Equity and inclusivity in the faculty ranks: Our experience with a clinical track.

BACKGROUND: The evolution of nursing education requires a combination of strong academic faculty and expert clinicians. Different professional growth and development pathways are necessary to build a robust faculty with clinical and research expertise. Some schools have implemented a formal clinical track (CT) to complement the traditional tenure track for the professional advancement of CT. METHODS: The article presents a case example of how one institution maintains and advances a strong CT using the Kotter Change Model and discusses future directions. RESULTS: The school's infrastructure for promotion, which follows a similar structure and guidelines as Tenure Track (TT) Promotion and Tenure Guidelines, has led to an increase in the school's scholarly productivity among CT faculty across ranks. Increasing poster and podium presentations as well as publications to a national and international audience results in greater reach and improved reputation for the school, both nationally and internationally. CONCLUSIONS: While there is still work to be done to advance equity and inclusion for nursing CTs, developing and maintaining a CT with system-level structures holds significant value and provides a clear path to promotion, invests in clinical scholarship, and includes clinical faculty as full citizens in academia.

Enhanced Classroom Engagement: Implementation of an Inclusive Teaching Strategy.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed challenges to nursing faculties, including transitioning to a virtual teaching platform and ensuring inclusivity, active engagement, and social justice, which are the hallmarks of excellence in nursing education. A three-step teaching strategy called enhanced classroom engagement (ECE-TS) was created. METHOD: The first step in ECE-TS required groups of students to read the assigned article and share five takeaways before class. The second step required each group to discuss and prepare a presentation using a rubric. The final step required each group to give a presentation to the class. RESULTS: Students noted ECE-TS promoted (a) individual learning; (b) collective learning; (c) inclusivity; (d) connection among students; (e) change in the classroom environment; and (f) generated proposals for future directions related to ECE-TS. CONCLUSION: ECE-TS, which is a promising strategy that promotes social justice, must be tested across teaching formats and programs. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(2):120-127.].

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing education: Strategies and processes to support inclusive teaching.

Developing a climate for academic nursing that engages inclusive teaching requires the sustained effort of faculty and leadership. Nursing faculty engage inclusive teaching practices in the day-to-day learning environment, thereby training nurses and future leaders who are capable of addressing complex and diverse health care systems and population-centered needs. Actualizing the personal and professional commitment of faculty to inclusive teaching requires structure and strategies. This paper presents the use of multi-level institutional strategies and processes that supported faculty efforts to integrate DEI focused primarily on inclusive teaching into the curriculum at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. While best practices can vary by institution, we believe the institutional strategies, processes, lessons learned, and resources presented here can assist other academic institutions and nursing faculty as we all work to build a more inclusive nursing classroom and address systems and population-centered needs.

A professionalism and safety code of conduct designed for undergraduate nursing students.

Nationally, professionalism and safety are key concepts in nursing practice. Although they are traditionally viewed as individual concepts, we believe they are closely linked to and depend on one another. Herein, professionalism and safety are developed as a paired concept with specific indicators. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process used to develop and implement a professionalism and safety Code of Conduct for undergraduate nursing students and to share the end product of this process. Based on input from students, faculty, and health system partners in our academic-service partnership, the current definition and Code include six student behavioral domains: communication, self-awareness, self-care, professional image, responsible learning, and personal accountability. Our Code of Conduct is now a program policy and published in both the Student Handbook and clinical syllabi. Compliance is expected. Still under development are progressive clinical grading rubrics for inclusion in every clinical course.

Community mental health initiatives in Pakistan.

AIM: To identify mental health needs in local communities, and provide and evaluate nurse-led services to promote community mental health in Karachi, Pakistan. METHOD: Using an action research approach, mental health nurses implemented activities to promote mental health and psychiatric rehabilitation in 15 urban communities in Karachi. The activities were planned and implemented in collaboration with a community-based social welfare organisation. FINDINGS: Community mental health interventions were implemented by a multidisciplinary team including nursing educators and postgraduate nursing students. Positive transformation of the mental health of clients in the community was found. CONCLUSION: The challenges in identifying, diagnosing and rehabilitating clients with mental health needs in the community in Pakistan is acknowledged, and the benefits of enhanced support for clients and their families provided by community mental health nurses are described.