Examining Student Preparation for Advancing Care in a Diverse Society

Although many nursing programs include health equity in their curriculum, research investigating the efficacy of such curricula often is lacking.

Using criterion sampling, school of nursing alumni who could speak about their graduate preparation and current experiences working with diverse patient populations were recruited for this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 alumni regarding their curricular, clinical, and co-curricular experiences as graduate students to better understand the strengths and gaps in their preparation as health professionals.

Four major themes emerged from the analysis of interview transcripts (n = 22). These themes included: (1) diversity and representation; (2) implicit bias and microaggressions; (3) skills and knowledge areas; and (4) supplemental learning through co-curricular experiences.

Implications for policy, curriculum innovation, and clinical practice can better prepare students to advance care for a diverse society. [.