“We need a toolkit”: A response to nursing students and educators’ viewpoints on promoting social justice nursing practice

Background: Nursing education programs do not often prepare students for social justice responsibilities in their practice. Purpose: To explore ways of promoting social justice nursing practice. Methods: Constructivist grounded theory research design guided the purposive sampling of nursing students (n = 11) and nurse educators (n = 11), at a Nursing University, to participate in interviews and focus groups, and for coding data analysis. Discussion: Research participants suggested the need for a toolkit to promote social justice nursing practice. A toolkit of Awareness for Social Justice Action proposed in this study has the potential to promote social justice nursing practices, informed by critical thinking, critical pedagogy, and servant leadership. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the necessity of pursuing learning, teaching, and leadership for actualizing ever-present, albeit equivocal nursing interest in social justice.