A 5-step framework to promote nursing community inclusivity: The example of nurses with disabilities

Aims and objectives: To provide a five-step conceptual framework to promote community inclusivity among nurses and nursing students, using the example of nursing student with a disability. Background: The value of cultural diversity, including characteristics such as socioeconomic status, ability/disability, sexual affection and ethnicity and/or race, is integrated into bachelor's nursing programmes. Yet, often the focus centres on patient care rather than to fellow nursing students or registered nurses. Design: Discursive paper describing a five-step health promotion course framework to promote inclusion for students with disabilities into the nursing community. Methods: Using the health promotion course platform, this framework demonstrates the integration of important issues such as well-being to those of cultural diversity, inclusivity and feeling belonging to a community, which are essential prerequisites towards achieving cultural competence. Findings: Health promotion courses provide an optimal platform to teach students about the social environment, well-being and inclusivity, and gives students the opportunity to reflect on the impact of their attitudes and behaviours on social inclusivity in their student community, and later, on their nursing community. Conclusions: Using the example of nursing students with disabilities, the five-step framework incorporates the concepts of social well-being, health and community inclusivity. Nursing students belong to a culturally diverse community including individuals with disabilities. A single course on community inclusivity is insufficient; the approach of inclusivity must be woven throughout the nursing curriculum. Relevance to clinical practice: As approximately 15% of the world's population has a disability, nurses must possess an understanding of individuals with a disability as an aspect of cultural diversity. It is the responsibility of programmes to instil in nursing students, the ability to appreciate and work with culturally diverse student and registered nurses. Such goals not only reflect nursing goals, but also strengthen the cohesion and inclusivity of the nursing community.