Commitment to Diversity and Healthcare through Cultural Competence

AMN Healthcare incorporates cultural competence into the fabric of our clinician onboarding, orientation and continuous learning model. AMN promotes and supports diversity and inclusion regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or disability. We seek to achieve these goals through collaboration with clinicians and healthcare organizations to gain knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural, and historical experiences of the communities that AMN serves, and to build a network of AMN clinicians that meets the community's cultural and linguistic needs.

Cultural competence embraces the following:

• Valuing diversity of thought
• Knowing the cultural mores and traditions of populations served
• Demonstrating the ability to understand, communicate and effectively interact with people across cultures
• Integrating these practices into the care of individuals and families

The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General (2011) and the Institute of Medicine (2004) say that cultural competency training for clinicians can reduce health disparities for racial and ethnic populations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, racial and ethnic groups other than white currently make up about one third of the U.S. population. As the U.S. population becomes increasingly diverse, we know that improved communication between healthcare workers and patients is needed to reduce health disparities and produce higher levels of satisfaction with the U.S. healthcare system. The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes that impartiality begins at the level of the healthcare provider and should occur within every healthcare organization. All providers must recognize the potential impact of unconscious bias and practices contributing to discrimination, and actively seek opportunities to promote inclusion of all people in the provision of quality healthcare while eradicating health disparities.

AMN Healthcare is committed to providing culturally competent healthcare professionals to our clients. We are committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. Our diversity and inclusion philosophy is grounded in the affirmation that we respect all voices. AMN Healthcare team members acknowledge that we are best able to deliver safe and competent care when we embrace the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of every person encountered.

For more than three decades, AMN has provided resources and education, while encouraging clinicians, providers and leaders to engage positively in cross-cultural interactions. We collaborate with our partners to utilize resources that help all team members and clinicians recognize and reduce personal and institutional bias in healthcare.

Articles on Cultural Competence:

Culturally Competent Care: Understanding Differences, Improving Outcomes

Cultural Competence and Ethnic Diversity in Healthcare

Series, Becoming a Culturally Competent Health Care Organization

References

Aggarwal, N. K., Cedeño, K., Guarnaccia, P., Kleinman, A., & Lewis-Fernández, R. SpringerPlus (2016). The Meanings of Cultural Competence in Mental Health: An exploratory focus group study with patients, clinicians, and administrators. SpringerPlus, 5, 384. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-016-2037-4

American Nurses Association. (2018). The Nurse’s Role in Addressing Discrimination: Protecting and Promoting Inclusive Strategies in Practice Settings, Policy, and Advocacy.

Institute of Medicine. 2004. In the Nation's Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health-Care Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

National Prevention Council, National Prevention Strategy, Washington, DC:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2011.