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Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity

People Cheering

Being Here for the Good of All

At Virtua Health, we put inclusion and diversity at the heart of what we do. We value and celebrate our colleagues’ backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Our Culture of WE sets us apart from others and moves our mission, vision, and brand promise—from our hearts to our hands—through the compassionate care we provide each and every day.

Explore Virtua’s Colleague Communities

  • Colleague Community Highlight Reel

    Building an inclusive environment is a team effort. At Virtua, we make it a priority to create safe spaces for our colleagues to openly share, listen, and learn from one another. To foster this sense of belonging, Virtua has established Colleague Communities, employee-led groups formed around shared interests, experiences, and perspectives.

  • Black and African American Colleague Community (BAACC)

    BAACC’s mission is to promote an environment of awareness, education, mentorship, inclusion, and respect throughout our Virtua community and beyond. It is a resource and a safe space to cultivate success for our Black and African American colleagues.

  • Generation (Gen) V Colleague Community

    Gen V’s mission is to create a platform for voices that has not yet existed, build the next wave of executive leadership, communicate that great leaders are age-less (no age required for successful leadership), and connect need with resources.

  • OUT at Virtua Colleague Community

    OUT at Virtua is committed to the LGBTQ+ community by opening minds, standing united in care, and advancing together through transformative action.

  • VirtuAsia Colleague Community

    VirtuAsia is committed to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community by raising awareness of Asia's diverse cultures, supporting professional and personal growth to nurture advancement opportunities, and bringing the voices of the external Asian American and Pacific Islander community into Virtua Health.

  • WE Serve Colleague Community

    WE Serve is a team of Virtua colleagues who are veterans or are actively serving in the military. WE Serve is dedicated to supporting the health and wellness journey of fellow veterans, active military members, and their families.

  • Women of Virtua Colleague Community (WOV)

    This vibrant Colleague Community empowers women to grow personally and professionally, to give back to help our community, and to inspire each other by honoring our differences and celebrating one another.

Culture of WE

Additionally, as part of our Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) journey, Virtua has developed continuous leader and colleague education sessions on topics ranging from unconscious bias and emotional intelligence to allyship. Through active, transparent conversations, we are collectively bringing our IDE philosophy to life. It is knowledge and understanding that diversity is not singular; it is all-embracing and inclusive of all backgrounds, experiences, and ideas.

At Virtua, we believe that inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone belongs—by enabling colleagues to bring their full potential and full self to the workplace, every day.

Virtua welcomes all individuals, inclusive of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and faith, national origin, and disabilities, and we proudly look to each person’s unique achievements and experiences to continue to set us apart. Our whole-hearted commitment to an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace enables Virtua to be here for our communities, here for our patients, here for our colleagues—Here for Good.

What is a Pronoun

Nothing may be more personal than the words people use to refer to us through our names and pronouns. A pronoun is a word that refers to either the people talking (like I or you) or someone is being talked about (like she, them,). Gender pronouns (like he/him/his, she/her/hers, and they/them/theirs) specifically refer to people that you are talking about. We often interpret a person’s gender based on their outward appearance and expression, and “assign” the pronoun which fits within our mental shortcuts (or biases). At times these biases may not be a correct interpretation of the individual’s pronouns.


Why do Pronouns Matter?

Using a person’s name and pronouns is a form of mutual respect and basic courtesy. When someone is referred to with the wrong pronoun, it can make them feel disrespected, invalidated, dismissed, alienated (or, often, all of the above). Imagine a time when someone persistently misspelled or mispronounced your name. Moments like these can be frustrating and lead to a loss of respect and sense of belonging.


How can I know what Pronoun to use?

Create opportunities to Ask for (or offer) pronouns:

When introducing yourself, make offering your pronouns as part of your introduction.

Example:
Hi! My name is XXXXXX XXXXX and my pronouns are he/him/his and they/them/theirs.

When unaware of someone’s personal pronouns, use “They/Them/Theirs” DO NOT press someone for their Pronouns
While it’s a good idea to always offer your pronouns up front, it’s also important to recognize that some people might not offer theirs in return. If someone doesn’t willingly offer their pronouns, don’t keep pressing them about it. Move forward and utilize “they” if their name comes up in conversation with someone else.


What if I accidentally use the wrong Pronouns?

Accidents happen and we can unintentionally use (or assign) the wrong pronouns, which can be embarrassing for both individuals. You can apologize, thank them for correcting you and move on making a mental note to use the proper pronouns moving forward.


Want more practice learning and using pronouns?