Survey shows how nursing schools DEI improvements

Nursing programs ranked “promoting equity in all educational pathways” as their first and second priorities in creating inclusive learning environments, a survey found. Released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the survey included 313 responses from 892 member schools. More than 80% of schools reported having a dedicated office or center coordinating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a 15% increase from 2018. Less than 3% of responding schools reported using holistic admissions to recruit and admit students to their nursing programs. Schools also reported a more than 21% increase in the number offering unconscious bias training to senior administrators, faculty, staff and students. Barriers identified to creating an inclusive and responsive instructional environment included lack of diverse faculty (69.3%), lack of knowledge or skills in teaching content (46.2%), lack of engaging teaching practices (24%) and admission practices (19.6%). (AACN news release, 11/30/22)