Preparing nursing students for diverse populations.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Intercultural Competence
• Diversity and Inclusion

Background:

• Healthcare organizations emphasize diversity and inclusion for culturally competent care.
• Culturally competent care directly impacts patient care delivery and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance intercultural knowledge and competencies in undergraduate nursing students and educators.
• To implement and assess an academic systems change focused on diversity and inclusion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) in a pre- and post-test design with intervention (n=61) and control (n=56) groups.
• Assessed student mindset changes and faculty diversity and inclusion education effectiveness.
• Conducted curricular blueprinting to review diversity and inclusion content across undergraduate nursing courses.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant difference was observed in the post-test results between the intervention and control groups.
• The study established baseline data for tracking the impact of curriculum changes.

Conclusions:

• While specific implementation strategies require further research, the study demonstrates the value of academic systems changes.
• The findings offer valuable baseline data for ongoing curriculum development in diversity and inclusion for nursing programs.