Abstract
ABSTRACT: Professional nurses, by virtue of their training, pledge to care for individuals who are sick or infirm. This commitment is confirmed via the Nightingale Pledge, which focuses on public health and equity and deems the nurse to be a missioner of health. Health disparities exist in direct conflict with the nursing responsibility of caritas, or love. Accordingly, it is imperative that nurse educators create learning environments that are conducive to comfortably discussing differences in physical assessments performed on diverse populations as part of their work to eliminate health disparities and in accordance with the Nightingale Pledge.