Divided in Diversity: Cultural Insensitivity as a Factor Leading to Faculty Leaving a Nursing Education Institution in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Purpose: Nurse faculty retention continues to be a global concern especially in the face of worldwide nurse shortage. The nursing workforce shortage is further intensified by nurse faculty resignations from nursing education institutions. Although various factors have been attributed to nurse faculty resignations, few studies have reported cultural insensitivity as a factor that could lead to faculty leaving academia. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe cultural insensitivity as a factor that led to nurse faculty resigning from a nursing education institution in Johannesburg and to describe strategies for their retention. Methodology: A total of 15 purposively selected nurse faculty participated in individual semi-structured interviews of a broader exploratory-descriptive, and contextual qualitative study. Data were analyzed using Tesch’s iterative thematic analysis protocol. Findings: The study revealed that factors related to cultural diversity, specifically cultural insensitivity, also contributed to nurse faculty resigning from the nursing education institution. Originality/Value: Although the institution has a reputable history of having culturally diverse nurse faculty, some of its faculty resigned due to the cultural insensitivity of their colleagues and institutional management. Based on findings and conceptualization of literature, the study makes various recommendations on how nurse faculty could be retained through promoting cultural sensitivity amongst diverse faculty.