The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is mandating that all health care providers complete implicit bias training as a condition of licensure. Implicit bias is “a systematic, widespread feature of human cognition, affecting both social perception and social action.” This means that we have pre-formed subconscious biases that affect our judgments and decisions.
For example, if someone comes into your office with a broken arm and says they slipped on the ice, you may assume it was an accident even if there are signs that point to another cause or suspect. It’s natural for us to want to believe what we see and hear – especially when it’s coming from someone we care about or feel sympathy for – but this can lead us astray.
In order to reduce these kinds of mistakes, LARA wants all healthcare providers who are licensed by them to receive bias training before they can renew their licenses.
Hence, The LARA mandate for implicit bias in healthcare training. It will contribute to reducing disparities and improving the quality of care provided to all patients.
What is Implicit Bias?
Implicit bias is the term used to describe the unconscious stereotypes or associations that we make between groups and certain attributes.
Implicit bias has been a topic of discussion in the healthcare field for years, but now it seems as if there is final action being taken to address it. This is an excellent step forward toward improving patient care and creating a more equal environment in the workplace.
These associations may be positive or negative, but they still have an impact on our behavior towards others.
Have you ever found yourself being a little bit more friendly towards someone who looks like you? Or has your mind drifted towards negative stereotypes when you are faced with something new? These are just some examples of implicit biases at work.
Implicit biases can influence how we interact with each other and make decisions in our daily lives. This can cause problems when those biases are based on race, gender, sexuality, or disability.
How do Implicit Biases Affect Society?
Our brains automatically categorize information according to its relevance to us. We learn these categories from birth by observing the world around us and using them to make sense of it. This process is called “social cognition” and is essential for understanding complex social situations.
Implicit biases are thoughts or feelings that affect our behavior toward others or ourselves. They’re unconscious, automatic associations that can be positive or negative. These biases are formed through our experiences throughout life — like watching TV shows or movies as kids, hearing jokes at school, or having family members who say things that are racist or sexist without realizing they’re being offensive.
Because they’re so ingrained in us from childhood, many people don’t realize they have them until someone points them out — like when someone says, “Wow you’re so racist!” after hearing a joke about Mexicans on The Simpsons. But for many people, this is an eye-opening experience because they didn’t know their beliefs were so harmful until then!
Cultural Intelligence (CQ)
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is the ability to effectively navigate cultural differences. It is a critical skill for healthcare professionals, as they often have to interact with people from different backgrounds.
Cultural intelligence is a relatively new concept that has only recently been applied to healthcare training.
Healthcare professionals need to be sensitive to the needs of people from different cultures and backgrounds. They need to understand that everyone has different needs and expectations when it comes to their health care experience.
It’s important that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals are culturally aware and able to provide culturally sensitive care.
Cultural intelligence training is designed to help people develop their CQ skills. A CQ assessment or cultural intelligence assessment involves answering questions about yourself and your past experiences with cultural diversity. The test usually takes about a few minutes to complete online or by phone. Some assessments take longer if there are multiple parts that need to be completed separately (such as a written test followed by an interview).
Assessing company culture
You can assess your company’s culture using a number of tools and techniques including:
360-degree feedback surveys – gather feedback from all levels of your organization including senior management, middle management, and front-line staff. You may also want to ask customers or suppliers for their views on the organization’s culture.
Focus groups – invite a range of people to participate in an open discussion about what makes up their workplace culture. You could use this as an opportunity to ask questions about diversity, inclusion, and equality at work.
Observation – observe how people interact with each other, especially during meetings or when working on teams together.
However, workplace culture consulting helps organizations assess the effectiveness of their workplace culture and make it more inclusive, engaging, productive, and happy.