Diversity & Inclusion
Being open about personal pronouns helps create a comfortable, inclusive environment, especially in the health care setting. To encourage employees to share theirs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leaders started an initiative that will offer every Rochester Regional Health employee a badge-backer—an addition to their badge that they can wear to share their pronouns with colleagues and patients.
“It’s really about helping our employees understand the importance of pronouns. That way they can in turn make our patients comfortable in that they understand what pronouns mean,” said Ebony Caldwell, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
“When employees share their pronouns, they are signaling to patients that it’s okay for them to do the same.”
You may not realize it, but people often refer to each other using pronouns. Often, when we’re speaking about someone else, we refer to them as, “he,” “she,” or “them.” These are personal pronouns—a way that a person should be referred to is up to them to decide.
When we share our personal pronouns with others, it can be a helpful way to share our identity with them and let them understand a bit more about us.
Rochester Regional Health offers badge-backer options with:
Using someone’s personal pronouns is not only respectful, but it allows for a more inclusive environment. Similarly to the way making up a nickname for someone can be offensive to them, using their incorrect pronouns can do the same.
In health care, understanding someone’s identity is important in providing the highest quality of care possible. Having information such as personal pronouns not only allows patients to be more open and honest about themselves and their health, but it helps caregivers have an inclusive understanding of their patients.
“We really want patients to feel accepted, comfortable, and well taken care of at each and every Rochester Regional Health location. Encouraging employees to be open about their personal pronouns is one step towards ensuring that.”
