A National Survey of Faculty Knowledge, Experience, and Readiness for Teaching Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs

• Published in: Nursing education perspectives Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 144 - 152
• Main Authors: Lim, Fidelindo, Johnson, Michael, Eliason, Michele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc 01.05.2015
• Subjects: Attitudes; Behavior; Beliefs; Data collection; Department Heads; Education; Educational Development; Electronic mail systems; Faculty Development; Fear & phobias; Gays & lesbians; Health Needs; Homosexuality; Intention; Leaders; Lesbians; National Surveys; Negative Attitudes; Nursing; Nursing education; Positive Attitudes; Religion; Schools; Self Efficacy; Sexual Identity; Sexual Orientation; State Surveys; Studies; Surveys; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Transgender people; Transgender persons; United States > US
• DOI: 10.5480/14-1355
• ISSN: 1536-5026

This article assesses the knowledge of faculty in baccalaureate nursing programs and their readiness to teach about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health. Although health disparities affecting the LGBT population are increasingly acknowledged in the literature, a dearth of information exists on how LGBT health is integrated in nursing programs. A survey was sent to a nonprobability purposive sample of nursing school administrative leaders (N = 739); they were asked to share the link with their faculty. More than 1,000 faculty completed the survey. The knowledge, experience, and readiness for teaching LGBT health among baccalaureate faculty are limited. LGBT faculty reported greater awareness, knowledge, and readiness compared with heterosexual faculty. The estimated median time devoted to teaching LGBT health was 2.12 hours. Findings will help inform the design of faculty development programs and guide in aligning the curricula with current LGBT health priorities.