System will address’ pernicious problem ‘ with prejudice in medicine: nurses association
Nursing students at the University of Illinois quickly will get “diversity, capital, and inclusion” education via digital reality courtesy of a$ 20, 000 offer to solve prejudice.
The American Nurses Association, which awarded the award through its National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, says the money will target an “insidious problem” with prejudice in healthcare.
However, different health professionals and academics claim that the job is a waste of money.
According to a news release, the school of nursing at the university intends to use the grant to employ a software expert to make models for faculty and students in virtual reality.
The job lead will then assess the students ‘ responses to the training, including how confident they are in addressing racism and discrimination in both class and clinical settings.
” Unlike different formats, online reality simulations offer an experienced and thoroughly interactive, initial- person vantage point for evidence- based diversity, equity and inclusion training”, Clinical Assistant Professor Paige Ricca stated in the news release.
Ricca is leading the project along with Rose Hernandez, associate professor for capital and participation. Within the past month, The College Fix half via email have gotten in touch with Ricca and Hernandez to get more information about the topics that will be covered during the lessons. Neither responded.
One of the main objectives of the grant is to encourage students to challenge prejudice.
In the media release, Ricca stated in the press release,” We hope the experiences may provide special insights into the challenges and perspectives faced by students and faculty of color in educational nursing and that those lessons may translate to the nursing care of racial and ethnic minority groups.”
However, Do No Harm, an organization that works to keep “identity politics” out of medical education, questioned the premise of racism being historically rooted in nursing.
Chief of Staff Laura Morgan told The Fix in a recent media statement,” If incidents of racism within the nursing profession are indeed as prevalent as the ANA claims, why does the organization need to fund programs to create new training to simulate it?”
The nursing students “would be better served by spending$ 20, 000 on training that actually teaches future nurses how to recognize and respond to a deteriorating patient – not on ideology that further deteriorates what it means to be a nurse,” according to Moran, a registered nurse.
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Not just Moran had a negative opinion of the grant. A fellowship for an accomplished student, according to renowned psychology professor Lee Jussim, would be a better way to spend the money, according to a Rutgers University spokesperson.
” I am aware of no proof that DEI trainings reduce disparities or assist the downtrodden,” Jussim said.
This year, the ANA awarded a total of$ 200, 000 to 10 projects addressing racial discrimination, including the public Illinois university, its news release states.
According to the release, East Carolina University College of Nursing also received a grant to look into why so few black men choose nursing as a major and what can be done to alter the situation.
The Fix‘s two recent email requests for comment were not returned by an ANA commission spokesman.
In bestowing the grants, the commission aims to combat what it calls the “insidious” problem of racism in nursing.
In the press release, ANA President Jennifer Kennedy stated that the American Nurses Association is honored to give these funds to these inspiring programs that are actively working to eradicate racism in their respective initiatives and organizations.
According to the release, more than half of nurses believed there was” a lot” of racism in nursing, according to a survey conducted by the 2022 association.
Virtual reality as a means to instruct students about diversity, equity, and inclusion seems to be a growing trend at colleges and universities.
According to The Fix, George Mason University began developing virtual reality DEI training in 2022 to teach faculty how to combat racism and “implicit bias.”
MORE: Academics receive$ 297 million in NIH funds to study racism and health
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