Cross-Cultural Safety

A female veterinarian of Middle Eastern decent, sits with a young Golden Retriever puppy in her office during a routine check-up. She is wearing a white lab coat and blue medical gloves as she looks the puppy over.

Cross-cultural training within teams can be incredibly delicate. Please proceed with caution. Many individuals from non-dominant groups feel isolated, afraid, and may even hide characteristics that they have out of choice or out of necessity of survival. If a member of your team is a member of a marginalized community, please remember these key things:

It is not their job to educate others on their community
Do not treat them as the “token” representative
Vulnerability is voluntary, never pressured/demanded/required
Respect that especially if their community is not overtly apparent (like skin color or ability), it is theirs to declare and no one else’s
Diving into these discussions can create hostile work environments which are dangerous and harmful when not handled with care and protection
Their story is only one story. A single representative story is valid and can also be potentially dangerous. Keep listening.

Veterinary Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion [VetREDI] - Bronze certification

Cross-Cultural Safety