Clinicians Who Care: Promoting Inclusive Language Among Healthcare Majors

Language can help provide quality healthcare. Healthcare students take classes that teach therapeutic communication and are tested on their ability to communicate with empathy and effectiveness. However, higher education often neglects inclusivity and its relevance to healthcare language. Inclusive language incorporates neutral vocabulary and avoids stereotyping marginalized individuals or communities. Teaching and implementing inclusive language in healthcare will help establish trusting and respectful patient-provider relationships, especially for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) patients. After experiencing a lack of comprehensive education on LGBTQ+ inclusive language among healthcare majors at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), I developed a multimedia educational program in an effort to present a condensed curriculum of inclusive language in healthcare. I derived the information presented in this project from peer-reviewed literature, published content from governmental agencies, and from my own lived experiences, both as an LGBTQ+ person and senior nursing student. This project may serve as a foundation for future development of diversity and inclusive language curriculum for healthcare majors at CSUF. This project will contribute to the empowerment and creation of a new generation of healthcare professionals who practice with respect, inclusivity, and acceptance