Undergraduate Nursing Faculty Knowledge, Beliefs, and Experiences with Teaching LGBTQ+ Content: A Scoping Review

Nursing education research about inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) health content in undergraduate nursing curricula primarily focuses on student learning outcomes. There is less research evidence about the experiences of nursing faculty with teaching LGBTQ+ health topics. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify current evidence about pre-licensure, undergraduate nursing faculty knowledge, beliefs, and experiences with teaching LGBTQ+ content. Six EBSCO databases were searched for manuscripts published between 2012 and 2023. Peer-reviewed articles, published in English, describing studies of pre-licensure, undergraduate nursing faculty knowledge, beliefs, and experiences with teaching LGBTQ+ health content were included. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews was used to guide inclusion of studies for review. The literature search yielded 612 results, of which 58 were selected for full text screening. Twelve total studies were retained for this scoping review. Faculty knowledge related to LGBTQ+ health is framed by a “deficit narrative,” emphasizing physical and mental health risks and negative outcomes. Faculty beliefs are often measured with instruments that reflect cisnormativity or heteronormativity. There is an ongoing need to research the experiences of inclusion of LGBTQ+ content by pre-licensure, undergraduate nursing faculty. •Nursing faculty exhibit knowledge about LGBTQ+ populations reflecting a “deficit model of difference,” emphasizing risk and negative outcomes•Research on nursing faculty beliefs about LGBTQ+ populations that center negative biases can inadvertently reinforce those biases•More research needs to be conducted to understand nursing faculty experiences with including LGBTQ+ health content in teaching