The University of New Mexico College of Nursing has been selected as one of 50 schools of nursing to participate in a national initiative by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to foster inclusive learning environments and build a more diverse nursing workforce.
In January 2022, AACN launched Building a Culture of Belonging in Academic Nursing with funding from Johnson & Johnson. The initiative is intended to help schools of nursing create environments where students, faculty and staff possess a strong sense of belonging and are encouraged to thrive.
To support this project, AACN developed a digital platform to administer its Leading Across Multidimensional Perspectives (LAMP®) Culture and Climate Survey, which collects data on student, faculty and staff perceptions of their college classrooms as communities in five areas: fair treatment and observations of discrimination, belongingness, value of diversity and inclusion, campus services and clinical training.
The AACN culture and climate survey provides an opportunity for the College to utilize a valid and reliable instrument to gauge the perceptions of students, staff and faculty regarding their programs as well as the overall ‘climate'
“The AACN culture and climate survey provides an opportunity for the College to utilize a valid and reliable instrument to gauge the perceptions of students, staff and faculty regarding their programs as well as the overall ‘climate,’” said Carolyn Montoya, PhD, RN, interim executive vice dean. “Results from the LAMP® will provide evidence-based data that will be relevant for process improvement throughout the College of Nursing.”
Using data collected via LAMP, AACN will provide institution-level assessments and action reports to participating schools related to developing inclusive academic environments.
This tool provides administrators with a better understanding of how their campus climate influences student experiences and achievement. With assessment data from internal stakeholders, educators are equipped with valuable information needed to initiate change, target areas of growth, and most importantly, improve student outcomes.
AACN will also use aggregate data collected from participating schools to identify best practices and success strategies that can be deployed at institutions nationwide.
The College was among nearly 250 applicants to participate in the pilot LAMP survey. Schools selected to participate in this pilot study are geographically diverse and represent a range of institutional types.
Pilot testing of the LAMP survey will be completed in Spring 2023. AACN will disseminate aggregate findings to all schools of nursing next year.