Unpacking the Paradox: Understanding the Gap Between Perceived and Actual Competence in LGBTQ+ Health Care.

Background: Awareness about existing health disparities affecting sexual minorities remains insufficient, and nursing professionals often lack self-awareness about their biases and assumptions concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) individuals.

Purpose: To explore how exposure to the LGBTQ community, during both classroom and clinical experiences, relates to nursing students' confidence in providing culturally congruent care to this group.

Methods: This nonexperimental correlational study occurred at a Midwest 4-year public university, involving final-semester baccalaureate nursing students who completed demographic and educational preparation surveys regarding their confidence in providing health care to the LGBTQ population.

Results: Results indicate that participants with no direct care experience were more confident in their communication skills and culturally congruent patient care for sexual minorities compared to those exposed to sexual minorities in clinical settings.

Conclusions: Nursing students' perceptions and experiences in delivering culturally congruent health care to sexual minorities provide an interesting perspective for examining the Dunning-Kruger effect.