Content area
Background:
Structural competency equips nurses to address health disparities by understanding social, political, and economic structures. Despite its significance, nursing education lacks standardized approaches to teaching structural competency, highlighting the need for evidence-based curricula.
Method:
An integrative review followed Whittemore and Knafl's framework and PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A systematic search of CINAHL, PubMed, ERIC, Embase, and Google Scholar identified 17 relevant studies.
Results:
Active learning methods, including simulations, community engagement, and policy advocacy, enhanced learner engagement and competency development.
Conclusion:
Integrating structural competency into nursing curricula through experiential and reflective learning improves awareness of systemic health inequities and strengthens advocacy skills. Future research should refine teaching strategies and develop competency-based assessments to enhance implementation and evaluation in nursing education, recognizing structural competency as both a content area and an advocacy skill.
Details
Access to Health Care;
Learning Activities;
Integrated Curriculum;
Competence;
Nurses;
Curriculum Development;
Data Collection;
Experiential Learning;
Curriculum Design;
Content Analysis;
Experimental Teaching;
Medical Education;
Mixed Methods Research;
Meta Analysis;
Elective Courses;
Medical Students;
Community Resources;
Student Needs;
Information Seeking;
Data Analysis;
Grounded Theory;
Barriers;
Methods Research;
Educational Strategies