The Lived Experience of Black Nurse Faculty in Predominantly White Schools of Nursing

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored the experiences of Black nurse faculty employed in predominantly White schools of nursing. High attrition rates of this group were noted in previous literature. Understanding their experiences is important to increase nurse diversity.

Design: Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore the experiences of 15 Black nurse faculty using interviews.

Findings: Four themes were extracted as the following: cultural norms of the workplace, coping with improper assets, life as a "Lone Ranger," and surviving the workplace environment.

Discussion: The study provided insight to understand the meaning that Black faculty members give to their experiences working in predominantly White schools of nursing. Findings exemplify the need to improve culturally competent work environments and mentoring programs.

Implications for practice: Results suggest that better communication and proper respect from students, colleagues, and administrators are necessary. The limited research on this topic illustrates that Black nurse faculty remain under investigated; research is necessary to determine effective change strategies.

Keywords: African American; Black; nurse; nurse faculty; nursing.