Academic Update

Link to MinorityNurse.com

Compiled by Valerie Anderson

Native American Teens Spend Summer as Nurses-in-Training

The Intercollegiate College of Nursing (ICN) at Washington State University (WSU) College of Nursing hosted 40 American Indian high school students at the Native American Summer Nursing Institute this past summer. During the program, the students learn what it takes to be a nurse, complete with hands-on nursing experience.

This is the sixth year the college has offered the institute to encourage Native American high school students to pursue the nursing profession. The United States' current nursing shortage is particularly critical in Native American communities, and this program aims to increase the numbers of new nurses serving these populations.

“There are a number of students currently enrolled at the College of Nursing as a result of their positive experiences at the summer institute,” says Robbie Paul, Native American coordinator at the college.

As participants in the summer program, students experience a broad view of nursing. They job-shadow at a local hospital and participate in team-building and leadership exercises. CPR, first aid and basic nursing and leadership skills are the primary curriculum elements. Additionally, students receive instruction from tribal elders and tribal health professionals.

“This is a successful program because it blends instruction with cultural application,” Paul states. “We expect the institute will continue to grow and thrive in the future.”

Hampton Nursing School Receives Funds From National Library of Medicine

Hampton University School of Nursing, the oldest continuous nursing baccalaureate program in Virginia and the first master's and doctoral programs in nursing at a Historically Black College or University, was recently awarded $364,933 from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

The award will be used to buy computer equipment and to instruct students and faculty in using health science databases. The students and faculty will be exposed to current health information through the use of online instructional technologies and clinical data systems.

The infusion of new high-tech resources will come in handy because the faculty of the HU School of Nursing recently implemented an innovative community-based, family-focused curriculum in 1999. The courses are designed to prepare students to practice in the community, as well as in traditional settings. Each undergraduate nursing course has an informatics component where students learn about technologies used in patient and family care settings.

“Students and faculty will participate in extensive practical, hands-on training,” says Cynthia Burke, HU Nursing Information System project director and school nursing librarian. “What they are taught can be immediately applied in the clinical and classroom settings. In addition, they can use what they learn at HU now and throughout their careers.”

Clayton State Awarded Landmark Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant

Clayton State School of Health Sciences, Morrow, Ga., was recently awarded a $650,000 Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant, which will be used to improve diversity in the health professions. The grant, “Workforce Diversity in Nursing for the New Millennium,” was funded by the Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing, of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

The grant will be used to promote nursing as a career to middle school students and their families, to improve the success of minority applicants in gaining admission to nursing schools and completing their nursing degrees, and to enhance cultural understanding among nursing faculty.

As part of the programs planned under the grant, an internationally known expert in cultural diversity will be brought to the Clayton State campus. Josepha Campinha-Bacote, RN, PhD, FAAN, will present a workshop for faculty and a diversity seminar that will be part of the Office of Student Life's Lyceum series.

As of December 1997, only 15.4% of the registered nurse work force in Georgia were minorities, while the total population statewide is currently 33.6% minorities.

However, minority enrollment continues to grow at Clayton State. More than 42% of the University's total enrollment is minority students and 54% of the students currently in the nursing education program are non-Caucasian.

“I think the most important single aspect of this grant is that students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit,” says Clayton State's dean of the School of Health Sciences, Linda Samson, PhD.