Blog Author: Jamie Rauscher, LVT
NAVTA President
Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging. Four words are so simple in themselves but have brought so much to veterinary medicine. These words mean things that are extremely important for workplace morale and business success. Companies are more successful when they embrace the diversity of thought, experience, and ideas and are more attractive to job seekers. Veterinary medicine has always been a very open environment for our staff. Or has it? As far as I can remember, I have always worked with various people, paying minimal attention to the color of their skin or gender identity. Surely, everyone thinks this way…Or do they?
Our jobs are hard enough without adding to it the stress of our daily lives, a stigma of bias based on our inability to see beyond the physical attributes one may bring. Creating a work environment where everyone feels included and heard makes the workplace more productive and happy. Does your workplace commit to implementing DEIB values in your practice? If so, you do not discriminate based on age, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, or religion. You focus on building a fair and balanced workplace for all employees so there are no underrepresented groups or unconscious biases. Doing these things creates an environment where everyone feels welcome and open communication is encouraged. Employees feel a sense of community and acceptance when the DEIB strategies are tackled. Belonging to a group or team is the ultimate goal. Employees want to feel like they are part of a positive, functional community and are more productive if they love their workplace.
In the 25 + years that I have worked in veterinary medicine, the past few years have focused more on DEIB initiatives. Educational classes, conferences, articles, and committees have made it their mission to spread knowledge and awareness of DEIB struggles and how we can all help overcome them. NAVTA is a part of this growth with our DEIB committee. The charge of the committee is to “promote the value of DEIB throughout the veterinary nursing/technology profession including but not limited to race; ethnicity, gender; sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations, religious or political beliefs.”
Our love of animals and helping them brought us all to the field of veterinary medicine. Every one of us is a valuable part of the healthcare team in one way or another. We can only work to improve ourselves once we know where to improve. Everyone hopes to have the same goal of positive patient outcomes when they are in practice. This is only able to be achieved with a cohesive team. Together we make an unstoppable group of professionals who all have the same goal.