender diversity in nursing negatively impacted delivering care to a gender-diverse society. Most (84%, n = 90) strongly agreed/agreed that increased gender diversity within the nursing workforce would positively contribute to nursing. Three-quarters (75%, n = 74) strongly agreed/agreed that working with a more gender-diverse nursing workforce would enrich their experience as a nurse. Three themes emerged from the interview data: shared stereotypes; improved care through knowledge, better relations and the presence of a gender-diverse workforce; a culture of welcome: suggested changes for the future. Most of those who participated in the study believe there are benefits to be gained from greater gender diversity within nursing. This study provides insight into the lack of gender diversity in the nursing environment, highlights how this might impact patient care and suggests actions to make nursing a more inclusive profession. Practical solutions were suggested, including the greater visibility of trans and non-binary persons in advertisement and recruitment campaigns to ensure nursing is viewed as a career choice for "all". Including a space for considered pronouns on university application forms, hospital documentation and name badges. Gender-neutral titles and uniforms should be considered for all nursing staff, and more gender-neutral toilets should be made available for staff and patients in university and hospital settings. This study addressed the lack of gender diversity in nursing and explored what an increase in gender diversity might bring to the nursing profession. The main findings were: (i) Less than a tenth (9%, n = 12) of respondents described their team of colleagues as being "extremely gender diverse". (ii) Most (84%, n = 90) strongly agreed/agreed that increased gender diversity within the nursing workforce would be a positive attribute to nursing. (iii) Three-quarters 75% (n = 74) strongly agreed/agreed that working with a more gender-diverse nursing workforce would enrich their experience as a nurse. (iv) Many stereotypes still exist in nursing and tackling them is important to make the profession more inclusive. (v) A nurse's gender can impact the care they provide. (vi) A more gender-diverse workforce would better reflect the population it serves. (vii) This research will have an impact on the nursing profession globally. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) was used as a guide throughout data collection and analysis. Every step of the study, including the survey and interview schedule, was co-constructed using an iterative approach with service users, students and staff who had personal experience of gender diversity and were a core part of the study team.

`It's not just linguistically, there's much more going on': The experiences and practices of bilingual paediatric speech and language therapists in the UK.

Despite the high prevalence of bilingualism in the United Kingdom, few speech and language therapists (SLTs) are bilingual themselves. Most SLT research on bilingualism has generated knowledge to inform service delivery for bilingual clients, but few studies have investigated how being a bilingual SLT influences one's professional experiences and practices. Better understanding the unique positionality of bilingual SLTs can yield critical insights to meaningfully address issues of diversity, inclusion and equity in the profession. To investigate the experiences and practices of bilingual paediatric SLTs in the United Kingdom through the lens of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory-International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (CHAT-ICF), a new theoretical framework developed to conceptualise the activities of professionals working in the field of disability. In this qualitative study, 19 bilingual paediatric SLTs practising in the United Kingdom were interviewed individually. Participants were recruited through a snowball sampling strategy, and semi-structured interviews conducted online. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and following a hybrid inductive-deductive approach to map the results onto the CHAT-ICF framework. Six overarching components of the CHAT-ICF framework hosted the 12 sub-themes identified to capture the experiences and practices of bilingual SLTs: (1) Subject (intersectionality); (2) Tools (language skills, education, clinical resources); (3) Rules (systemic barriers, sense of responsibility); (4) Community (sense of inclusion); (5) Division of labour (parents, colleagues); and (6) Practice (empathy with children, holistic mindset, flexible approaches). The use of the CHAT-ICF theoretical lens revealed two fundamental structural phenomena: (1) the distribution of sub-themes across many components of CHAT-ICF demonstrated that being a bilingual SLT is a multifactorial experience; and (2) the chain reactions between sub-themes illustrated the dynamic nature of bilingual SLTs' experiences which can be harnessed to challenge marginalisation and promote equity in the profession. This is the first qualitative study to date to provide in-depth insights into the experiences and practices of bilingual SLTs in the United Kingdom. These insights can be mobilised to inform the meaningful inclusion of bilingual SLTs in workforce planning efforts and service development. Recommendations include using intersectional lenses, providing cultural and anti-racism awareness training to SLTs, developing more diverse clinical resources and flexible approaches for bilingual families, valuing bilingualism in recruitment processes and increasing accountability at the leadership level. Research giving voice to bilingual SLTs, and other underrepresented demographics in the SLT workforce, can catalyse action to promote a more diverse and inclusive profession in line with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' strategic vision 2022-2027. What is already known on the subject Most research on bilingualism in speech and language therapy is focused on issues related to service provision and delivery for bilingual clients with little consideration for bilingual speech and language therapists' (SLTs) unique positionality. A few survey studies have shown that bilingual SLTs report significantly higher competency and greater confidence when working with clients who speak multiple languages, but there are significant gaps in understanding how bilingualism impacts other aspects of their professional experiences. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This is the first study to provide in-depth insights into the experiences and practices of bilingual SLTs in the United Kingdom. We show that being bilingual profoundly impacts many aspects of their professional experiences, including their clinical identity, skillset, sense of inclusion in the workplace, work relationships and clinical approaches. Bilingual SLTs expressed developing trust relationships with bilingual families and adopting flexible approaches to account for their clients' environmental factors, all of which can contribute to more equitable SLT services. This study also makes a novel contribution by proposing and using the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory-International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (CHAT-ICF) framework to conceptualise and investigate SLTs' experiences and practices. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This study provides evidence-based recommendations to inform progress towards the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' strategic vision 2022-2027 and the diversification of the profession. Actions to support bilingual SLTs and diversify the profession include shifting a rigid mindset of linguistic and cultural `competence' to self-growth and awareness, developing more diverse clinical resources and flexible approaches for bilingual families, valuing bilingualism in SLT recruitment processes and career progression and increasing accountability and leadership around issues of diversity in the workplace. The novel CHAT-ICF framework has the potential to be used to support therapists' reflexivity in their practice or structure audits of rehabilitation services. Intersectionality theories and transformative processes can catalyse positive change in clinical services and research around bilingualism.

A Review of Trends in Engineering Education Research from an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Perspective

Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) have been a topic of high interest in recent years as engineering trends towards becoming a diverse and inclusive profession for all. The purpose of this research is to understand trends in EDI-related engineering education research in Canada over the past ten years and to allow for a reflection of previously identified needs that have yet to see change. This study considers engineering education papers based in Canada published from 2013 through 2022. Several unique subsets of EDI have been consistent areas of interest throughout the past 10 years; gender has been and remains one of the top researched EDI topics, with race and ethnicity receiving approximately consistent research attention throughout, albeit to a lesser extent than gender. Certain areas of diversity have seen consistently little research attention throughout the years, such as the need to consider accessibility in engineering education and practice.

Striving for a profession for everyone.

As Anna Judson becomes BVA president for 2023/24, Josh Loeb chats to her about her love for the outdoors, passion for sustainability and One Health, and drive to create an inclusive profession.

Crip Letters: Storying Slowness and Re/Writing Academic Work

Composed in a series of letters, this essay explores the interdependent knowledge and survival work of crip communities. The authors discuss their experiences of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS) in a practice of Akemi Nishida’s “bed activism,” which challenges ableist demands for productivity from spaces of rest and care. Hsu and Nish ask what we lose—in intellectual and cultural growth and in actual lives—when academic spaces continue to devalue physical and cognitive difference. The resulting conversation considers illness as both an inevitability of lived experience and something exacerbated and ignored by academic spaces. It then explores how crip communities expand definitions of knowledge and knowledgemaking—offering wisdom that is not only valuable for a more inclusive profession but also necessary for a world increasingly sickened by extractive economies.

Ecological underpinnings of niche identity and diversity within the profession

PurposeDiversity and inclusion is a key focus of the profession. This paper investigates the ecological inherited niche of Indonesia and which employers accounting students choose and whether this will result in a diverse and inclusive profession. The authors conceptualise diversity as the demand-from the profession encompassing professional accounting firms, and inclusion as the supply of individuals wishing to enter the profession.Design/methodology/approachThe 1377 responses to a questionnaire survey of students deciding on their career paths were analysed using a multinomial logistic regression and path model.FindingsThe findings show that a lack of diversity in the profession is caused by the ecological background, constructing a local niche, that prevents diversity. This is manifest in ethnicity, gender and education, whereby the local niche consists of Chinese males recruited from B-rated private universities. To bring diversity and inclusivity into the workplace, the profession needs to entice people from multi-faceted groups and match ecological niche underpinnings to expectations of the professional landscape. Non-Chinese females are needed to become role models and trail blazers to establish a diverse profession. The public interest will then be better served.Originality/valueThis study uses niche construction as the theoretical framing and demonstrates that the profession needs to take action to become truly diverse and inclusive.

Strangers in the city: Spacing and social boundaries among accountants in the global city

AbstractBy conducting in‐depth interviews with 40 migrant and local accountants living and working in Dubai, the paper demonstrates how individual accountants draw on the global city as they make sense of and reconstruct professional identities and social boundaries of inclusion/exclusion. The analysis builds on Zygmunt Bauman's three social spacing processes: cognitive, aesthetic, and moral. The findings from lived experiences show that through cognitive spacing, the construction of other nationality groups of accountants as “strangers” is essential to the construction of participants' professional identities. Boundaries between groups of accountants are constructed in professional spaces (e.g., offices, teams, departments, sectors, firms, senior positions) through stereotype‐based identity work, stigmatizing accountants from different nationalities, as well as constructing cultures and qualifications as suitable or unsuitable for these spaces. In aesthetic spacing, boundaries and identities are constructed around the extent of freedom to be mobile, travel, and live pleasurably. This gives rise to the “tourist” and “vagabond” categories of accountants, constructing boundaries around who should be included/excluded in senior positions, based on the transitional power of their passports. In moral spacing, some accountants reflect and use their agency to transcend and resist boundaries constructed in cognitive and aesthetic spaces. They enact a moral self, where relationships with “stranger” accountants are based on moral responsibility and care for the Other. Attention to spacing processes in the global city demonstrates how individual accountants are active agents in reconstructing inclusion/exclusion boundaries and divisions in the profession. The findings indicate that if we are to foster a more open and inclusive profession, there is a need to consider spatial/spacing dimensions in both the city and the profession.

La mujer en la radiología española actual: análisis en perspectiva

IntroductionThere are gender inequalities in all fields, including radiology. Although the situation is improving, the presence of radiologists in leadership positions continues to be a minority. The objective of this article is to analyze the situation of women in the spanish radiology, comparing it with Europe and the United States. Materials and methodsWe selected the years 2000-2022 as reference period to make a comparison with feminization data throughout history. In addition, relevant specific data from the just begun 2023 were also included. The variables in which we investigated feminization were the following: medical students, medical graduates, radiology residents and specialists, section chiefs, department chairs, radiology residency programme directors, radiology university professors, presidents of the main radiological entities and societies in Spain, Europe and the United States, recipients of the main awards given by these radiological societies and chief editors of their journals. In order to perform this analysis we conducted an in-depth bibliographic research, we contacted the radiological societies of Spain, Europe and the USA and we carried out a survey in the main spanish radiology departments. ResultsThe female presence in radiology decreases as we rise to leadership positions, a situation that is patent in Spain, Europe and the US, comparison that will be analyzed in depth throughout the article. In spanish hospitals in 2021 there were 58.1% female radiology residents, 55% female radiologists, 42.9% female section chiefs and 24.4% female department chairs. In SERAM's history there have been 10% female presidents, 22% female gold medallists and 5% female editors-in-chief. If we analyze data from 2000 to 2023, female presidents reach 32% and female gold medallists 31%. ConclusionsAlthough gender inequality is declining, in radiology women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions. Work must be done in order to build a diverse and inclusive profession that reflects demographic reality.

Schooling of Peter Pan

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore the knowledge, beliefs and experiences of Canadian dietitians relating to gender and sexual orientation diversity within the profession. Our aim is to share some of the knowledge, beliefs and experiences though comic art, a medium that is widely popular and has been used in health knowledge translation to teach about health, health practices and client care practices. Methods: The research conducted was a qualitative poststructural thematic discourse analysis. Sixteen Canadian dietitians were recruited and asked to share their thoughts and experiences and gender and sexual diversity in the profession. Results: Participants spoke of cis-heteronormativity, feelings of not belonging and offered suggestions to create a more inclusive profession. Through a creative collaboration with an artist, a comic was created to share these findings. Conclusion: Dietetic students, educators and practitioners must take an active role in seeking out and modelling learning opportunities to ensure that the profession continues to move toward ensuring a safe and inclusive space for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.

Are we an equal, diverse and inclusive profession?

Are we an equal, diverse and inclusive profession?

Working towards a more accessible and inclusive profession

Vet student Saskia Chelliah describes how her involvement with participation-widening initiative Animal Aspirations has had an invaluable impact on her university experience.

Mental well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in the veterinary profession: Pathways to a more resilient profession.

Mental well-being (MWB) and diversity, equity, and inclusiveness (DEI) continue to be critical within the veterinary profession but there is less information regarding how professional associations around the world tackle these issues. A mixed-method study including an international online survey in English (n = 137 responses via snowball sampling), fourteen interviews, and two webinars was used to identify the availability and impact of MWB and DEI support programs for veterinarians. Survey results showed that more veterinary organizations designated MWB and DEI challenges (54%, n = 43/79 and 58%, n = 45/78, respectively) as a key priority area than veterinary clinics (26%, n = 15/57 and 33%, n = 19/57, respectively). Whereas, MWB support programs were available in a moderate number of mainly English-speaking countries, DEI support programs were available in only a few countries and focused primarily on specific groups, with an unknown impact due to their recent implementation. Universally, survey respondents believed activities for specific groups, such as MWB webinars, training, and awareness campaigns, as well as MWB/DEI helplines and DEI peer-to-peer support programs had a high impact (median 3.5–4/5) yet were underemployed by both veterinary organization and veterinary clinics. Further feedback from respondents during focused interviews indicated that requiring initial and continuing training as well as tailored group activities would be most beneficial to improve MWB/DEI throughout the veterinary professional career. There are many areas of the intersection between MWB and DEI that remain to be elucidated in the future studies. Having a sufficient sample size, improving accessibility, and addressing varying cultural perceptions are the main challenges, as seen in our study. To truly address MWB and DEI disparities, change is also needed in veterinary workplace culture and environment. In conclusion, raising awareness for an inclusive profession, including increasing openness and acceptance to enhance DEI and destigmatizing MWB challenges, is needed to ensure a thriving, modern veterinary profession.

791 Occupational Therapy in Operating Room An Emerging and Distinct Role in Collaborative Burn Care Practice

IntroductionNumerous health professions face challenges and opportunities resulting in increasing contexts for service delivery. One element of this changing landscape for occupational therapy is the ongoing development and delivery of services in new or underdeveloped practice settings, often identified as emerging practice (Holmes & Scaffa, 2009). Often, occupational therapy practitioners work on interprofessional teams. Articulating occupational therapy's distinct value is necessary to communicate with clarity to those outside of the profession. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Vision 2025, As an inclusive profession, occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living. One of the pillars identified in the AOTA 2025 vision is Collaboration: Occupational therapy excels in working with clients and systems to produce effective outcomes (AOTA, 2017).MethodsThrough the initiative of one of the surgeons, she collaboratively integrated Occupational Therapy in the OR during the debridement and skin grafting process. While the patient is on sedation, the surgeon allowed OT to facilitate a range of motion, allowing optimal range of motion (ROM). The focus of the management in the acute phase of burn rehabilitation is the preservation of function through the prevention of deformities. Using a case study, the therapist's clinical and professional reasoning concerning a client's occupational performance (AOTA, 2020 p.20).ResultsOccupational therapy specialists use theoretical principles and models, knowledge about the outcomes of disorders on participation, and existing evidence on the efficacy of interventions to guide their reasoning. Understanding this distinct role as an occupational therapist should start from the beginning of burn care management among patients with burns inside the operating room. Having said all this, our Rehabilitation Department Burn Therapy Team was allowed to learn the introductory course in scrubbing, gowning, and gloving for healthcare professionals.ConclusionsThe idea of health care teams working together is not new. However, applying a culture of transformation, where concepts such as patient safety, mutual respect, shared decision making, and patient centered care are the norm, remains a novel and often fleeting idea in most burn care facilities (Sexton & Baessler, 2016).

Nursing in the 21st century: results of a pilot survey on attitudes towards nurses and nursing.

This study piloted an electronic survey with open and closed questions. Descriptive statistics were collated for closed questions using Excel. Open-ended questions were analysed using the text analysis program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) for tone, emotion and criticality. This pilot study recruited 72 participants from professional and non-professional backgrounds. Respondents displayed diversity in their perceptions of nursing, the role of nurses and the role that nurses perform. Nursing is a complex, multifaceted profession. The view of nursing was generally positive and authentic although not easy to define. Nursing was felt to be an inclusive profession; however, it is extremely diverse in nature. Further research is required to explore these concepts in greater depth.

Commentary: Transition of Internationally Educated Nurses into Practice: What We Need to Do to Evolve as an Inclusive Profession over the Next Decade.

Confronted with a pandemic amid a nursing shortage and an aging and culturally diverse patient population, nursing leaders need to explore innovative ways to meet increasing human resource demands to ensure patient safety. Internationally educated nurses (IENs) are an untapped resource to sustain the nursing workforce and provide culturally appropriate care. Based on the authors' lived experience and knowledge in supporting IENs, this commentary highlights the challenges that threaten the integration of IENs into the Canadian nursing workforce. It also recommends practical strategies to address these challenges, guide innovative and sustainable change and unpack systemic barriers to achieve organizational diversity and equity.

Gender diversity in nursing: time to think again.

Despite recent discussions and campaigns to widen nursing's appeal to people of diverse gender identities, it continues to be perceived as a largely female profession. In the context of an ageing workforce, and alongside recruitment and retention challenges, efforts should be directed at developing a more inclusive profession rather than focusing on why people other than women do not become nurses. To attract more men, transgender people and those who identify as nonbinary, as well as women, the approach to nursing recruitment needs to change. The profession must develop a more inclusive culture and examine and promote the advantages that gender diversity can bring to nursing. This article explores the lack of gender diversity in contemporary nursing, briefly examines the history of gender in nursing, and considers how the profession might evolve into a more gender-diverse and inclusive workforce.

Divinity in nursing: The complexities of adopting a spiritual basis for care.

In this paper, the historical alignment of nursing with divinity-based perspectives and modern New Age nursing theories are explored. The nature of divinity in nursing is examined, together with the complexities and issues that arise in adopting a spiritual basis for care. The work of the key theorists in this area (Rogers, Newman, Parse, Watson, Dossey) is reconsidered and fundamental epistemological problems inherent in this approach reviewed. Specific concerns with the interpretation of holistic care, adoption of doxastic logic, faith-based rationales, influence of Caucasian Judeo-Christian and New Age values, misappropriation of science, use of pseudoscience and development of divinity as social consumer product are discussed. Practical problems with using a spiritual basis in contemporary nursing practice are also explored and the alignment of divinity-based nursing theories with the modern antiscience movement is examined. Overall, the re-emergence of divinity-based nursing and spiritual basis for care may be problematic, and would seem to counter the development of an inclusive profession. Additionally, the alignment of nursing with antiscience movements rejecting biomedicine has significant public health implications. This is argued as a regressive step for the advancement of the profession.

Augmenting LGBTQ+ and Minority Identities within Medical School and Residency Training

Medical training is a lengthy process that requires mental, physical, and emotional prowess. It is a costly journey, but an ultimately rewarding one for those who want to become a physician. Many people sacrifice several aspects of their life to receive their DO or MD, thus complicating the journey is something most hope to avoid. However, personal identity is increasingly becoming a sacrifice that minorities have to make to pursue a medical degree. While society has seen a substantial increase in awareness and acceptance of minority groups over the last few years, the medical community can do their part in augmenting this growth by helping these populations feel comfortable embarking on the journey to become a physician. While medical institutions may have foundational policies regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), there still seems to exist a disparity among the physician workforce. By identifying barriers within the medical profession for minority groups and modeling recruitment, applications, and interviews after programs that are paving the way for a more inclusive profession, medicine will become a safer, more equitable field.

Striving for an Inclusive Profession: The Network for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns in OT Founding Voices

Abstract Date Presented 03/28/20 This historical qualitative research about the development and early advocacy of the Network for LGBTQIA+ Concerns in OT (formerly Network for LGB Concerns in OT) resulted in themes of confronting the profession, coming out, and changing practice. Researchers analyzed data from primary archival documents, oral histories, and one focus group of Network members. Implications for future research and the OT profession (education and practice) will be discussed. Primary Author and Speaker: Peggy Martin Additional Authors and Speakers: Wanda Mahoney, Christine Peters

A narrative of conservative student affairs professionals: Silenced in an inclusive profession?

Public universities are often perceived as predominantly liberal environments where conservative voices are silenced. This stands in contrast to the idea that higher education, and student affairs in particular, should foster an environment in which multiple perspectives are valued. In this narrative study, we share the stories of ten self-identified conservative student affairs professionals and their experience at a public institution of higher education. To inform our study we used the spiral of silence theory, which suggests individuals having opinions diverging from the majority will remain silent about their beliefs rather than face negative consequences. Data analysis and findings provide an understanding of how conservative ideology influenced relationships, professional engagement and overall work environment.