Nursing Faculty Readiness for Student Diversity

Using a modified Participatory Action Research model, 531 participants attending a nurse educators' conference spent three hours doing immersive collaborative work to identify perceived barriers experienced by diverse student groups and create strategies for educators to address perceived challenges related to diversity. Initially, six diverse speakers representing minority or underrepresented populations (such as Hispanic, African-American, LGBTQ, International, and other diverse student populations) in nursing education briefly shared their stories and experiences as a student and/or nurse being from an underrepresented group. After the presentation, the participants/nurse educators participated in rotating small groups through a World Cafe model to generate (a) perceived themes around common challenges and barriers faced and (b) practical strategies to facilitate inclusion of students from various diverse populations. The goal of the work was to enhance nurse faculty's readiness for student diversity in the classroom and clinical setting.