Taking Action: Top 10 Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing

The crucible of the global pandemic, racial injustice, and a crippling nursing shortage has sparked increasing calls for nursing to address its own problems from inequity to structural racism. In response, authors Susan B. Hassmiller and Gaea A. Daniel enlisted nearly 70 national and international nursing leaders to tackle the most pressing issues confronting the profession.

Taking Action: Top 10 Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing spotlights 10 critical themes through data, essays, discussion points, and action items, equipping readers to move beyond conversation to action.

Issues or themes include:

1. Health equity
2. Education reform
3. Diversity and mentorship
4. Care delivery: quality, safety, access
5. Multi-sector collaboration
6. Preparing for disasters and public health emergencies
7. Innovation and entrepreneurship
8. Nurse well-being: compassion for self and others
9. Global stewardship
10. Nursing's voice in leading change

Similar to the second edition of The Power of Ten, the authors chose senior leaders well-versed in their chosen topics to contribute their expertise. With attention to diversity at all levels, including race, geography, gender, age, and sexual orientation, we asked the senior leaders to work with a mentee when possible to gain the perspective of up-and-coming leaders. Some of the essays were authored solely by up-and-coming diverse leaders, some of whom have never before published. To provide perspectives for all of nursing, we wanted all of nursing to be represented, or as much as we could for this small book. To gain such a diverse array of perspectives (66 essays in all), we limited each author to around 1,000 words. We have also supplemented the essays with notable quotes from experienced and novice leaders, in addition to the poetry and illustrations of Lucinda Canty and the song lyrics of Tad Worku.