Academic support strategies for nursing students with a disability at university: an integrative review

Background: Nursing students with reported disabilities are increasing. Adjustments and accommodations within the classroom and clinical environment should be considered to promote inclusion and academic success.

Aim: To synthesise the evidence from published research on academic support structures or interventions for nursing students with a disability.

Design: An integrative review was undertaken.

Methods: A systematic search of six electronic databases (CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, Education Research Complete, ERIC, ProQuest Central, and Scopus) was undertaken from 1984 to October 2024. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria for this integrative review, with two additional papers identified by forward and backward hand-searching. The final 11 identified articles were quality appraised. The integrative review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA.

Findings: Results identified a range of support interventions or structures to promote inclusion and academic success. However, students and staff reported a lack of standardised guidance from universities, registration authorities, and the legislation relating to interventions and support for students with a disability. The challenges reported focused mainly on difficulties in adjusting to university tasks (e.g., writing skills) or performing their role within the clinical environment.

Discussion: Adjustments and accommodations should be considered to promote inclusion and academic success of nursing students with a disability. Higher education and healthcare organisations need to identify ways to support students with a disability in nursing programs. Regulatory bodies should introduce guidance to address any potential discrepancies between access to study and fitness to nursing practice.

Conclusion: Early identification of students with disabilities is important and needs to be centred on students’ ability rather than disability.