title: Workforce ethnic diversity and culturally competent health care: the case of Arab physicians in Israel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In recent years, a growing body of literature has been calling for ethnic diversity in health systems, especially in multicultural contexts. Ethnic diversity within the health care workforce is considered to play an important role in reducing health disparities among different ethnic groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study explores the topic using quantitative data on participation of Arab employees in the Israeli health system and qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with Arab physicians working in the predominantly Jewish Israeli health system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that despite the underrepresentation of Arabs in the Israeli health system, Arab physicians who hold positions in Israeli hospitals do not perceive themselves as representatives of the Arab sector; moreover, they consider themselves as having broken through the 'glass ceiling' and reject stereotyping as Arab 'niche doctors.'
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that minority physicians may prefer to promote culturally competent health care through integration and advocacy of interaction with the different cultures represented in the population, rather than serving as representatives of their own ethnic minority population. These findings may concern various medical contexts in which issues of ethnic underrepresentation in the health system are relevant, as well as sociological contexts, especially those regarding minority populations and professions.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Adult Education , David Yellin Academic College , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Ariela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Popper-Giveon
authors.forename: Ido
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Liberman
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Keshet
mesh_terms: D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D065246:Culturally Competent Care; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007557:Israel; D008913:Minority Groups; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Arabs; Israel; cultural competence; ethnic diversity; physicians; workforce diversity