Employer Quotes

The quotes below are about this issue:
Cultural sensitivity and awareness training are increasingly important. This may include language training and generational training as well.

Employer Quote	Region
"With our company, we have a huge initiative to have more diversity training; there are a lot of requirements for all staff at all levels. And management training is coming next month—it's a huge management training trying to teach how to manage a culturally diverse workforce. This is something that they put at the forefront. They have all of our resources. And a lot of them are point-and-click, and then we have them instantly in another language. So, we are making that more and more available on a daily basis, I would say."	Central
"Employer 1: My niece was very smart. She's a registered nurse now, and she just started at the hospital. She speaks three languages. So, you know, she had an opportunity to use that. And to have bilingual or trilingual people—maybe to be pushing that more in the schools to say, 'Learn these languages.' Some of our rural areas are Hispanic, you know? And she'll ask, 'Did you give me that patient because he spoke that language?' And the answer is, 'Yes.' Employer 2: So, that's going to be a real asset to the graduates. Employer 1: Yes, that's going to be a real asset."	Central
"It is such a big initiative. I mean, our food will be labeled with what's included for your religious preference. Those are the types of things that we are drilling down to."	Central
"Question: Do you see schools' role in preparing professionals in these areas needing to bump-up cultural competencies? Employer 1: I think just awareness. Question: Just awareness? Employer 1: Yeah, awareness. Employer 2: Yeah, especially depending on where the applicant or employee comes from. People that live further from the city, we see more issues with them dealing with those choices, I think. Just a generalization. Employer 1: They have less exposure. Employer 2: Yeah. Again, like I said, the exposure is not there, and so they have to be taught at a little bit different level to begin with. And I think, at least in our facility, we see people get onboard very quickly."	Central
"Cultural diversity is something that we are trying to focus on more."	Central
"Earlier we were talking about the sensitivity between generations. I think sensitivity and understanding among folks—there are all kinds of differences, whether it's generational differences or cultural differences or age differences. And age difference beyond just the fellow co-workers, but also the ages of patients, that sensitivity as our population's getting older, so understanding their needs. We are much more of a mixed society, perhaps less so in the northeast here, but nonetheless there are different cultures, different backgrounds, and different traditions coming together. And so any help that fosters inclusivity—that fosters an appreciation of differences and builds that into a curriculum—I think would be a powerful thing."	Northeast
"Question: So, as you look ahead five to ten years, would languages skills be more important? More LPNs, RNs, lab techs, whoever, who maybe can speak languages other than English? Employer: It depends on the area. I mean, if you're in Pelican Rapids there's a lot of migrant populations there, so maybe for them it would be important."	Northwest
"You hit the nail on the head when you talked about cultural sensitivity and diversity needs in the care setting because we're bombarded from every aspect of society. So, if you're talking a curriculum involved with medical-surgery nursing or you're talking a curriculum involved with phlebotomy or whatever—Even if it's a piece that's intertwined into something else. I mean, no one's ever going to get everything—you're not going to come away from a program with everything, but a piece of it would be good. I attended a cultural awareness training last week that was put on by White Earth Reservation. And the keynote speaker used an analogy about wearing pants, and it was such a simple analogy—we all know about pants, but how many types of pants are there? And do you know how to put on every type of pants and everything about putting on those pants?"	Northwest
"Employer 1: I think that might be a factor—where we're located. We certainly have some diversity in our community, but I think compared to other parts of Minnesota, and certainly nationally, it's very small. And so, we work with local organizations. We do the translator thing and some of that kind of stuff. We might run into something now and again, but it's not like what you might see in Rochester—even that has a lot more diversity in that population, and certainly the Twin Cities. So, I think it's an immediate factor of where we are geographically. Employer 2: I tend to agree."	Southeast