Other Titles
Cultivating Collective Belonging in Healthcare Pathways [Title Slide]
Abstract
Background: Cultural humility frameworks (Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998) are widely used in clinical and professional development settings, however, little empirical evidence exists regarding their impact on teenagers and young adults. As pathway programs emerge to strengthen and diversify the healthcare workforce, understanding whether cultural humility training is developmentally appropriate and impactful for early-career learners is crucial for growing and retaining future nurse leaders.
Methods: As part of a summer pathway program designed to prepare young scholars for a career in healthcare or nursing, we offered a three-day institute that helped students from historical redlined areas to understand the unique and valuable perspectives they bring to health care.
Qualitative data were drawn from session evaluations (n=141) and semi-structured focus group interviews with SHINES participants (n = 27). Using thematic analysis, two coders conducted first-cycle inductive coding followed by second-cycle pattern coding. Social Cognitive Career Theory informed interpretation of changes in students' self-efficacy, career motivation, and sense of belonging.
Outcomes: Students reported that the Identity and Cultural Humility training motivated them to pursue healthcare careers. Learning about health equity, racism in medicine, and cultural humility gave them a clearer sense of purpose. Many felt empowered to advocate for minority communities that have historically mistrusted the healthcare system.
Several participants initially perceived minority status negatively. However, through cultural humility training, they began to see their identities as strengths, using them to connect with patients. They also recognized bilingualism as a powerful asset for improving communication, fostering trust, and positively impacting health outcomes. For some, this realization strengthened their commitment to become nurses who advocate for equitable care.
Conclusions/Implications: Not only are pathway programs beneficial for young people interested in nursing, but when programs focus specifically on the value that individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities bring in the form of understanding, compassion, innovation and problem-solving the nursing profession is poised to take care of patients and healthcare issues of today and tomorrow.
Notes
References:
Tervalon, M., & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2010.0233
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
Williams, D. R., & Cooper, L. A. (2019). Reducing racial inequities in health: Using what we already know to take action. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(4), 606. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16040606
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
DEI/BIPOC, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Cultural Humility, Group Identity, Nursing Students, Social Belonging, Nursing Workforce, Nurse Supply & Demand
Recommended Citation
Fernandez, Patricia; Ngo, Victoria; and Ackerman, Kupiri, "Identity and Cultural Humility Bring a Sense of Belonging to The Nursing Workforce" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 217.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/217
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
2026-08-25
Identity and Cultural Humility Bring a Sense of Belonging to The Nursing Workforce
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Cultural humility frameworks (Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998) are widely used in clinical and professional development settings, however, little empirical evidence exists regarding their impact on teenagers and young adults. As pathway programs emerge to strengthen and diversify the healthcare workforce, understanding whether cultural humility training is developmentally appropriate and impactful for early-career learners is crucial for growing and retaining future nurse leaders.
Methods: As part of a summer pathway program designed to prepare young scholars for a career in healthcare or nursing, we offered a three-day institute that helped students from historical redlined areas to understand the unique and valuable perspectives they bring to health care.
Qualitative data were drawn from session evaluations (n=141) and semi-structured focus group interviews with SHINES participants (n = 27). Using thematic analysis, two coders conducted first-cycle inductive coding followed by second-cycle pattern coding. Social Cognitive Career Theory informed interpretation of changes in students' self-efficacy, career motivation, and sense of belonging.
Outcomes: Students reported that the Identity and Cultural Humility training motivated them to pursue healthcare careers. Learning about health equity, racism in medicine, and cultural humility gave them a clearer sense of purpose. Many felt empowered to advocate for minority communities that have historically mistrusted the healthcare system.
Several participants initially perceived minority status negatively. However, through cultural humility training, they began to see their identities as strengths, using them to connect with patients. They also recognized bilingualism as a powerful asset for improving communication, fostering trust, and positively impacting health outcomes. For some, this realization strengthened their commitment to become nurses who advocate for equitable care.
Conclusions/Implications: Not only are pathway programs beneficial for young people interested in nursing, but when programs focus specifically on the value that individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities bring in the form of understanding, compassion, innovation and problem-solving the nursing profession is poised to take care of patients and healthcare issues of today and tomorrow.
Description
This study examines the strategies and impact of a three-day Identity and Cultural Humility Institute for high school and community college students who participated in a nursing pathway program. The purpose was to immerse students in material that explores identity and how the intersection of identities are value-added to healthcare. Through session evaluations and focus groups we explored students’ perception of healthcare career self-efficacy and desire to pursue nursing.