The trauma of racism in healthcare became an undeniable truth when COVID-19 disproportionately affected Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) in 2020. The broadcast murder of George Floyd added insult to injury for Black nurses who were already struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic (Byers et al., 2021). Since then, healthcare organizations have embraced implicit bias education to mitigate the harmful effects of systemic racism against BIPOC. However, research has yet to confirm its impact on outcomes (NASEM, 2021). Black Americans comprise 1.5% (OHA, 2019) of the Oregon nursing workforce amid increasing ethnic diversity of patient populations (Bates et al., 2022). The Alliance of Black Nurses Association of Oregon (ABNAO), a chapter of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), was chartered in February 2020 as a response to the underrepresentation of Black Oregonians.
To advance the institutionalization of wellness for all nurses, we propose a podcast that strengthens the psychological resilience of BIPOC and non-BIPOC nurses. It will be recorded in Portland, Oregon. The primary goal is to enhance Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) education and develop innovative, inclusive, antiracist clinical policy that benefits our target audience, Oregonians, in all healthcare settings. It will also provide foundational knowledge, rooted in critical race theory, for nurse leaders to support antiracist training among staff and promote a healthy trauma-informed work environment. Podcasts are strategic communication tools that offer many unique ways to connect audiences to social engagement. Current communication literature recognizes the power of recorded conversation to disseminate educational information in a way that empowers the brain to think critically, compassionately, and analytically (Hudson, 2020). Our podcast will offer an intersectional approach to addressing racism and discrimination in healthcare.
COVID-19’s unveiling of health inequity and institutionalized racism exposed ABNAO nurses to exceptional hardship, finding themselves at the intersection of a dual pandemic (Thomas-Hawkins et al., 2021). Members shared the difficulties of being assigned to white supremacist patients or being mistaken for housekeeping instead of being seen as nurses. Not only did collective healing arise through shared expressions of hopelessness, grief, and isolation in unsupportive work environments, but non-Black members deepened their racial justice allyship and acknowledgment of white privilege.
We will employ a strategic marketing plan to ensure the podcast has far-reaching and powerful messaging. By leveraging social media (and web-based analytics), we can collect data about audience engagement and participation. By specifying key performance indicators (KPI) for our podcast, we will monitor the show’s success and adjust accordingly. Every episode will solicit listener feedback via a listener letter segment, offering a prime opportunity to understand how the podcast is affecting our target medical professional audience. Each podcast guest will complete a review form after their episode is recorded to share their experience of being on the show. We are dedicated to investing in permanent change, and cultivating authentic BIPOC nurse representation to fully support diversity, equity, and inclusion for BIPOC health professionals and patients.
