NURSING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY GRANT
In July 2008, the Hawai’i State Center for Nursing was awarded a three-year $900,000 grant from the Health Resources Service Administration to support the retention of nursing students in the Associate Degree nursing programs at the Hawai’i, Kauai, and Maui Community Colleges.
Purpose
The purpose of the Program for the Retention of Nursing students (PRNs) is to improve the nursing workforce diversity in Hawai’i through a program of educational opportunities and support in order to improve success as measured by graduation rates and NCLEX-RN licensure for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in rural Hawai’i.
Methodology
PRNs consists of the implementation and evaluation of three separate elements: (a) A Retention Program that will serve to diminish academic and social barriers by providing tutorial resources and a support structure; (b) A Pre-Entry Educational Program that will decrease academic barriers by improving test-taking, writing, and computer skills prior to entry into nursing school; and (c) Financial support as part of the Student Stipend and Scholarship Program to decrease environmental barriers that disadvantaged students typically cite as a major reason for attrition. The target population for this program is educationally or economically disadvantaged nursing students at Hawai’i Community College, Kaua’i Community College, and Maui Community College. The goals are to increase the number of: (a) Diverse role models in the community, thereby diminishing racial/ethnic disparities in the nursing workforce; (b) Graduating disadvantaged nurses resulting in the provision of culturally competent nursing care and a reduction of health disparities in rural Hawai'i; and (c) NCLEX-RN licensed disadvantaged nurses who will ensure safe, competent nursing care to their rural communities.
Results: School Year 2008 – 2009
A total of 20 students were enrolled in the PRNs in the first year; six from Hawai’i Community College, eight from Kauai Community College, and six from Maui Community College. Of the 18 students who provided data, one student is male, their age ranges from 20 to 41 years of age, 39% are married or living with a domestic partner, and 50% of the students have between one and three children (four students are single parents). One objective of this grant is to develop a diverse, representative nursing workforce; these students are diverse and reported identification with multiple ethnicities (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. 2008 – 2009 PRNs Student Ethnicity
Of interest is the fact that 33% of these students are the first generation to attend college, but that 49% currently hold a college degree (see Figure 2) and 14 of the 18 students reported working part-time; 5 students work between 10 and 29 hours per week.
Figure 2. 2008 – 2009 PRNs Student Level of Education
A total of $67,000 was distributed to the 20 students in the form of scholarships and stipends this first year and approximately $30,000 was used to purchase laptops, PDAs, and office supplies. Additionally, a part-time nurse tutor was hired for each campus who provided individual and/or group tutoring and covered topics such as test-taking skills and math skills, and reinforced content for individual nursing courses. At the end of the year, four students had graduated and by May 2009, two had successfully passed their NCLEX RN Licensure exam. The remaining students are in their final year of the program.
Results: School Year 2009 – 2010
A total of 38 students are enrolled in PRNs in the second year. |
