Voices of Resilience: An Autoethnographic Exploration of the Contributions of Black Nursing Faculty in Nursing Education.

Background: Historically, racial disparities plague the U.S. nursing profession. The lack of racial diversity in academia leads to low nursing student enrollment, insufficient racial/ethnic diversity in the nursing workforce, and disparate healthcare access and outcomes, subsequently increasing morbidity and mortality for millions of U.S residents. Although it is known that negative interpersonal experiences influence retention of Black leaders in academia, few studies have explored the lived experience of Black academic nurses in their daily work as faculty members. Purpose: The objective of this study was to capture the lived experience of Black academic nurses to elucidate their experiences navigating nursing academia. Method: The researchers employed an autoethnographic qualitative study of faculty and academic leaders to examine their context critically. Participants held a Ph.D. or DNP from diverse institutions, ranks, and tenure, with 2 to 35 academic years. Findings: The inductive process resulted in four major themes: mentoring, a culture of oppression, a sense of duty, and breaking the cycle to build a legacy accompanied by thirteen sub-themes reported. Conclusion: Understanding the lived experience of this subset of nurses can be used to help guide strategic optimization of work culture. This study uniquely contributes to diversity, equity, and inclusivity science.