Teaching beyond the binary: A qualitative descriptive study of nurse educators' perceptions on including gender...

Nursing education plays a pivotal role in preparing students to deliver culturally competent and inclusive care. Despite the increasing visibility of gender diverse individuals, many nursing curricula inadequately address their unique healthcare needs. This gap leaves both educators and students underprepared, contributing to healthcare disparities and a lack of culturally safe care for gender diverse populations.

To explore nursing educators' perceptions of including gender diversity in undergraduate nursing curricula.

Qualitative descriptive.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurse educators at an Australian university. Participants were purposively sampled, and data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and subthemes.

Three key themes emerged: (1) educators' perceptions of gender diversity content inclusion, (2) their preparedness to teach this material, and (3) their feelings about delivering it. Participants recognised the importance of gender diverse content in fostering culturally safe care and improving student preparedness. However, they highlighted significant challenges, including limited formal training, time constraints, and insufficient curricular integration. Educators often relied on personal experiences and self-directed learning to fill knowledge gaps. Many advocated for a more comprehensive and continuous inclusion of gender diverse content throughout the curriculum.

The findings underscore the urgent need for structured training, institutional support, curriculum reform, and national standards to better integrate gender diverse content in nursing education. This study offers valuable insights from the Australian context and calls for a shift toward sustained, institutionally supported approaches that prepare nursing graduates to deliver genuinely inclusive care.