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Position
Statement:The national voice for baccalaureate and higher
degree nursing education programs, the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) serves the public by assisting
deans and directors to improve and advance nursing education,
research, and practice. As part of that mission, AACN must
address diversity and equal opportunity.
AACN recognizes that the population of the United States is
rapidly becoming more diverse and will become more so into
the 21st century. Because of this trend, diversity and inclusion
have emerged as central issues for organizations and institutions.
AACN believes that leadership in nursing can best respond
to these issues by finding ways to accelerate the inclusion
of groups, cultures, and ideas that traditionally have been
underrepresented in higher education. Moreover, health care
providers and the nursing profession should reflect and value
the diversity of the populations and communities they serve.
The objective for schools of nursing is the creation of both
an educational community and a professional practice environment
that incorporate the diverse perspectives of the many constituencies
whom they serve. Nursing programs must provide a supportive
learning environment and curriculum in which students, staff,
and faculty from all walks of life and from the entire spectrum
of society are full participants in the educational process.
AACN's commitment to equality of opportunity and diversity
is not based solely on the realities of a changing society.
As a voice for educators in baccalaureate and higher-degree
nursing programs, AACN believes that diversity and equality
of opportunity are core values of all educational systems.
Diversity
includes consideration of socioeconomic class, gender, age,
religious belief, sexual orientation, and physical disabilities,
as well as race and ethnicity. Diversity and equality of opportunity
recognize that individuals learn from exposure to and interaction
with others who have backgrounds and characteristics different
from their own. Recognizing and valuing diversity and equal
opportunity also means knowledgment, appreciation, and support
of different learning styles, ways of interaction, and stimulating
forms of discourse derived from interaction and collaboration
with persons from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Promoting diversity facilitates equality of opportunity. In
operationalizing diversity and equality of opportunity, AACN
and the nursing profession must reexamine how educators assess
qualifications and measure merit. As preparation for a holistic
profession, the measure of excellence in nursing education
and preparedness for practice must extend beyond quantitative
data such as standardized test scores and grades. It should
also assess the leadership, strengths, communication skills,
different competencies, and prior experiences of individuals,
as well as their capacities for future development.
Increasing diversity implies expanding the traditional pool
of qualified applicants for the academic experience and employment
by appropriately defining variables reflecting the value and
worth of the human experience. It should require an admissions
and employment process that fully encompasses the principles
of equal opportunity. Qualified applicants should represent
the cultural, racial, ethnic, economic, gender, and social
diversity of the broader population. The goal is to create
a community of culturally competent scholars, including faculty,
students, staff, and practitioners, with the appreciation
of a world view of interconnectivity and community.
The responsibility of AACN is to use diversity as a strategy
to facilitate the education of future professionals by infusing
mutual respect and trust into the learning experience. The
challenge to AACN is to prepare for the 21st century by establishing
a community of learning that recognizes the richness of diversity.
As we embark upon this challenge, we must be guided by wisdom,
compassion, and understanding.
AACN
Task Force on Diversity and Opportunity
Members
Luth
M. Tenorio, PhD, Dean (Task Force Chair)
School of Nursing
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Bettie
J. Glenn, EdD, Chair
Department of Nursing
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC
Lorraine
Rodriques-Fisher, EdD, Dean
Kirkhof School of Nursing
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI
Angela
Barron McBride, PhD, University Dean
School of Nursing
Indiana University
Indianapolis, IN
Bobbye
Gorenberg, DNSC, Director
School of Nursing
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA
AACN Staff
Martha
Mihaly (Staff Liaison)
Special Projects Manager
Approved By AACN Membership -- October 27,
1997
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