Creating a diverse nurse workforce and leadership team takes intentionality.
"Diversity doesn't happen by itself. It takes effort, thought and planning," Jesus Cepero, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer, senior vice president patient care services at Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Medicine Children's Health, told Becker's.
Dr. Cepero first joined Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford four years ago and said part of what made him comfortable joining was seeing the diverse team of executives already at the hospital.
"Since then, our diversity at the executive level has grown," he said. "This shift has transformed our culture, promoting a sense of safety and belonging, which is key to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce."
Now, he oversees 3,500 employees and one of his priorities is to further diversity work at the system. Here are his three guidelines for building a more diverse workforce and leadership team:
Removing education barriers
One of the greatest barriers to creating a diverse executive team is education. Many executive roles require a masters or doctoral degree.
Dr. Cepero has helped seven individuals earn advanced degrees by removing barriers and supporting them during their programs.
"They may not have been promoted immediately, but they're now in a better position to pursue future opportunities because they have the necessary education," he said.
Mentoring high performers
Part of being intentional includes identifying high performers and providing mentorship and coaching to help them advance.
"I've been a CNO for 14 years, but I wouldn't be here without those mentors and coaches who supported my development," Dr. Cepero said. "I've noticed that minorities, in particular, often seek my guidance as they face additional challenges in their careers."
Creating a home
Dr. Cepero noted that creating a home for diverse employees is critical. At Stanford, this takes shape in employee resource groups, which create a space for employees to connect, advocate and build networks.
Among them are Hispanic American, African American, Asian Pacific and LGBTQ+ groups, each sponsored by an executive leader.
"These ERGs are a reflection of our leadership's intentionality in creating a sense of belonging for everyone in our organization," he said. "There's still work to be done, but we're making progress."