To Disclose or Not to Disclose?

To Disclose or Not to Disclose?

What are some reasons you do not disclose your race or ethnicity? Have you ever felt better not responding to this information? Why or why not?  I know I have never felt like I should go back in an application and check the box as being Black or African American. There has been a certain level of gratification of going into an interview without this information being disclosed. I remember getting rejection letters and wait list letters from universities and often thought why when explanation was not given except for the high number of applicants. As a registered nurse with experience and higher than a B average in all undergraduate studies these questions often surfaced. Was I not selected due to information disclosed about my background? One starts to wonder when meeting exceeding the minimum qualifications.

There is a great feeling of being considered for employment or chosen for a nursing program by review of my accolades from my curriculum vitae without my race and ethnicity being accounted for. The question of demographic reporting was brought up in a meeting last week. The question was asked about why some students do not check this box when applying to nursing programs. Is this information necessary to disclose? Why should they disclose?

Should students have to be asked this information or encouraged to do so? My first thought was this demographic data is great reporting to nursing program accreditation. However, currently diversity in students and faculty is reviewed but, not a criteria that will impact a nursing programs ability to obtain accreditation. What made me feel uncomfortable in this conversation was that only one other faculty could answer the question for the most likely cause along with myself as to why these questions are often left unanswered. It is hard to fathom that itself racism and structural racism barriers continue to exist in higher education.

Students of color may fear a difference in treatment or not getting acceptance into the program if they chose to disclose. We have to continue working toward breaking barriers in the area of structural racism. This is an example of a potential bias that may be occurring to students from diverse backgrounds. We must continue to have faculty from diverse backgrounds available to mentor these students and who look like them in university settings.

Another question would be do we eliminate this information from the applications. Is this discriminatory in any way? Should the results be seen only from an administrative view? There are so many questions about why this information is used. We could potentially limit who see’s this data. Admissions committees should be limited on this information so that implicit bias are not occurring.

A Plea to All Organizations, Colleges, Universities, and Schools of Nursing

A Plea to All Organizations, Colleges, Universities, and Schools of Nursing

I woke up this morning thinking about how some organizations who employ nurses, universities, and schools in general are making statements about diversity and inclusion. Some are including George Floyd’s name in these statements. I also thought about how there are many schools who are not making open statements about their heartfelt sentiments to the community, students, or faculty regarding the recent events. Within these organizations many nurses and faculty members are also working as frontline staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, to the current COVID 19 pandemic, African Americans have continued to have mental anguish existing due to continued racial inequalities existing and these truths being ignored by others.

Earlier this month, the American Nurses Association sent out an open statement about the social and racial injustices still existing and acknowledging how this goes against our dedication to nursing practice. I applaud this acknowledgement as it shows advancement of improving racial inequalities in an open forum.

Today, I am calling out organizations who employ nurses, schools of nursing, and universities worldwide to make a statement about racial inequalities existing and how they will address them in their organizations. It is not enough to say “I do not see color or it’s getting better”. In the recent months this has proven not to be the case. Those statements are not an accurate depiction of the truth as this dismisses those who are racially profiled against and judged based on the color of their skin.

The Minority Nurse Faculty Shortage

The Minority Nurse Faculty Shortage

Teaching in the field of nursing is a rewarding experience and an opportunity to give back to nursing. Education in the faculty role allows for providing insight into current practices based on lived experience and present evidence-based guidelines. Overall, Caucasians and Asians are overrepresented in nursing in comparison to African American and Hispanic nurses, according to a study published in the Journal of Cultural Diversity. As a result of this disparity, there are also problems with equal representation of minority nurse faculty. Those considered faculty of color have continued to represent less than 13% of nursing faculty. As a nurse educator, I have a direct impact on one’s future practice when caring for patients. I am concerned about these known truths and have a few questions for one to consider:

  • Why is there not an equal representation of minority faculty when compared to the majority?
  • Are individuals given a fair chance?

It is a tedious process to complete applications for faculty roles and often discouraging to obtain feedback from an automated email generated message about qualifications not matching. I encourage all minority potential faculty candidates to increase their visibility in becoming part of a nursing faculty and continue to be persistent. There does need to be interest in nursing research to be considered competitive for some positions. There are overwhelming amounts of candidates with clinical experience as registered nurses or nurse practitioners. Students more than ever need to see someone who “looks like me” at some point in their curriculum with whom they identify with. This is important in ensuring self-efficacy is present throughout their program.

Often, the hiring process is screened by human resources and not nursing departments. Specific to nursing may be the change of having administrative involvement with applications submitted for faculty roles. Anyone who knows me both personally and professionally understands my passion for nursing education. A majority of my close friends have been convinced to give back to nursing in becoming professors. As an African American female, I disproportionately represent a minority faculty. I am grateful for my opportunities. However, we have more work to do in the recruitment and retention of minority nurse faculty.

Colleges and universities must consider diversity within the workplace, particularly for nursing. This is an initiative for the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN). Their initiative involved the inclusion of a diversity of both students and faculty in schools of nursing across the country. An inclusive learning environment can be shaped by the active recruitment of minority faculty. Should there be a representation of diversity in the hiring process, such as within a search committee? This endorsement by AACN is a step in the right direction in the solution to improving a diverse workplace and learning environment for students. Recognition is the first step in making strides to consider those who are minorities from diverse backgrounds.

Ad