The Syllabus: A Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Nursing Education

Preparing a diverse nursing workforce skilled at caring for diverse populations is essential for achieving health equity in our society. Academic organizations, schools of nursing, and faculty are responsible for creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) learning environments. The obligation for DEI initiatives in nursing education is guided by professional position statements and accreditation criteria.

The course syllabus is an inclusive strategy for setting the classroom tone at the start of the semester. Faculty can leverage the syllabus to provide explicit rhetoric for a diversity-centered educational climate.

This article provides a sample DEI syllabus statement developed by the authors using existing organizational policy terminologies and which was reviewed by a DEI team including the nursing dean, DEI champions, and the university legal department.

A carefully crafted syllabus statement is a purposeful acknowledgement of DEI as a core value in nursing education and may positively affect students' impression of a course. [.