ABSTRACT

Veterinary medicine is sorely lacking in diversity. Deprived of a diverse student body, teaching staff, and colleagues, many clinicians may be more practiced at dealing with diversity in our patients than our clients. Yet a large segment of the public owns pets, and to treat them effectively, we need to be comfortable with narratives and world views quite different from our own. There are many kinds of diversity to consider, including economic, physical ability, mental ability, racial, ethnic, gender, sexual identity, neuroatypical, and differences in appearance.

This chapter explores important DEI concepts and topics including cultural competence, narrative humility, implicit bias, personal pronoun use, economic diversity, incremental care, and gender and racial bias.

This chapter concludes by listing relevant organizations and resources as well as ten simple, concrete actions practitioners and staff can take to increase our awareness and practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion.