Student and faculty perceptions of nursing education culture and its impact on minority student

The nursing profession, a predominately white, women's profession, is facing two problems: an increasing nursing shortage, and failure to reflect the United States' growing ethnic and racial diversity. Increased cultural diversity among nurse educators and practitioners is a necessary step to solving both problems, yet recruitment and persistence efforts have fallen short. Minority nursing students have been noted to have more academic difficulty evidenced by lower GPAs and higher program attrition. Traditional explanations such as poor academic preparation or lack of financial support do not adequately explain the difference in performance. This study investigated minority persistence in nursing education from a cultural viewpoint, looking at the impact of higher education and nursing education culture on minority student persistence and performance, and the role of nursing faculty within this culture. This study's purpose was to examine nursing education culture, barriers to success for minority students, and facilitative educational practices. Semi-structured interviews with 43 African-American and white nursing faculty (14) and students (29) from 13 baccalaureate and one community college program were conducted. A concept map was developed describing student processes of Belonging and Becoming a Nurse, and the impact of the nursing program, conflict between nursing values and norms, and welcoming or unwelcoming actions by faculty, students and administrators on student success. Key findings were: a universal perception of struggle in nursing education; the pervasive and negative impact of racial prejudice on black students' experience; the positive impact of welcoming actions and negative impact of unwelcoming actions by faculty, students and administrators on student success; the need for welcoming by all three groups in the nursing program; a conflict between nursing education's values and norms or typical behaviors of nurse educators; and the key role of faculty in influencing minority student success. Implications for practice, policy and research are presented.