268190 Entangled in the web of causation: Unraveling the web to diversify the nursing workforce

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Judy A. Didion, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, Lourdes University, Sylvania, OH
Julie Kruse, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, Lourdes University, Sylvania, OH
Kathy L. Perzynski, MS, RN , College of Nursing, Lourdes University, Sylvania, OH
  
     
Background: Multiple challenges face underrepresented diverse populations from entering the public health nursing workforce. Ultimately, residents of communities are not served well because its healthcare workforce is not responsive to the variety of cultural needs of the population. Consistent with the goal under Title VIII, Section 821 of the Public Health Service Act to improve the diversity of the nursing workforce, a small Midwestern University initiated an education program development project titled Discover the Nurse Within funded by a HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity grant. The purpose is to increase the number of students from underrepresented populations who are admitted to the BSN major, graduate and successfully pass the NCLEX-RN exam.

Description: Participants include LPNs from disadvantaged backgrounds seeking a BSN. These students participated in monthly project workshops, one-to-one meetings with an education diversity specialist, and meetings with a nursing advisor/support specialist. The workshops included: social engagement activities, presentations by nursing professionals from similar diverse backgrounds and interdisciplinary support approaches from faculty.

Lessons Learned: Using an epidemiologic approach, barriers such as lack of effective study skills, lack of readiness for college level work, lack of connectedness to the collegiate setting, lack of social support including financial resources and financial management were discovered. Further unraveling the web reveals students report multiple levels of inequity in their personal, professional, and academic experiences.

Recommendations: Multidiscipline collaboration and attention to socioeconomic factors and social support can facilitate an academic environment that can address barriers, support student academic progression and successful entry into the nursing workforce.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1.Participants will be able to identify barriers for a diverse public health nursing workforce. 2.Participants will be able to identify evidence based strategies that can provide an academic environment that promotes success for BSN students from disadvantaged diverse backgrounds.

Keywords: Nursing Education, Public Health Nursing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As the Dean of a College of Nursing, I have been involved with the implementation of a HRSA funded Nursung Workforce Diversity grant to support and retain diverse students in our BSN program. As a result of the program implementation, we have learned about the barriers that exist and the strategies that are effective for student success. Our interest is to diversify the nursing workforce especially public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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