By Debbie Bunch
October 7, 2024
It’s no secret the health care workforce is hurting for personnel, and respiratory care is one of the chief areas affected. Educational programs and hospitals alike have been trying to come up with creative ideas aimed at filling the gaps and one promising tactic is to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recruiting and hiring practices.
A program at UC Davis Health is a prime example of the kinds of initiatives underway.
The health system, which includes the flagship UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA, recently developed a road map for increasing workforce diversity across the industry, and the respiratory care department at the medical center has been involved in the efforts.
Multicomponent plan
“UC Davis understands the importance of having the diversity of our community being represented in our care teams,” explained RC Department Director Michelle Herzog, MBA, BSRC, RRT. “We are making a commitment as an anchor institution to strengthen our community by hiring locally, buying locally, investing locally, and volunteering locally.”
According to a case study published by The New England Journal of Medicine, the road map grew out of a 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment that identified ten zip codes within 20 minutes of the medical center with the greatest socioeconomic and health needs. To target those communities, Herzog says the health system has —
- Hired a robust talent acquisition leader in human resources.
- Developed strong community partnerships.
- Reorganized outreach events to target nearby communities.
- Improved the application process using feedback from the community.
- Eliminated degree requirements from position descriptions and replaced them with practical experience where appropriate.
- Provided hiring manager training about inclusive hiring best practices to mitigate bias.
- Partnered with colleges and high schools to create interest in programs related to the health care field.
UC Davis has also created employee resource groups, ensured that career advancement programs support diverse staff, and promoted candidates into higher level positions within the organization.
Promoting inclusion at all levels
Herzog believes all of these initiatives reflect a socially accountable approach to diversifying the workforce.
How has her department been involved? “The RT department has increased the diversity of its hiring panel, and hiring managers and supervisors have completed an eight-hour course on structural racism in the past year,” she explained.
The department is also working to understand how staff members perceive diversity as it relates to respiratory care. “DEI questions have been added to exit interview evaluations in an effort to record the employee’s experience as part of the RT department at UC Davis Health,” she said
Could other hospitals benefit from similar initiatives? Michelle Herzog believes the answer is yes.
“Hospitals are more than just health systems that provide care to the sick and injured, they also represent a community within themselves,” she said. “Hospitals are major employers who can leverage buying power and develop an internal structure that promotes inclusion at all levels.”
