Page 8 | <strong>August</strong>, September, October <strong>2022</strong> <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Nurses</strong> <strong>Today</strong> | www.<strong>Virginia</strong><strong>Nurses</strong>.com Report on the Statement of Racial Reckoning at the ANA Membership Assembly VNA Secretary Tiffany Covarrubias-Lyttle BS, BSN, RN, PCCN VNA President-Elect Sherri Wilson DNP, MPA, RN The <strong>2022</strong> American <strong>Nurses</strong> Association (ANA) Membership Assembly was held in-person this June in our nation’s capital. Spirited debate took place around staffing standards, work-place violence and climate control. Unique to any dialog is the nurse’s ability to not only advocate for themselves, but to maintain a clearly determined stance to also advocate for those they serve. One particular motion brought forward for consideration was the Statement of Racial Reckoning. This statement was passed unanimously without any opposition. However, it is worth examining what racial reckoning means, particularly in the noble profession of nursing. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, reckoning is “a settling of accounts.” [1] As this relates to the topic of race, a statement, while hardly able to reconcile a long history of slavery and systemic inequities in our country, is the foundation that can begin to have great visions built upon it. Just as developers would seek to build upon a terrain that has long been fallow, the foundation must be leveled and stabilized before anything can be built. This is what this statement brings, an opportunity for the leveling of unsettled terrain, and the stabilizing of the foundation. The call to build on this foundation is now an urgent one as we continue to see the health and wellness of those we serve being affected. The ANA’s National Commission to address Racism in Nursing conducted a comprehensive report series on Racism in Nursing. [2] The report explored the historical context of nursing’s role at the intersection of the following events in American history: the era of enslavement, colonialism and the Indigenous in the United States, American imperialism beyond the continental United States, and imperialism and racism in Latino nursing. The recent social and political climate has also highlighted the public policies, institutional practices, and cultural norms that make up structural racism, all catalysts to health inequities. An article published through the Journal of Nursing Administration highlights that minority populations, compared to white populations, have higher incidences of avoidable health disparities, chronic diseases, and more frequently experience delays in care. This in turn creates higher costs and exacerbates negative health outcomes. [3] The answer to this health crisis may just be nurses! The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report clearly identifies that nurses can be the solution to racial health disparities through awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment and advocacy. [4] But the bedside is not the only place in healthcare that minorities need to be represented; we should also be mirrored in administration to help make the decisions that will affect our communities, in academia to promote and mentor our future nurses, and research so that a complete understanding can be obtained from a whole population. “Promoting health and well-being has long been an essential role of nurses—they are bridge builders and collaborators who engage and connect with people, communities, and organizations to ensure people from all backgrounds have what they need to be healthy and well.” -Future of Nursing 2020-2030 [5] The health of our profession, patients and communities are dependent upon our ability to build our visions of equity. Where are we currently as a profession? According to the 2021 United States Census the general profile for race consists of: 13.4% African American/Black, 18.5% Hispanics/Latinos, and 6.9% Asian. [6] However, according to an HRSA National Sample Survey of <strong>Nurses</strong>, the race of our communities is not effectively represented within the nursing workforce, with only 7.8% African American/Black, 10.2% Hispanics/Latinos, and 5.2% Asian. [5] A report put out by the American College of Healthcare Executives also demonstrates that while the population of patients that were also minorities grew from 21-31%, the reflection of diversity in the C-Suite remained a combined 14% [7] according to The Minority Nurse, with 63% of minorities in nursing being employed within hospital settings. [8] Here in the Commonwealth of <strong>Virginia</strong>, nurses are 110,000+ strong [5] but even in our great commonwealth, which does have better representation than many other states and commonwealths in the nation, there are disparities among the populations represented: 19% African American/Black, 10% Hispanic/Latino and 7% Asian. [9] What are the practical approaches for nurses to build a greater future? The Commission’s comprehensive Report on Racism in Nursing serves as a first step in helping our profession gain a better understanding of nursing’s role in the landscape of systemic racism, which will in turn, lay the foundation for healing. The Commission also seeks to collaborate with the broader nursing community and other stakeholders to seek to dismantle racism in nursing through continued engagement. Additional strategies promoted by the Commission include using the ANA’s Scope of Practice Statement to set antiracist behaviors and standards of practice within healthcare institutions. In addition, The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report outlines a framework for addressing social needs: awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment and advocacy. Awareness is the ability for each of us to understand the issues and to be bold enough to hold these issues with the same respect that we would any other area of practice. This is having a questioning attitude in areas of discrimination and under-representation, and diving into the research and evidence base. Do you know and understand the race-driven aspects of social determinants of health and how discrimination in your service area affect your patient populations? Adjustment is identifying the issue and making needed changes. When areas of discrimination and disparity are occurring, it is never enough to just be aware of the situation. We must be brave to call out the issues and make the necessary adjustments in collaboration with all those the adjustments will affect. Assistance is showing up and connecting the issue with those that can remedy it. As nurses, we can make an impact by making connections in our profession and in our patients with services that can help bring about change. Within nursing, we can find toolkits for addressing race and discrimination through organizations like the CDC, The <strong>Virginia</strong> Department of Health and commonwealth-based professional nursing organizations. Teaming with these organizations will help keep you informed and assist in the dialog for these crucial conversations while also giving you opportunities to get involved. Alignment is the act of supporting and being involved with and using your resources to promote healing and change. For nurses, this means being involved in your area of practice, system, and professional nursing organization, such as the <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Nurses</strong> Association (VNA) and American <strong>Nurses</strong> Association (ANA). Showing up isn’t just about networking; it is prioritizing resources to align with the needs for equity and inclusion. A very important area of alignment is mentoring which is emerging as an effective treatment to the crippling chronic disease of racism. [10] Not only is the mentor relationship beneficial for both parties, but the mentee has demonstrated better long-term projections in salaries, promotions, satisfaction and organizational commitment. [3] Advocacy is the powerful and meaningful action of collaboration between nurses and communities, to have a shared vision and then pushing that vision to spark social change. In this case, nurses have been granted the trust of their communities and with our strong collective voice, we can advocate for both the individual and the community. We can no longer tolerate discrimination, of any sort, and this is universally applicable for any practice setting. We are stronger together! As nurses, it is our duty to remove barriers to healing and promote the health of our profession and our communities. Just as we would speak up for our patients and take pride in their care, we must also speak up for our profession. We must end the disabling disease of racism and discrimination as it holds us back from the visions we have for health within our communities and profession. Collectively, we must align our voice, resources, and positions with practices that are inclusive and promote a healthy and diverse workforce, academia and research. It is imperative to mentor our future generations of nurses and show them that the sky isn’t the limit, it is only the beginning. We are starting this journey, but this time together, as nurses. Works Cited [1] Merriam-Webster, "Merriam Webster Dictionary," 18 June <strong>2022</strong>. [Online]. Available: https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/reckoning. [2] P. D’Antonio and D. Tobbell, "Report Series: Racism in Nursing.," National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing , <strong>2022</strong>. [Online]. Available: https:// www.nursingworld.org/~49c4d0/globalassets/ practiceandpolicy/workforce/commission-to-addressracism/racism-in-nursing-report-series.pdf. [Accessed 19 June <strong>2022</strong>]. [3] T. Harris, "The Reality for Minorities Exploring Nurse," JONA, vol. 51 , no. 6, pp. E18-E19, 2021. [4] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, "5 The Role of <strong>Nurses</strong> in Improving Health Equity.," National Academy Press, Washington D.C. doi: 10.17226/25982., 2021. [5] U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration,Bureau of Health Workforce, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, "2018 National Sample Survey of Registered <strong>Nurses</strong>," HRSA Health Workforce, , Rockville, Maryland, 2019. [6] United States Census Bureau , "United States Department of Commerce," 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/VA,US/ PST045221. [Accessed 18 June <strong>2022</strong>]. [7] R. Zambrano, "The Value and Imperative of Diversity Leadership Development and Mentoring in Healthcare," Journal of Healthcare Management, vol. 64, no. 6, pp. p 356-358 doi: 10.1097/ JHM-D-19-00209, 2019. [8] Minority Nurse , "Nursing Statistics," Springer Publishing Company, <strong>2022</strong>. [Online]. Available: https://minoritynurse.com/nursing-statistics/. [Accessed 18 June <strong>2022</strong>]. [9] <strong>Virginia</strong> Department of Health Professions, "<strong>Virginia</strong>’s Registered Nurse Workforce: 2020," Healthcare Workforce Data Center, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/media/dhpweb/docs/ hwdc/nurse/0001RN2020.pdf. [Accessed 18 June <strong>2022</strong>]. [10] C. Vassie, S. Smith and K. Leedham-Green, "Factors impacting on retention, success and equitable participation in clinical academic careers: a scoping review and meta-thematic synthesis," BMJ Open , Vols. 10(3):e033480 doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2019-033480, 2020. [11] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine., "The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: - Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity: Report Brief," The National Academies Press. https://nap. nationalacademies.org/resource/25982/FON%20 One%20Pagers%20Valuing%20Community%20 and%20Public%20Health%20Nursing.pdf, Washington D.C., 2021.
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