Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Jason Jean, DNP, FNP-BC
• Committee Member Name & Credentials:
  Jason Jean, DNP, FNP-BC

DNP Project Abstract

Integrating Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) into Health Professional School Curricula

Purpose
Understand barriers to integration of SDOH concepts and increase dean/director knowledge, confidence, and motivation to educate students about SDOH in health professional schools in Tennessee.

Methods
Pre- and post-webinar surveys were sent to deans/directors of health professional schools to describe the current state of SDOH education, identify integration barriers, and to rate their own/perceived faculty’s knowledge, confidence, and motivation to educate students about SDOH before and after one-hour virtual webinar.

Results
Pre-Survey: Participants revealed SDOH concepts were moderately integrated into their program’s curriculum (73%). Participants rated knowledge and confidence of SDOH concepts as strong (69.2% and 61.5%, respectively). Interestingly, motivation to educate students about SDOH concepts received ratings of weak (3.8%) and neutral (19.2%).

Post-Survey: Participants rated knowledge and confidence of SDOH concepts as very strong (66.7%). All participants rated their motivation to educate students about SDOH as very strong. Barriers identified included student resistance and focus on clinical skills.

Implications for Practice
Integrating SDOH into health professional curricula is recommended to prepare students to address and understand health disparities and improve patient health. Therefore, developing competencies for health equity, understanding barriers, and facilitating interprofessional connections may help improve SDOH curricula implementation.