Introduction
Nursing education is the formal training provided to nurses to get them ready for their responsibilities in patient care. Since it trains future specialists, nursing education serves as a foundation for nursing practice. The nurse’s job is to assess, plan, carry out, and review medical care. Nurses are in charge of working with patients to ensure they reach the proper health condition. Therefore, the health care system needs to provide high-quality nursing education. However, there are many obstacles that hinder the accessibility of quality education. One of them is a biased attitude of nurse educators.
Biases in Nursing Education
The Impact of Bias on Education
The process of nursing education is significantly impacted by bias. The US population is diverse, and many students of different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds are studying at the same institution. Nevertheless, everyone has the right to an open and unhindered quality education. However, when the nurse educator holds prejudices about any of the minorities, the education process gets complicated. For instance, research indicates that students of color are subject to lesser expectations from educators than are students of Caucasian descent (Green, 2020, p. 281). As a result, ethnic and racial minorities who compromise their social identity experience academic disengagement. Control, self-esteem, and belongingness serve as mediators for students’ social identities (Green, 2020, p. 281). Students who frequently experience bias, discrimination, and rejection are more prone to suffer from low self-esteem and insecurity. Therefore, biases negatively impact the quality of education provided by the institution.
Personal Bias
I will need to demonstrate a high level of cultural competence as a future nurse educator. Therefore, I should refrain from having any prejudices against students. I will admit, though, that I have a bias regarding Muslims. Due to the circumstances, Islamophobia became a widespread problem, making education process less enjoyable to Muslims (Husain & Howard, 2017). Thus, I feel that I need to exercise caution in both my words and my actions. When I interact with Muslims, I will need to adopt a completely different approach. I am aware that Muslims are merely average citizens like everyone else. However, I feel the pressure that can eventually interfere with my work.
The Strategy to Reduce Bias
Learning more about the religion itself is the key to addressing the religious bias in nursing education. For example, Muslims have a false reputation for being “terrorists,” although the religion itself does not encourage violence (Husain & Howard, 2017). It is an illustration of how stereotypes form and lead to discrimination. The following approach would be to document every stereotyped and prejudiced opinion and action toward Muslims. According to research, people who are conscious of prejudices related to their actionss are less likely to repeat them than those who are unaware (Backhus, 2019, p. 264). The time, location, and any direct quotes should be included in the documentation of any biased remarks or actions. The final recommendation is to engage more with Muslims. Many businesses and organizations strive to diversify their workforce (Backhus, 2019, p. 265). That is because it is easier to comprehend minorities when you have personal relationships with their representatives.
Self-reflection and Conclusion
In conclusion, bias seriously impairs the quality of nursing education. Bias causes a variety of issues, such as academic disengagement, which has a negative impact on the educational process. Therefore, it is crucial that we address the problem by educating ourselves, being aware of our own actions, and interacting more with minority representatives. This homework helped us to understand the issue of religious discrimination and its underlying causes. I developed the ability to self-reflect on the long-practiced unconscious bias. Most importantly, I devised a strategy to handle implicit bias and prevent issues in the future.
References
Backhus, L. M., Lui, N. S., Cooke, D. T., Bush, E. L., Enumah, Z., & Higgins, R. (2019). Unconscious bias: Addressing the hidden impact on surgical education.Thoracic Surgery Clinics, 29(3), 259–267. Web.
Green, C. (2020). Equity and diversity in nursing education.Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 15, 280-283. Web.
Husain, A., & Howard, S. (2017). Religious microaggressions: A case study of Muslim Americans. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 26(1-2), 139–152. Web.