Fostering and Managing Diversity in Schools of Pharmacy

Abstract

Organizational benefits of diversity in the workplace have been well documented. In health professions, however, diversity-related research traditionally has focused on the effect of diversity on health care disparities. Few tools exist describing the benefits of diversity from an organizational standpoint to guide pharmacy administrators and faculty members in nurturing and developing a culture of diversity. Given the scarcity of pharmacy specific data, experience from other academic areas and national/ international diversity reports were incorporated into this manuscript to supplement the available pharmacy evidence base. This review summarizes the benefits of diversity from an academic organizational standpoint, discusses the issues administrators and faculty members must consider when developing programs, and provides guidance on best practices in fostering and managing diversity.

Racial Differences in Communication Apprehension and Interprofessional Socialization in Fourth-Year Doctor of Pharmacy Students

“…3 Despite the more diverse enrollment and emphasis on strengthening research, the pharmacy education literature is deficient in providing information on minority students, aside from including race in the sample description. 4 In the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's (AACP) 2013 Annual Profile of Pharmacy Students, underrepresented minorities (eg, Black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) accounted for 11.9% of PharmD students enrolled in fall 2013, 1 which was slightly lower than the previous academic year. 2 Asians, who are not considered a minority by AACP, accounted for 24.6% in 2013, which slightly increased from the previous year.…”

A Cross Sectional and Longitudinal Study of Pharmacy Student Perceptions of Readiness to Serve Diverse Populations

“…3 Service to diverse patient groups includes recognition of social determinants of health and social group affiliations. 4 Patient-centered, culturally-competent care to diverse groups encompasses tailored delivery of health care services (as needed) in consideration of patients' race and ethnicity, gender, sociocultural barriers, sexual orientation, nationality, geography, religion, age, language, ableism/disability, and health beliefs. 2,[5][6][7][8][9][10] Conceptual frameworks identify self-assessment as the first step in any cultural competence process because of the importance of understanding one's own culture and the profession's culture.…”

Educational Background and Academic Rank of Faculty Members within US Schools of Pharmacy

“…The educational and professional experiences these individuals bring with them may help further diversify academia beyond traditional demographic factors. 12,13 While the quality of training at unaccredited international schools is not known, individuals trained at these institutions are valuable resources as both pharmacy education and the profession adopt an increasingly global perspective within and across academic institutions and health care settings. This increased diversity also has practical implications for schools and the academy.…”