An evaluation of forums for discussions on inclusion in a college of nursing.

BACKGROUND: The lack of diversity in the nursing profession could be an outcome of unconscious biases. Forums allowing the personal reflection and discourse of these unconscious biases are needed in order for a diverse and inclusive learning environment to exist.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of students, staff, faculty members, and guests participating in a forum on diversity and inclusion.

METHODS: An exploratory design was used to understand the experiences of college of nursing students, staff, faculty members, and guests who participated in a diversity and inclusion intervention sponsored by the college of nursing's Diversity Advisory Council. Attendees to 12 diversity book club, movie night, and speaker series' sessions completed a program evaluation tool. Responses to open-ended items were analyzed using a constant comparative analysis method.Responses from 197 participants were analyzed. Eight book club, seven movie night, and six speaker series' themes were derived from the data including Humanness is Universal, Personal Connection, The Problem, Awareness of Disparity, Make a Difference, and No Change.

DISCUSSION: Participants at each session critically dialogued about their conscious and unconscious biases. The study findings show that participants also were able to document changes to their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in relation to the historically oppressed populations focused on during the intervention activities.

CONCLUSION: Education entertainment as used in this study was a valuable mechanism for hosting conversations about diversity and inclusion.