Nurse educators as change agents: Exploring diversity among nursing students

摘要

Diversification of the nursing profession has been a goal for the past twenty years. From federal program to professional nursing organization, nursing reform has been the focus. Although there are efforts to increase the percentage of ethnic/racial minority nursing students which graduate from the nursing program, the National League for Nursing noted approximately 10-12% graduate (2009). With the changing demographics of the United States, there is a need for the nursing profession to mirror the patient population. Subsequently, nurse educators must utilize diverse learning strategies to promote comprehension of the nursing curriculum. A basic qualitative methodology was used to explore the perceptions and views of nurse educators. The study investigated the challenges, and learning strategies nurse educators' used to increase the percentage of ethnic/racial minority nursing students who complete the nursing program. Nurse educators from BSN nursing programs in Georgia, New Jersey, Nevada, Utah, and Illinois were interviewed via Skype, with the telephone as an alternative method. The findings noted language, as a definitive barrier to comprehension of the nursing curriculum. Race, ethnicity, and culture were not social constructs observed to be significant in successfully completing the nursing program. It was found learners' differed in their learning styles, expectations, and interventions were the same for all students. Diverse learning strategies were applied to facilitate understanding of the nursing curriculum.;Keywords: culture, health disparity, racism.