Striving Towards Excellence: Addressing Gender Diversity & Bias in Nursing Education and Clinical Practice

Diversity is often discussed in nursing. Administrators now recognize, that the nursing profession must be reflective of a variety of ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds in an effort to provide care to a wide, and fast growing diverse patient population. Just as racial and ethnic diversity is essential for nursing's future, so is gender diversity. Nursing however, has seldom addressed gender diversity and as such, the numbers of men and, individuals who self identify with other gender identities such as transgendered, remains low in the nursing workforce. Additionally, nursing educators and the nursing profession as a whole, must be cognizant of heterosexism, which implies that heterosexuality is the accepted, societal norm and, its associated implications in nursing practice and education. Just as improving cultural and racial diversity requires action, achieving gender diversity also requires a proactive approach, addressing both the internal organization and the external recruitment and retention of men and other gender diverse individuals in the nursing workforce. As nursing seeks to be more representative of the general population it serves, nursing faculties, schools and colleges must strive to recruit and retain a diverse cohort of students, and make all efforts to address gender diversity in education and nursing practice. The proposed Cafe Scientifique will address the issue of gender diversity in nursing practice and discuss ways to help promote diversity in nursing recruitment and retention, education and clinical practice.