Methods of Teaching Transgender Health in Undergraduate Nursing Programs: A Narrative Review

Gender diversity in nursing undergraduate curricula: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Integrating gender-inclusive care into nursing education is essential for preparing students to provide culturally sensitive, respectful, and equitable care, promoting a more inclusive healthcare system. However, despite increasing discussions on gender diversity, it remains unclear how extensively gender diverse content is included in undergraduate nursing curricula.

AIM

To identify and synthesise research that has been undertaken on gender diversity in nursing undergraduate curricula.

METHOD

A scoping review using the methodology described by Arksey and O'Malley, and Peters et al. Five databases (Joanna Briggs Institute EBP database; CINAHL; Medline; Proquest Nursing and Allied Health database; ERIC) were searched for worldwide literature in English that addressed gender diversity, transgender and undergraduate nursing education. Retrieved citations were uploaded into Covidence and a two-stage screening process (titles and abstracts; full text) undertaken by two independent reviewers.

RESULTS

Twenty-five articles were included with most using quantitative methodology (19) and originating from the USA (19) and six in the rest of the world. Fourteen studies were published since 2021. Although there was wide variation in the amount and type of included content, nursing academics and students agreed on the importance and scarcity of gender diverse content in undergraduate curricula with eight studies stating gender diverse content, if included, was effective in increasing students' knowledge and comfort in providing care to gender diverse individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review highlights the importance of addressing the needs of gender diverse individuals in healthcare. It reveals that integrating gender diversity education in nursing curricula positively impacts students' attitudes and knowledge, emphasising the need for comprehensive training. However, there remains a significant gap in literature, underscoring the necessity for further research to enhance gender diverse-sensitive nursing care and normalise discussions around inclusion in education.

Curricular Mapping: Assessing Exemplars in an Integrated Concept-Based Curriculum

BACKGROUND

A Midwest school of nursing initiated an integrated concept-based curriculum where essential content is taught using exemplars. The specialty courses were integrated to address content overload and the duplication of content with different populations.

PROBLEM

The faculty wanted to determine if the previous curriculum had been sufficiently integrated into the exemplars and if there were curricular gaps.

APPROACH

A curriculum mapping project was conducted to assess the integration of the previous curriculum into the exemplars. Specifically, faculty evaluated exemplars for characteristics of: (1) individuals, (2) health care systems, (3) specialties, (3) nurse characteristics, and (4) interprofessional practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Exemplars in an integrated concept-based curriculum can provide a broad representation of individuals across the life span and settings. Curricular mapping is an assessment tool that can identify curricular gaps and the need for refinement within the curricula to meet current and future directions within the health care environment.