Social Determinants of Health: The Thread That Runs Through the Curricula

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions that thread throughout humans’ environments and affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Therefore, it is appropriate that SDOH also thread throughout nursing education curricula, at both the entry and advanced levels. One comprehensive, regional, public university’s Online Nursing Program, consisting of RNBSN and MSN/FNP programs, offers exemplars for such curricular integration.

Descriptions of innovative methods of student engagement and assessment of student learning outcomes are included in required courses—such as Public Health and Population Health and Epidemiology—and in elective courses—such as Health Disparities, Global Health, and others. There is also an emphasis on the incorporation of best practices in online education to strengthen the diverse learning needs of students. Healthy People 2030 initiatives and current events as they impact health and health equity are also incorporated.

Ladonna McClave
EdD, MSN, RN
Associate Professor
Morehead State University

Biography

Dr. McClave received her BSN in 1995 from Eastern Kentucky University, her MSN in Nursing Education in 2007 from Walden University, and her EdD in Educational Technology Leadership in 2015 from Morehead State University. Her background includes practice in medical-surgical care, pediatrics, and home health. She has held positions in nursing management, quality review, and nurse residency educator. She has taught in the baccalaureate, post-licensure baccalaureate, and Masters-FNP programs, with a focus on QSEN integration, curriculum development, quality improvement, and diversity/equity/inclusion. She is a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer. Her research focus involves distance and competency-based education.

Phone: 606-232-2191
Email: m.mcclave@moreheadstate.edu