NURSE EDUCATORS PERCEPTIONS REGARDING INCLUSION OF GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER STUDENTS IN AN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM

My research question is identified as: How do personal and professional experiences affect attitudes and perceptions of nurse educators regarding inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals in an undergraduate nursing program? For the purposes of this paper individuals who are not considered to be part of the heterosexual mainstream culture are specifically defined as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT). In this paper the interview is analyzed through a Gadamarian lens. Two nursing educators from an undergraduate nursing program are interviewed on GLBT issues relating to their personal and professional experiences. The question is designed to determine how these experiences have influenced their perceptions and attitudes about GLBT and subsequent reflexivity. Limitations of the study are included followed by an analysis of the two interviews. Appendixes’ of the interview questions and the transcribed interviews follow. Implications for practice are explicit and implicit. Future research is recommended upon the conclusion of the findings.