Diversity as a Value in Undergraduate Nursing Education

DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS WIDESPREAD, but its acceptance is another story. Students working toward degrees in the human service professions, such as nursing, need an appreciation of the diversity that exists in the United States today. global economy, along with political and social unrest in many countries, have led an American population with increasingly varied religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Modern colleges and universities reflect this trend; students from variety of backgrounds bring the classroom many different ideas and ideals. * This article describes how diversity has been thread as central concept throughout the curriculum in an associate degree in nursing program in regional university in South Carolina, where people of color represent approximately one third of the population (1). Specific course objectives and assessments have been introduced into each level of the nursing program. As part of the preparation for reaccreditation by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC), faculty in the ADN program decided remodel the curriculum based on the university's mission and key documents related nursing practice. What Is Meant by Diversity? As nurse educators, we must realize the important role we play in helping students develop an appreciation for the value of diversity in the delivery of health care. To do so, clear understanding of the term is needed. Diversity refers a way of thinking, world view that not only tolerates but values (2). Imbedded in this definition is the concept of culture, which refers the beliefs, values, knowledge, and skills that guide people's behavior along shared paths (3). A final term crucial for developing diversity in students is valuing, defined as the condition of concept's having worth (4). mission statement of the university addresses the issue of diversity as primary focus for all educational programs with the phrase appreciating cross-cultural perspectives. standards of practice and code of ethics for nursing also identify the need for diversity: The nurse provides services with respect for human dignity and the uniqueness of the client, unrestricted by considerations of ... (5, p. 1). By including graduate competency specific diversity in the remodeled curriculum -- to accommodate diversity in providing individualized -- the faculty insisted that their view of diversity should include not only differences among cultures, but also differences within cultural groups. They affirmed Leininger's beliefs that ethnicity, religion, education, age, gender, and acculturation influence these differences (6). In AD nursing, emphasis is placed on clients as individuals within the context of the family and community. In baccalaureate programs, the diversity of clients is viewed in the broader context of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Thus, the scope of application of diversity is narrower in this program than in baccalaureate or graduate programs. Role of Faculty Among the faculty were native Southerners, transplanted Yankees, second-generation Americans, naturalized citizen from Persia, African Americans, first-generation college graduates, people with various religious beliefs, visionaries and pragmatists, generation Xers, and baby boomers. As they prepared remodel the curriculum, faculty members recognized their influence as role models. They realized that their values and attitudes could be the catalyst students' internalizing the need accept and respect the value of diversity, or the reverse. As group of individuals with unique contributions the program of learning, the faculty introduced the concept of diversity by first describing cultural and societal dimensions of groups and individuals, and then demonstrating the approach needed provide cultural care accommodations for specific clients. …