Understanding the invisibility of black nurse leaders using a black feminist poststructuralist framework

Keisha Jefferies, Lisa Goldberg, Megan Aston and Gail Tomblin Murphy

Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2018, vol. 27, issue 15-16, 3225-3234

Abstract: Aim This paper explores the invisibility and underrepresentation of Black nurses in formal and informal leadership roles using a Black feminist poststructuralist framework. The paper describes historical and contemporary challenges experienced by Black nurses throughout their nursing education and in practice. It also highlights how social and institutional discourses continue to marginalise and oppress Black nurses as leaders and render them invisible. Background Diversity among nursing leaders is essential to inform health care delivery, develop inclusive practices and provide culturally sensitive care. Despite this glaring need for diversity within nursing in Canada, there remains a significant underrepresentation of Black nurses in the workforce and as leaders. Design This is a discursive paper on Black nurses in nursing education and the workforce as well as their location as leaders in health care through a critical analysis using Black feminist poststructuralism. Methods A review of the literature involved searching electronic databases CINAHL, NovaNet, PubMed and Google Scholar using keywords including: Black; African; Nurses; Leaders; Feminism; Poststructural. Articles were screened by titles and abstracts before accessing full‐text for relevant articles. Results Black feminist poststructuralism uncovers how power, language, subjectivity and agency are constructed by the historically ingrained social and institutional discourses of everyday life for Black nurses. Experiences of discrimination and oppression were common throughout nursing education and practice for Black nurses, resulting in feelings of marginalisation and isolation. Conclusion The invisibility of Black nurse leaders is the result of generational oppression and discrimination manifested through discourses. Systemic, institutional and historical discourses perpetuate barriers for Black nurse leaders, resulting in their invisibility or absence in practice. Relevance to Clinical Practice This paper is designed to generate discussion related to the invisibility of Black nurse leaders by providing an understanding of the historical experiences of Black people, their entry into the nursing profession and the present day challenges they face. This discussion will inform health care practice, policy, and structuring by identifying the barriers to leadership for Black nurses.

Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14505

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:jocnur:v:27:y:2018:i:15-16:p:3225-3234

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Clinical Nursing from John Wiley & Sons
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().