Transformative dissonant encounters: Opportunities for cultivating antiracism in White nursing students

Sharply in focus in the United States right now is the disproportionate COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Pacific Islanders living in the United States in contrast to White people. These COVID-19 disparities are but one example of how systemic racism filters into health outcomes for many Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC). With these issues front and center, more attention is being given to the ways that White medical professionals contribute to these disparities, including their socialization to ignore or deny inequities. As such, the present study sought to understand how educating White health-care pre-professionals about systemic racism might influence their understanding of and responsibility for disrupting White supremacy. Data were drawn from 49 White-identified nursing students who participated in a mapping project that uncovered instantiations of systemic racism in the United States. Participant written reflections were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that mapping projects can develop White people's knowledge and understanding of systemic racism. We introduce the construct, transformative dissonant encounters, to describe how this project precipitated shifts in world view necessary for White people to confront systemic racism. Implications for nursing educators, psychological researchers, and antiracist activists are discussed.