As a leader in nursing workforce development, Tina Loarte-Rodriguez is passionate about advancing health equity for nurses, patients and families. Her experience as a nurse and an educator has shaped her expertise in helping healthcare organizations create a diverse and representative workforce while also ensuring optimal clinical care for patients.
In the last few years, Tina added author to her resume. Her first book, "Latinas in Nursing," came unexpectedly after she realized there was a need for more diverse voices in nursing.
What inspired you to write "Latinas in Nursing"?
In 2020, we were in the pandemic, and, unfortunately, there were continual murders of people who look like me. It all just took its toll on me. While I was using a lot of my other tools — doing self-care, speaking to my therapist — I still felt like there was something missing. I love reading, so I thought maybe that's what I'm missing — a book about me for me. I searched for a couple of hours at night and unfortunately didn't find any books about Latina nurses.
I found a handful of books about Black nurses and some research articles related to the reality of the lack of representation in a lot of nursing positions. But again, nothing that I felt I needed at that moment. And so that's where my inspiration came from. That's when "Latinas in Nursing" was kind of born. It was really a healing journey, being able to find contributing nurse authors and have them embark on this experience with me. The overwhelming response of gratitude and appreciation from people has solidified that it was something that was much needed in our space.
What was your biggest takeaway from putting this book together and reading the nurses' inspiring stories?
There was the option for me to interview everybody and then write the book from my own perspective — my voice. But I didn't want that. I wanted their voices to come through. And with that, the nurses were all given guiding questions for them to draft their stories. But what emerged organically were core themes that many of them shared and discussed: identity and not feeling like they belonged, mental health struggles, lack of mentorship and sponsorship, and an overwhelming feeling that they did not see themselves represented in the profession. These are very interesting themes that came out from a lot of their stories.
How can health systems and leaders provide more support for Latinas in nursing?
One way is to push for more accountability and transparency from healthcare organizations, including all spectrums of healthcare, where we provide care, but also our training institutions, so our colleges, universities and nursing programs.
The other piece of that is you must listen to your staff. Your staff is your number one resource. You have to ensure that the people making decisions and the people around the table are representing your market, your constituents, your mission, vision and values. Accountability should extend throughout the organization, up to the board and performance bonuses — which many of these organizations have — should also be tied to equity, inclusion and belonging.
How did you get into nursing?
I had always been strong in math and sciences and actually had thought I was going to be a biomedical engineer or doing some sort of research. I had applied to some advanced programs that combined undergrad with medical school. I wasn't accepted into the medical program but did get accepted into the nursing program, which ironically, at first, I turned down.
I actually focused on early childhood education and taught for a number of years. Then in the summer of 2003, my mother-in-law became ill. Being with her in the hospital and the rehabilitation treatment facility made me realize that nursing was my calling.
What would you tell young Latina nurses who are beginning their careers?
I would definitely encourage them to connect with some of the national organizations. There's a Society of Latinx Nurses, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the National Black Nurses Association and DNPs of Color if people are interested in earning a doctorate. These organizations can help provide a network of support, sponsorship and mentorship. Healthcare organizations should also be informing their employees of that as well.
I would also encourage them to pace themselves. Nursing is an ever-evolving science, and their practice is always going to be strengthened if they give themselves grace for their curiosity and for their growth.
Why is understanding a patient's identity an important part of providing care?
Nursing is definitely a holistic practice and it's important to understand that the patient is a human - bigger than their diagnosis or their chief complaint. Keep that lens as you are caring for the patient, assessing the patient and advocating for the patient. Remember that our Nursing Code of Ethics helps guide us to ensure that we are educating and empowering the patient to be their own advocate. We all rotate off our shifts. We go to different practices or hospitals. But the patient is the one constant in healthcare, and nursing is the profession that empowers and educates patients about that.
What needs to be done to further advance health equity measures for patients in minority groups?
Nursing, I feel, has worked hand-in-hand with social work since our inception. And in some specialties, such as pediatrics, I feel nurses are the champions for this work. We can learn from their successes and explore how to continue to integrate Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) screening and interventions in other settings. For example, there may be reasons why the patient isn't able to come to an appointment or to take their medication. Practicing with curiosity instead of judgment, I think, is key.
In addition, if nurses are observing there's a particular area where the administration, organization or community groups should be focusing on, it's our duty to report and escalate that so that it could be worked on. Fundamentally, changes need to occur upstream at the legislative and reimbursement levels. Health is always on the ballot, so nurses need to vote. Ensuring that everybody is registered to vote and has a plan to vote and then acts on their voting plan is also another way we can help with SDOH.
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