TY - JOUR
T1 - Barriers to Nursing School Admissions for Students With Physical or Sensory Disabilities
T2 - Do Essential Abilities Requirements Align With Licensure Standards and Legal Precedence?
AU - Llewellyn, Sarah
AU - Alderden, Jenny
AU - Madsen, Leslie
AU - Christenson, Jadison
AU - Mecham, Sharece
AU - Tanner, Corinna Trujillo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 National League for Nursing.
PY - 2025/3/1
Y1 - 2025/3/1
N2 - AIM The aim of the study was to examine sensory and motor essential abilities required by nursing boards and assess their inclusion in prelicensure nursing program admissions. BACKGROUND The nursing workforce should mirror diverse patient populations for better concordance; however, essential abilities restrictions hinder admissions for students with disabilities. METHOD Requirements for licensure were collected from state boards of nursing and compared with essential abilities admissions requirements from 58 prelicensure programs. RESULTS No state boards mandated sensory or motor abilities for licensure. Thirty-one (53%) programs had restrictive essential abilities criteria. Some criteria conflicted with safety standards or the Americans with Disabilities Act. CONCLUSION Disparity of essential abilities requirements was observed. Restrictive essential abilities criteria may create barriers to admission of students with disabilities, thus limiting the diversity and capacity of the nursing workforce.
AB - AIM The aim of the study was to examine sensory and motor essential abilities required by nursing boards and assess their inclusion in prelicensure nursing program admissions. BACKGROUND The nursing workforce should mirror diverse patient populations for better concordance; however, essential abilities restrictions hinder admissions for students with disabilities. METHOD Requirements for licensure were collected from state boards of nursing and compared with essential abilities admissions requirements from 58 prelicensure programs. RESULTS No state boards mandated sensory or motor abilities for licensure. Thirty-one (53%) programs had restrictive essential abilities criteria. Some criteria conflicted with safety standards or the Americans with Disabilities Act. CONCLUSION Disparity of essential abilities requirements was observed. Restrictive essential abilities criteria may create barriers to admission of students with disabilities, thus limiting the diversity and capacity of the nursing workforce.
KW - Ableism
KW - Admissions Requirements
KW - Concordance
KW - Prelicensure Nursing Education
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85215925703&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001334
DO - 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001334
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85215925703
SN - 1536-5026
VL - 46
SP - 91
EP - 96
JO - Nursing Education Perspectives
JF - Nursing Education Perspectives
IS - 2
ER -