Nurses You Should Know: The power of online microlearning to decolonize nursing’s history

• Published in: Nursing outlook 2024-09, Vol.72 (5), p.102227, Article 102227
• Main Authors: Uribe, Joanna Seltzer, Aponte, Ravenne, Brown, Jessica, McCamey, Danielle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Decolonization; Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB); Equity-Centered Community Design; Microlearning; Nursing education; Nursing history
• ISSN: 0029-6554; 1528-3968; 1528-3968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102227

Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander nurses have played a critical role in shaping professional nursing and health care. Despite their contributions, the narrative of nursing's origin has predominantly revolved around the legacy of a single white British nurse, Florence Nightingale. This paper presents the development of the Nurses You Should Know (NYSK) project, which sought to decolonize the narrative surrounding nursing's history and highlight the contributions and experiences of past and present-day nurses of color. The NYSK project utilized an Equity-Centered Community Design process, incorporating microlearning strategies, storytelling, and history to develop a digital library of over 100 stories of nurses of color that capture nursing’s rich and complex history. Utilized as a resource within nursing curricula, the NYSK project stands as a testament to the power of history in promoting a more inclusive and equitable future for nursing, offering valuable insights for educators, researchers, and practitioners. •Nursing history is a core component of nursing education, practice, and research.•Decolonizing nursing education requires an integration of diverse perspectives.•Microlearning and storytelling are innovative pedagogical practices.•Nurses of color, in the past and present, have shaped the nursing profession.