Disharmony
2024; Slack Incorporated (United States); Volume: 55; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3928/00220124-20240717-01
ISSN1938-2472
Autores Tópico(s)Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research
ResumoEditorial freeDisharmony Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, , RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN E-mail Address: [email protected] The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 2024;55(8):367–368Published Online:August 01, 2024https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20240717-01PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreIntroductionOne day last May, I was reminded of one of the great tests of discrimination. The test derived not from health care, but from the world of symphonic orchestras. The original work focused on women and the 1970s (Goldin & Rouse, 2000); today's issue focuses on a black percussionist (Edgers, 2024).According to Goldin and Rouse, the Boston Symphony Orchestra was the first to conduct "screen" auditions (performers audition behind a screen so the judges cannot see them) in 1952 (Goldin & Rouse, 2000). Other orchestras didn't adopt this practice until the 1970s, and even then, the numbers were few. Back then, men comprised most orchestras because women weren't thought to be good enough to play in such prestigious groups. Yet, when screen auditions were used, the number of women who were offered a place in the orchestra increased. Now in 2024, we find Josh Jones, the principal percussionist with the Kansas City Symphony, who happens to be Black, is being dismissed from his position. Apparently, the usual practice in orchestral circles is to "go quietly into the night" and not make waves. Mr. Jones, however, is breaking that practice and sharing concerns about practices in orchestras in a more public manner. (Does that sound familiar in some of today's health care transitions?)At this point, you may be wondering why I am sharing this story about orchestras. Yes, I used to play in one (in high school!), and I still enjoy concerts. Those aren't the reasons, though. As I read the article in The Washington Post, I thought of so many similarities in health care. Edgers identifies the role of principal in an orchestra as one with a lot of administrative responsibilities, and in fact he likens it to "being a department head at a small college" (Edgers, 2024). In other words, the role has lots of functions having nothing to do with the competencies of the profession. (Sound familiar? Think of the numerous times you likely say to yourself: Someone else could be doing this! That statement means the work doesn't take the critical thinking, communication finesse, and timing required of someone highly skilled in the work of helping others develop their careers.) Whether Jones could perform these functions or not is not for us to judge—the idea of how one is prepared, interviewed, hired, and then evaluated based on a comparison of expectations with realities is.We may overcome racial and gender barriers in work settings only to face bigger hurdles than expected because the competencies of a particular role may not reflect more intense professional key performance indicators.™ Rather, we may find more organizational, administrative, regulatory standards, and performance expectations embedded in the descriptors. Nurses who are new to a given role, just like new graduate nurses, expect support for transition. We focus a lot of time and energy on new graduate nurses, and rightfully so. Recruitment is a major issue for health care settings. Retention, however, is a bigger issue and spans across the spectrum. If we haven't figured out how to help nurses transition well from one role to another with some ease, they might decide to transition out of our organizations. They did that quite readily as the pandemic was de-escalating. We don't want to give them another reason to do so, and we especially don't want to give them reason to express great concern about care people receive or how employees are treated and supported.We may not control what a position description says. We can certainly share concerns. We can identify those positions needing considerable support as nurses transition from one clinical or functional area to another. What is more challenging is when the transitions are small, one or two nurses at a time and in a role or area where our own abilities are limited. Planning individualized educational programming is intensive and costly and likely exceedingly worthwhile for organizational outcomes.Some of us live in states where support for DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is now less visible. (Both Florida and Texas have limited or eliminated positions devoted to such activities in state-funded educational institutions. Full disclosure: I reside in the state of Texas and work part time for a state educational institution.) Having such positions does not mean we can't support people on an equitable basis to be successful in application processes and performance development.We are living in an age of disharmony—at the symphony and at many places of work. Part of our calling is to inspire people we work with to see their potential as human beings, not just nurses, to enhance the potential for harmony. This is not a simple task. I invite all of us to rise to the occasion of being a principal in creating historic, harmonious work—work that will make a difference for our colleagues and subsequently for the people in our communities. Please look beyond the details every position itemizes and look at the core potential. Instead of adding to disharmony, nurses have the opportunity to role model how diversity can enrich us all. That potential to role model exists in an orchestra, in health care, and in the community. As a group, however, nurses are among the best prepared members in the community to help create a harmonious future—not one where we all agree on everything—just one where cacophony doesn't reign.Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAANEditor-in-Chief psywjcen@aol.comEdgers G. (2024, May 24). A Black rising star lost his elite orchestra job: He won't go quietly. The Washington Post. https://www.wash-ingtonpost.com/entertainment/2024/05/24/josh-jones-kansas-city-symphony/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere_trending_now&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&location=alert > Google ScholarGoldin C., & Rouse C. (2000). Orchestrating impartiality: The impact of "blind" auditions on female musicians. American Economic Review, 90(4), 715–741. > CrossrefGoogle Scholar Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Request Permissions InformationCopyright 2024, SLACK IncorporatedPDF download • 197 KBpsywjcen@aol.comThe author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. Published online8/01/24
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