1. DIVERSITY IN NURSING EDUCATION
Eleni Christodoulou1, Aristides Daglas2, Paraskevi Apostolara3
1. Vocational Training Institute Educator, RN, MSc, PhD, “Sotiria” General Hospital of Athens
2. RN, MSc, PhD©, “Ag. Panteleimon” General Hospital of Nikaia, Piraeus
3. Vocational Training School Teacher, RN, MSc, PhD, 1st EPAL Kamaterou, Athens
Introduction
Nurse educators are facing the challenge of facilitating learning within a learning environment that is inhabited by diverse learners composed of multiple generations, various cultures, and representatives of both genders. Nurse educators need to create educational curriculums and learning opportunities that are centered on the needs of diverse learners.
Methodology
For this study, multidisciplinary searches of peer-reviewed journal articles and research studies on the databases of the Educational Research Information Center (ERIC), Medline, Google Scholar, CINAHL and PubMed were conducted. Search terms included “nursing education”, “diversity”, “cultural diversity”, “nontraditional nursing students”, “generational diversity” and “gender diversity”. The terms identified an adequate amount of literature. The selection of the data was limited to journals published from 2005 to 2015.
Results
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) estimates approximately 73% of undergraduate nursing students are now considered nontraditional. The term nontraditional refers to any student who meets criteria such as: aged 25 or older, is male, is a member of an ethnic or racial minority group, has dependent children, and holds a general equivalency diploma (GED). The terms nontraditional or diverse are considered interchangeable.
It is important for educators to be aware of the cultural norms of various groups and the historical experiences of the group to which the student identifies ethnically.
Conclusion
Learners of different cultures, generations and genders may make up the population in the classroom or clinical group. In order to facilitate effective learning, educators must prepare for addressing the learning needs of a diverse group of learners. Several strategies to best facilitate the learning needs have been identified and need to be incorporated into the teaching process.
Objective
The aim of the study was to highlight the diverse learning needs of today’s learners and identify key issues in nursing education that relate to multiple generations, culture and student demographics.
References
Aacn.nche.edu. (2016). American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Diversity in Nursing. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 Mar. 2016].
Bednarz, H., Schim, S. and Doorenbos, A. (2010). Cultural Diversity in Nursing Education: Perils, Pitfalls, and Pearls. Journal of Nursing Education, 49(5), pp
Leonard, T. (2006). Exploring diversity in Nursing Education: Research findings. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 13(2), pp