Diversity and the NCLEX-RN: a double-loop approach

The United States is increasingly ethnically diverse. To provide culturally congruent care to this changing population, nursing programs must attract and support ethnically diverse students through to successful completion of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. Critically examining the literature on this topic revealed three themes: need for a diverse nursing workforce, lack of formal evidence, and narratives of concern. A double-loop theoretical approach that encompasses interventions in elementary and secondary schools, traditional student support services, faculty development initiatives focused on cultural competence, formative and summative evaluations, quantitative and qualitative research, and evidence-based interventions is proposed to address this multifaceted concern.