Other Titles
Empowering Ontario Nursing Students Through Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resources [Title Slide]
Abstract
In the past, nursing programs have made concerted efforts to include comprehensive Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) education [3,6]. Despite these attempts, there is an evident lack of support for accessible, peer-led resources to improve the uptake and application of such concepts in educational and practice settings [2]. Current literature also reflects a gap in research focusing on how EDI resources impact nursing students [1]. With promising past results from peer-driven engagement to increase self-efficacy in EDI [4,5], a similar approach should be used to encourage student-led knowledge translation and leadership initiatives. The purpose of this project was to identify various EDI topics that Ontario nursing students were concerned with and develop associated resources. The initiative aimed to disseminate identified topics to students via educational materials, to support students’ understanding and integrate them throughout their academic and placement experiences [5,6]. Preliminary research on EDI topics was conducted to consolidate and define terms. These were then included in a survey poll to identify the three most relevant EDI-related topics. The voted topics were discrimination, harassment, and microaggressions; inclusivity and cultural humility; and equity in nursing programs. Further targeted research was conducted to discern applications and published findings to inform resources. Creative, efficient, student-oriented posters and badge clip-ons were designed for each topic, incorporating researched content and scenarios applicable to nursing students. Resources were disseminated to students via email and social media platforms, as well as through collaborative partnerships with affiliate ambassadors. This project highlighted the increased demand among nursing students for accessible, peer-driven, informative EDI resources based on qualitative and phenomenological research [5]. It called attention to a critical gap in EDI education tailored to Ontario nursing programs and the lack of research on this issue [1,6]. Addressing this gap is essential to guiding further curriculum development and ensuring students receive adequate support necessary to apply EDI concepts [2]. Following this project, the next steps are to create an EDI toolkit as well as a video-lecture series, which will allow students to engage with content outside of their academic institutions and receive micro-credentials in EDI learning.
Notes
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References:
[1]. Caffrey, A., Botticello, J., Quarshie, P. E., Ali, L., Watts, P., Cathala, X., & Ferrante, J. (2023). Student nurses’ experiences of discrimination and racism on work placements: What can higher education institutions do? Nurse Education Today, 131, 105980–105980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105980
[2]. Charania, N. A. M. A., & Patel, R. (2022). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing education: Strategies and processes to support inclusive teaching. Journal of Professional Nursing: Official Journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 42, 67–72. https://doi-org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/10.1016/j.profnurs.2022.05.013
[3]. Day, L., & Beard, K. V. (2019). Meaningful inclusion of diverse voices: The case for culturally responsive teaching in nursing education. Journal of Professional Nursing: Official Journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 35(4), 277–281. https://doi-org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/10.1016/j.profnurs.2019.01.002
[4]. Mehdipour-Rabori, R., Nematollahi, M., & Bagherian, B. (2021). Effect of classmate as peer-led education on clinical performance: A mixed-method study. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10, 58. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_761_20
[5]. Pålsson, Y., Mårtensson, G., Swenne, C. L., Ädel, E., & Engström, M. (2017). A peer learning intervention for nursing students in clinical practice education: A quasi-experimental study. Nurse Education Today, 51, 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.01.01
[6]. Tzirides, A. O., Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2023). Inclusive pedagogies, new learning, new times. International Encyclopedia of Education (Fourth Edition). Elsevier, 68-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818630-5.12064-0.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
DEI/BIPOC, Instrument and Tool Development, Competence, Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Oleynikov, Christina; Arunanthy, Krussny; and Tam, Hugo, "Empowering Nursing Students Through Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Resources – An RNAO Initiative" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 121.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/121
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-04
Empowering Nursing Students Through Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Resources – An RNAO Initiative
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
In the past, nursing programs have made concerted efforts to include comprehensive Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) education [3,6]. Despite these attempts, there is an evident lack of support for accessible, peer-led resources to improve the uptake and application of such concepts in educational and practice settings [2]. Current literature also reflects a gap in research focusing on how EDI resources impact nursing students [1]. With promising past results from peer-driven engagement to increase self-efficacy in EDI [4,5], a similar approach should be used to encourage student-led knowledge translation and leadership initiatives. The purpose of this project was to identify various EDI topics that Ontario nursing students were concerned with and develop associated resources. The initiative aimed to disseminate identified topics to students via educational materials, to support students’ understanding and integrate them throughout their academic and placement experiences [5,6]. Preliminary research on EDI topics was conducted to consolidate and define terms. These were then included in a survey poll to identify the three most relevant EDI-related topics. The voted topics were discrimination, harassment, and microaggressions; inclusivity and cultural humility; and equity in nursing programs. Further targeted research was conducted to discern applications and published findings to inform resources. Creative, efficient, student-oriented posters and badge clip-ons were designed for each topic, incorporating researched content and scenarios applicable to nursing students. Resources were disseminated to students via email and social media platforms, as well as through collaborative partnerships with affiliate ambassadors. This project highlighted the increased demand among nursing students for accessible, peer-driven, informative EDI resources based on qualitative and phenomenological research [5]. It called attention to a critical gap in EDI education tailored to Ontario nursing programs and the lack of research on this issue [1,6]. Addressing this gap is essential to guiding further curriculum development and ensuring students receive adequate support necessary to apply EDI concepts [2]. Following this project, the next steps are to create an EDI toolkit as well as a video-lecture series, which will allow students to engage with content outside of their academic institutions and receive micro-credentials in EDI learning.
Description
There is an evident lack of accessible, peer-led resources to improve the application of equity, diversity, & inclusion concepts in educational and practice settings. This project identified various EDI topics that nursing students were interested in and disseminated them via efficient, creative, educational media. RNAO's leadership initiative highlighted a critical gap in EDI education and research, which must be addressed to guide curriculum development and support students' EDI application.