DEI Skeptics Need Not Apply?

What does a commitment to “equity” have to do with one’s ability to take an X-Ray?

A sensible person would say “not a thing.”

But Pike’s Peak State College in Colorado clearly values this quality enough to list it in one of the school’s job postings.

The school’s job listing for its Director of Medical Imaging position is replete with references to diversity and DEI more broadly. The Director “ensures program compliance with the national certification bodies, curriculum standards, institutional policies, and workforce needs,” which includes overseeing faculty members.

One of the position’s minimum qualifications is: “Demonstrated skills working in a diverse population.”

Moreover, one of the preferred qualifications is: “Demonstrated success increasing diversity of students/employees and implementing diversity initiatives.”

The job description even includes “Commitment to equity and inclusive practices in health education” under “General Duties, Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities.”

It should be obvious that these traits have nothing to do with one’s ability to run a medical imaging program, or perform any healthcare education function for that matter. Imposing ideological requirements on these positions will at best narrow the pool of candidates and at worst select for candidates who are more concerned with the DEI agenda than with healthcare itself.

Nevertheless, this ideology appears to have made its way into the school’s academics and administration.

The school’s DEI webpage makes clear the school’s goal of “[a]ttracting, hiring, and retaining a dedicated workforce that mirrors and supports the diversity of our student body.”

As another example, one of the courses in the school’s Behavioral Health program, called “Treating Diverse Populations,” teaches “principles related to microaggressions, systemic racial injustice, social justice, and multicultural and social justice counseling.”

Pike’s Peak State College should stick to ensuring it provides the best possible healthcare education, and leave the politics at the classroom door.