Presentation

Physics and Astronomy, room 117

17-7-2025 2:00 PM

17-7-2025 2:30 PM

Health Professional Education, Rainbow Care, Inclusive Care, Gender Inclusive Language, Perinatal Care, Gender Diversity

Evaluation of Learning

Healthcare professionals must integrate inclusive practices and address the intersectional challenges faced by underrepresented populations, including 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals, who experience significant health disparities due to systemic heterosexism and cisnormativity. These disparities include increased mental health challenges, higher rates of substance use, and barriers to healthcare access (Hafeez et al., 2017). Gender-affirming care is critical to mitigating these inequities and improving health outcomes (McKay et al., 2023). However, many allied health students report low confidence in engaging with sex and gender-diverse patients, a gap largely attributed to limited curricular exposure. Despite evidence that targeted education improves student knowledge and clinical competence (White et al., 2015), training in gender-affirming care remains minimal in health professional programs (Obedin-Maliver et al., 2011).

This study examines nursing students' confidence and competence in providing gender-affirming care, focusing on their ability to apply inclusive language in clinical interactions.

Nursing students (n=325) enrolled in two undergraduate perinatal health courses received instruction in gender-inclusive language and gender-affirming perinatal care. Following this, they completed a virtual simulated consultation as public health nurses and participated in a survey assessing their experiences and self-reported confidence in using inclusive terminology. This study was approved by Western’s REB Project ID 125349.

Preliminary findings from student surveys will be presented, offering insights into existing educational gaps. Results will inform curricular improvements aimed at equipping future health professionals with the necessary skills to deliver affirming and equitable care to gender-diverse populations.

In this session, we will share resources for educators to incorporate into their course content, focusing on how to teach students to use inclusive language. We will also provide an assessment and rubric developed in a nursing context, which can be easily adapted to other programs to evaluate students' ability to foster inclusive spaces through language use. These materials will be shared via QR code—please ensure your device is accessible for download.

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