Mentorship Matters: Driving Diversity in Nurse Executive Leadership | E6 - Amplified RN News Show
ANA\California Member and media-trained nurse, Dr. Trarina Harris DNP, RN, NE-BC, CPHQ, PHN, advocates for increased diversity in leadership roles through formal mentorship programs designed to remove unconscious bias and align teams with the patient population they serve.
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Jared Fesler 0:17
Welcome to the Amplified RN News Show where we're turning up the volume on nursing news in California. Today, we're going to be diving in the topic of mentorship, and how we can use mentorship to drive diversity in nursing executive leadership. We're joined today by an ANA California member and media-trained nurse, and so thankful to have you here joining us. Dr. Trarina Harris, would you please introduce yourself and just tell everyone a little bit why you're an expert on this topic?
Dr. Trarina Jerome Harris 0:43
Sure. Good afternoon, Jared. Thanks for having me. I am Dr. Trarina Jerome Harris as introduced. I am a doctorally prepared nurse with a certification in nurse executive leadership, as well as in quality. I have been a nurse for over 23 years and in leadership for almost 17 years. And so I consider myself to be an expert in this topic based on my DNP project, and my experience throughout the continuum of care.
Jared Fesler 1:17
Thank you so much. So can you tell us a little bit more about the scope of this issue? How many nurses are currently represent racial and ethnic minorities in California?
Dr. Trarina Jerome Harris 1:28
Sure. So I do have to share that this is actually not a new topic, there was a call to action over 20 years ago by the Institute of Medicine, now called the National Academy of Medicine. And in that we they call to action, the need to increase diversity in nursing. So to date, our data is showing that 68% of nurses identify as Caucasian. And only 14% of those nurses in executive leadership roles represent African Americans, like Tito's or in Latinos, and even Asian nurses.
Jared Fesler 2:11
And why do you think this issue persists or continues to perpetuate?
Dr. Trarina Jerome Harris 2:16
The reason that it continues to persist or perpetuate is because there are a number of reasons there's cultural bias. So in the sense that people in positions of power only want to hire people that look like them. There is a lack of m