The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence Black nurses’ leadership opportunities’ in the metropolitan Chicago area.
Methods:
This mixed method, explanatory correlational study (Creswell, 2014) collected survey data to investigate the impact of racism, leadership attributes, mentoring, institutional support, self-efficacy and financial disparity upon the success, attainment of leadership and administrative roles, and achievement of higher levels of education among Black nurses in higher-education in the state of Illinois.
A statistical analysis of the survey data was conducted to determine if any correlation between black nurses and the influence of racism, leadership attributes, mentors, institutional support, self-efficacy and financial barriers and the participants’ achievement and success in their professional role.
Results:
The research showed Black nurses experience statistically significant greater need for advancement within their institution, leadership roles, mentorship, racism, and financial disparity within their career of nursing. Regardless of demographics and educational experience, participants were exposed to lack of institutional support, unattainable leadership roles, mentorship, racism, and financial disparity at various times throughout their career in higher-education.
Conclusion:
The majority of the statistically significant findings were of concern when comparing Black nurse’s ability to advance within higher-education because of the impact of the variables racism, leadership attributes, mentoring, institutional support, self-efficacy, and financial disparity. Such significant findings remind administrators to value the role that Black nurses bring to academia, to Black students, and the profession of nursing. This includes valuing their roles, backgrounds, and desire to advance to enhance their personal experiences and those of students. The current study also shows that empowerment of Black nurses into the field of nurse educators within academia will help extinguish stereotypes and break the “minority” stigma to diversify nursing university and colleges. According to Giddens and Thompson, “common challenges facing academic nursing leaders include changes in funding and budgetary constraints."