Action Coalition to Increase Diversity in Nursing by Strengthening HBCU Nursing Programs - Project Summary/Abstract
The 28 nursing programs at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) face several
common challenges. Many of their students are low-income, enter with academic deficits, have
children, and/or hold minimum-wage jobs, leading to weaker student retention, graduation and
nursing-board passing rates. As institutional support has dropped in recent years, faculty and
administrators have less time and resources to strengthen their teaching, leadership and
student-preparation skills. HBCU nursing schools could benefit greatly from sharing successful
teaching practices and student-support tools, yet no organization has ever brought them
together. They have rarely collaborated simply for lack of resources and a mechanism. The
National League for Nursing (NLN) represents 1,234 nursing programs and 40,000+ nursing
faculty. It is the only entity whose senior executives have served as HBCU deans and faculty.
NLN provides extensive training and coaching in academic leadership development, faculty
development, and student performance.
We propose forming the first ongoing coalition of HBCU nursing programs. At its first annual
conference, we will introduce best practices and tools developed by successful schools and
NLN to 5-person teams of key faculty and administrators from six schools in greatest need. For
faculty participants, we will share resources to build pedagogical and clinical teaching skills. For
deans and administrators, we will provide training on basic leadership skills; funding; budgeting;
internal/external advocacy; and faculty performance. We will introduce PASS, a toolkit and
guidance for faculty to better prepare their students for the nursing licensure exam (e.g., by
providing students with NLN pre-test exams). Teams will collaborate in crafting a leadership
and faculty development action plan tailored to its school's specific needs.
Through periodic mentoring over 12 months, a follow-up local action group meeting, and a
virtual follow-up meeting, NLN will help the schools complete and implement their action plans,
deliver PASS to students, trouble-shoot problems, and evaluate and improve the coalition's
programming. In the Year 2 conference, 2-3 schools will join the original six to craft action plans
and build PASS into a model Student Success Support Center (SSSC). NLN will likewise
support them with periodic mentoring and two mid-year follow-up meetings. The third annual
conference will bring 2-3 more schools into this group to draft action plans, receive mentoring
and mid-year support, and finalize the SSSC. Each year, we will evaluate key metrics, including
student retention, graduation and nursing-board passing rates; faculty development activities;
and curriculum changes. Finally, NLN will disseminate the resulting training program, SSSC
toolkit and guidance, best practices, tools, and outcomes data throughout our nationwide
membership.
For the first time ever, this 3-year conference series would bring change agents from HBCU
nursing schools together with experts to improve HBCU leadership skills, faculty skills, and
student performance.
