Nurse Educators' Perspectives on Implementing Culturally Sensitive and Inclusive Nursing Education

Exploring educator perceptions and profiles in supporting culturally and linguistically diverse students integration in healthcare work environments - A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The global shortage of healthcare workers, an ageing population, and increasing retirement within the healthcare workforce are causing social and healthcare systems to undergo significant internationalisation and cultural-linguistic diversification. Despite the crucial role educators play in imparting healthcare education and supporting the integration of professionals into these diverse environments, there is a lack of effective strategies and understanding to achieve this integration successfully.

AIM

To explore and understand how social and healthcare educators self-perceive their role in supporting the integration of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students into healthcare working environments, and to identify whether these perceptions can be categorised into specific educator profiles.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the spring of 2022 in Finland, collecting observational data from 59 social and healthcare educators across 15 universities of applied sciences providing nurse education to CALD students. Four instruments were developed to measure educators' perceptions of supporting students in healthcare work environment integration. K-means clustering analysis identified two distinct educator profiles, and statistically significant differences between these profiles were analysed using t-tests, Chi-square tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS

Educators perceived their highest strengths as ensuring equality for students (mean 3.81), possessing suitable characteristics (mean 3.78), and being culturally sensitive and aware (mean 3.73). They felt least confident in knowing their institution's integration practices (mean score of 2.43) and personally supporting cultural diversity among students (mean 2.93). Educators were classified into two profiles: less confident educators (mean 2.27-3.66) and confident educators (mean 2.58-3.94). Confident educators, who more effectively support CALD students, have been more involved in continuous education.

CONCLUSIONS

Continuous education is critical for enhancing educators' confidence and effectiveness in supporting CALD students. Improved training and resources focused on institutional integration practices and personal support for cultural diversity are needed to address areas where educators feel less confident.

Culturally Competent Care for Diverse Populations: A Review of Transcultural Nursing Education

Transcultural nursing is a discipline that emphasizes culturally competent care for diverse populations, recognizing the influence of culture on health beliefs, values, practices, and outcomes. It requires nurses to respect cultural differences and similarities, but faces challenges in curriculum design, faculty development, and student assessment. This paper explores transcultural nursing education's current state and future directions, addressing the American Association of Colleges of Nursing essentials for integrating cultural content into nursing curricula, reviewing Madeleine Leininger's transcultural nursing theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, and discussing the main challenges of transcultural nursing education, including lack of student diversity, training, and resources. Strategies to overcome these challenges include interprofessional collaboration, cultural immersion, and evidence-based practice. The paper concludes with how emergency department nurses should incorporate this into practice.

Enhanced Classroom Engagement: Implementation of an Inclusive Teaching Strategy

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed challenges to nursing faculties, including transitioning to a virtual teaching platform and ensuring inclusivity, active engagement, and social justice, which are the hallmarks of excellence in nursing education. A three-step teaching strategy called enhanced classroom engagement (ECE-TS) was created.

METHOD

The first step in ECE-TS required groups of students to read the assigned article and share five takeaways before class. The second step required each group to discuss and prepare a presentation using a rubric. The final step required each group to give a presentation to the class.

RESULTS

Students noted ECE-TS promoted (a) individual learning; (b) collective learning; (c) inclusivity; (d) connection among students; (e) change in the classroom environment; and (f) generated proposals for future directions related to ECE-TS.

CONCLUSION

ECE-TS, which is a promising strategy that promotes social justice, must be tested across teaching formats and programs. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(2):120-127.].

Initial outcomes and lessons learned from implementation of an online diversity & inclusion community

BACKGROUND

There is an opportunity to build online communities and digitize inclusive excellence such that all students, staff, and faculty can benefit. However, literature illustrating actionable strategies for creating online communities and mitigating barriers related to engagement is limited.

PURPOSE

We evaluated the feasibility, functionality, and usage of a college of nursing's (CON) online diversity and inclusion communication platform (i.e., D&I Community).

METHODS

From survey and college-wide discussion, we found that CON members are interested in employing opportunities for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) discussions and engaging with DEI resources, but lack of time, competing priorities, and lack of awareness of the D&I Community were barriers to participation.

DISCUSSION

We are prepared to modify processes to improve engagement and promote a sense of belonging for all CON members.

CONCLUSION

Implementation and sustainability of this D&I Community require continual resource investment. Scalability can be considered once processes have been fully refined.

Creating Inclusive Learning Environments for Chinese and American Pediatric Nursing Students

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students from two schools of nursing, in China and the United States respectively, engaged in a transcultural simulation activity to explore how a global healthcare crisis has been managed within their different cultures. This article describes the development and implementation of the project and evaluates student perspectives on the simulation...s influence on increasing awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Data for this project were collected through student verbal and written reflections and faculty comments.

Results

Students reported the virtual simulation positively impacted their learning and enjoyed the opportunity to navigate through a virtual scenario collaboratively while discussing cultural similarities and differences. Faculty noted the simulation was valuable and described challenges faced during the development.

Conclusions

Students and faculty found the simulation was a meaningful learning experience. Findings suggests that the transcultural simulation improved student knowledge of cultural competence and understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion constructs.

Factors influencing nursing students' continued success in a baccalaureate nursing program in Indonesia

Background

Holistic admission processes are needed to promote diversity in nursing students. Previous research had identified different variables related to the average grade point at the end of the first semester. There is a need to examine if those variables are associated with ongoing student success.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to analyze experience, attributes, and academic variables for an association with nursing student success. Student success was defined as being an active student at the end of the first year and at the end of the second year of a baccalaureate nursing program in Indonesia.

Methods

Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine what relationship, if any, the variables had with student success, measured at the end of the first and second academic years. The data of 341 nursing students enrolled in August 2018 was analyzed.

Results

The variables accounted for 40.3% of the variance at the end of the first year and 24.3% of the variance at the end of the second year. There was a significant (p < .05) relationship between being enrolled at the end of the first year and 1) academic variables of first semester grade point average and the admission score of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, and 2) attribute variables of reason for entering nursing and brief calling presence scale. A significant relationship was found between being enrolled at the end of the second year and the attribute variable of grit score. No variables had a strong correlation with other variables.

Conclusion

Holistic admission processes and promoting student success can create the future of the nursing workforce. Improving the diversity in admitted nursing students will enhance the diversity in the nursing workforce. To promote the success of all students, a variety of support interventions will need to be developed. As students' calling and grit may play a role in student success, a better understanding is needed. In addition, more research is needed to explore how developing calling and grit throughout the nursing program can impact student success.

Culturally Responsive Teaching in Nursing Education

Culturally responsive teaching is a vital skill for nurse educators. A diverse nursing workforce is needed in the US to represent the population’s demographics. Recruiting, retaining, and engaging a diverse student body is critical to addressing issues of disparities and cultural sensitivity in health care. In a project to promote success among diverse nursing students, nurse educators collaborated to create and present faculty development programs to build culturally responsive teaching skills. This article includes examples of culturally responsive teaching and describes the project and the faculty development curriculum and teaching materials produced.

Stone Soup: A Metaphor to Create an Inclusive Learning Environment Within Nursing Education

BACKGROUND

This article describes the design of an inclusive learning environment for undergraduate nursing students in a pediatric nursing course.

METHOD

A metaphor of Stone Soup and visual cues representing the collective class diversity was introduced in week one, along with a voiced faculty commitment to learn individual student names. These strategies were incorporated throughout the semester.

RESULTS

Student feedback gathered through an anonymous online survey near the end of the semester was positive. Students reported an enhanced understanding of culturally responsive nursing care, a strong sense of belonging in the class, and placed a high value on their own as well as their classmates' input into class discussions.

CONCLUSION

This educational innovation shows promise in yielding high classroom participation, a sense of belonging across diverse groups of students, rich classroom discussions, and heightened student awareness and understanding of culturally responsive nursing care. [J Nurs Educ. 2020; 59(11):651-654.].