Clinical nursing faculty perceptions about teaching students to provide care for adults with developmental disability

BACKGROUND: Adults with developmental disabilities (AWDD) experience health inequities that could be improved with nurses better prepared to address their unique needs. Lack of contact of nursing students with AWDD, which is pervasive in nursing education, contributes to the health inequities experienced by this population. This may be due in part to clinical nursing faculty members' perceptions about teaching students to provide care to this population. PURPOSE: This study explored the perceptions of clinical nursing faculty about teaching students to provide care for AWDD. DESIGN: This study used a descriptive multi-method design with a nationwide sample of 126 clinical nursing faculty. METHODS: The survey included Likert-style scales for quantitative data analyzed through descriptive statistics, and open-ended questions for qualitative data analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Participating clinical nursing faculty reported positive attitudes toward providing care to AWDD but biases emerged. Perceived self-efficacy to teach students about AWDD included four themes: faculty experience with DD, providing DD care, student knowledge/willingness, and time. Barriers and facilitators to assigning students to AWDD included five themes: attitudes, care complexity, clinical site considerations, extent of DD content, and faculty experience with DD. CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest areas for professional and curricular development to increase learning opportunities for nursing students to provide equitable care to AWDD.