Countering Structural Racism through Alternative Approaches to Baccalaureate Nursing Education

Abstract

The baccalaureate degree has been touted as the preferred minimum entry into professional nursing practice in the United States. Although the number of Black registered nurses is increasing overall, Black nurses are disproportionately represented at the associate degree level. This article describes how structural racism and Eurocentric gatekeeping have historically created barriers in nursing education. We propose alternative pathways to diversify nursing education that promote equitable access to the profession.

No Health Equity Without Diversity: Strengthening Nursing Programs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities

“…Nursing school accrediting bodies must develop more transfer-friendly environments (Boston-Leary, 2022; Malone, 2022; Perez, 2022), which can be operationalized through HBCUs and partner institutions. In turn, those partner institutions can reconsider approaches to admissions, which historically rely on grade point average, test scores, class rank, and other characteristics that pose racial and systemic barriers for students of color (Reed & Julion, 2022). Instead, institutions can offer holistic admissions, which expands rating of applicants beyond numerical data and gives weight to personal statements, letters of recommendation, rigor of past courses taken, and admissions interviews, to better evaluate nursing school candidates.…”

“…HBCU nursing faculty, students, and programs bring great promise to the nation's practice partners and communities; this accretive value proposition develops through complementary coalitions and alliances that promote new strategies and ideas, expanding opportunity for all stakeholders. As American institutions, including postsecondary education and health care, continue to endure meaningless rituals prolonging the implacable contagion of structural racism (Reed & Julion, 2022; Villarruel & Broome, 2020), nursing education must innovate audaciously to educate a diverse nursing profession and generate greater diversity in nursing leadership. There will be no health equity without a truly actionable, sustainable plan for authentic diversity in nursing education.…”