At the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable learning environment is a core focus. As part of its ongoing efforts, the school regularly reviews its teaching materials, including textbooks, testing platforms, and clinical orientation packets, to ensure that these resources do not perpetuate harmful stereotypes or marginalize any groups. This commitment is woven throughout the curriculum, as faculty strive to incorporate perspectives from a wide array of authors and thought leaders in health care.
One of the school’s key innovations in promoting outcomes and representation in health care education is the creation of the Integrative Curriculum Assessment for Inclusion, Representation, and Equity (I-CAIRE). This evidence-based tool was developed by three nursing faculty members with the support of two doctoral students, to review health professions courses and curricula through a lens focused on health equity, diversity, inclusion, representation, and accessibility. I-CAIRE aims to equip future health care professionals with the skills, knowledge, and desire to advance social justice in health.
I-CAIRE highlights critical topics identified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as essential for addressing the social determinants of health, advancing health equity, and improving population health. Among the areas covered are antiracism, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility. The tool emphasizes the need for health care providers to understand these core topics in order to effectively engage with diverse patient populations and communities.
“Students and faculty alike have called for health profession curricula that address health care inequities and advance health care equity,” UC Davis nursing faculty researchers.— led by Kupiri Ackerman-Barger, PhD.— wrote in a case study detailing I-CAIRE. “As part of our commitment to quality improvement, we have been attentive to the degree to which we prepare students to mitigate health disparities and advance health care equity.”
A major component of I-CAIRE is its focus on accessibility, ensuring that teaching materials — from PowerPoint slides to textbooks and online learning platforms — are designed for all learners, including those with disabilities. It incorporates equity pedagogy to support a broad range of students and was reviewed by 12 health care faculty with expertise in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). The nursing school is now working to disseminate the tool and develop best practices for its implementation across various programs.
“We use the term equity-minded to define the qualities nurses need to have to advance health care equity,” the case study reads. “The concept … is that equity-minded nurses so deeply understand and embrace health care equity, social justice, antiracism, and cultural humility that these concepts emerge as normalized, automatic, and default thought processes no matter the setting or population.”
At the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at University of California, Davis, nursing students practice their skills with clinical instructors in a simulation suite.
