Shifting the Paradigm: Antiracist Education for Advanced Practice Nursing Providers

Abstract

Introduction: Racism in the United States adversely impacts health outcomes. Achieving health equity will require an explicitly antiracist approach to the education of health care providers (HCPs). This article examines a required course that focuses on teaching advanced practice nursing students about the structural foundations of racism. This approach shifts significantly away from teaching race-based medicine (which assumes a biological basis for disparities) and the social determinants of health (which often blames individuals for disparities). Methods: A mixed methods evaluation was conducted to understand the change in learners’ understanding of (1) structural racism and (2) the role that HCPs can play in addressing structural racism. Anonymous surveys asked the following: (1) What are three examples of structural racism in the context of health care? and (2) What is the HCP’s role in addressing structural racism? Results: Statistically significant increases were observed. The percentage of students who could provide at least one example of structural racism increased from 41% to 70%. Significant increases were also found in students’ abilities to identify structural and institutional antiracist interventions. Discussion: This project yields important data that can inform educational efforts focused on structural racism. The results strongly suggest that the course resulted in a change in student understanding of racism in health care and strategies to address it. Health Equity Implications: The development of a required course for advanced practice nurses focused on structural racism, including attention to social and institutional interventions, can significantly shift HCP understanding and is one strategy to move us toward health equity.