Teaching racism, health care, and social justice to advanced practice nursing students: Integrating structural competency into nursing education

BACKGROUND: Racism in education and clinical practice continues to impact health outcomes in the United States. 

PROBLEM: Students and faculty at a large public university identified a gap in advanced practice nursing education and advocated for the creation of a course focused on structural racism and its impact on health outcomes. AP

PROACH: This article reviews the development of a course curriculum-Racism, Health Care, and Social Justice-focused on structural racism that was designed and implemented to address curricular gaps in a master's program. This course aligns with the updated AACN Essentials, which emphasize a need for structural competency in nursing practice. 

CONCLUSIONS: A single course can expand student understanding of racism in health care and the concepts of structural competency. Future nursing education should more extensively incorporate these concepts.