PhD Student Thompson Writes Editorial on Increasing Diversity in Nursing Faculty

Roy Thompson, PhD student, wrote the editorial titled “Increasing Racial/Ethnic Diversity of Nursing Faculty in Higher Ed is Needed Now" for the Journal of Professional Nursing. This article addresses systemic racism and structural barriers and their impact on the nursing professoriate and highlight culturally appropriate recommendations to recruit and retain nursing faculty belonging to racial/ethnic minority groups.

Introduction

The Nursing Journey Began

I am a black male, born and raised in Jamaica by a mother who toiled tirelessly in the sugar cane fields, in her selfless effort to eke out an existential living and to provide a strong educational foundation for me. During my undergraduate years in nursing school in Jamaica, every Sunday my mother would visit me in my student lodgings and bring me home cooked dinners, toiletries and other essentials of life. These weekly gestures of her love unfettered, strengthened my connection with her and my family and instilled in me a deeper appreciation of my humble beginnings as I made my sojourn into academia.

Over a decade later, as a true testament to the sacrifices of a loving mother, I now walk the halls of a predominately white institution (PWI) in the United States (US) and will soon complete my PhD in nursing. However, I must confess that my experiences both in the US and the PhD program, often leave me with an overwhelming sense of solitude, of being ‘alone’, despite being surrounded by my peers and faculty. The struggle to see my own reflection or likeness in the nursing professoriate has, for me, been particularly sobering. This stark reality stands as a constant reminder that as a black immigrant, I am not truly attached to the “umbilical cord” of the PWIs, like so many of my colleagues. If I were asked to describe this feeling of unattachment that my present circumstances have effectively created deep within my soul, I perhaps would closely associate it with the absence of a sense of belonging.