A number of factors drive the significant health disparities faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals. In today's sociopolitical climate, these factors are becoming even more heightened, which means Pride Month and year-round efforts to advocate for these vulnerable patient populations is more important than ever.

Nurse orientees and patients share a critical commonality: Both require more than good intentions to understand how they are truly progressing, and both require systematic evaluation, trended data, and an actionable plan. That's why structured milestone evaluations, not informal hallway check-ins, are essential to a safe and effective orientation process.

Pride Month is a great reminder of the NPD practitioners' call to Nursing Professional Development Scope and Standards of Practice, Standard 9: Respectful and Equitable Practice. To that end, here's a list of resources that support respectful and equitable practices, curated by the ANPD Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The list is a valuable starting point for general learning and developing concrete strategies on a whole range of intersectional topics affecting NPD practice.