Racism and Professional Competence: Nursing Students in Interracial Evaluations

This pilot study examined the association of internal and external motivation of White nursing students to avoid appearing racist while interacting with standardized patients in a simulation-based learning experience (SP-SBLE). The influence of nursing students' preexisting motivations to avoid racism were examined for their effect on clinical performance in their SP-SBLE.

White nursing students (N = 50) completed measures of motivations to avoid racism prior to their end of semester practical examination. Students were then randomly assigned to an SBLE with a SP portraying chest pain.

White students interacting with White SPs performed better than White students interacting with Black SPs.

Concern about appearing racist may interfere with White students' ability to perform well in a clinical setting because it may draw cognitive resources away from the clinical task. This is a first step in understanding how nursing students' perceptions may contribute to racial inequities in health. [.