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Since 2010, the United States population has grown increasingly diverse along racial and ethnic groups. In the 2020 U.S. census update, Jensen and colleagues (2021) reported a 5.9% decrease in the overall population identifying as White to 57.8%. The second largest racial group is Hispanic or Latino at 18.7%, and Black or African American is the third largest group at 12.1 %. Census data currently point to a continuing trend of less than 50% of the U.S. population identifying as White within the next 20 years. While often used interchangeably, race and ethnicity are not the same. Race is an arbitrary classification of individuals by skin color, facial form, or eye shape (Pereira, 2020). Ethnicity refers to a social group that shares a distinctive religion, culture, or language. Understanding the relation-
ship between these social constructs and the heterogeneity of the U.S. population is essential for health care to achieve the goal of health equity. From a workforce perspective, a wealth of literature demonstrates the importance of promoting diversity equity, and inclusion (DEI) to support a positive work culture along with improvement in patient outcomes and organizational performance.
As we consider the nation's demographics, it is important to examine how the nursing profession compares to general population data. A 2020 national nursing workforce survey reported a more diverse nursing workforce than in any prior reports with 19% of registered nurses (RNs) and 30.5% of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) indicating their race as Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Black/African American, or Other (Smiley et al., 2021). While the nursing profession is still far from mirroring national statistics, there is reason for optimism given younger nurses are increasingly diverse. Smiley and colleagues (2021) reported nurses between the ages of 19 and 49 now encompass 47% of all RNs, with 60% of all nurses identifying as a racial or ethnic minority in this age bracket. In addition, in a 2022 report, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing estimated that 40.8% of nursing students are from underrepresented minorities. As the number of diverse nurses grows, so must opportunities in advanced roles across the domains of leadership, clinical practice, education, and research. The purpose of this column is to explore current state, barriers, and strategies to increase the...