Diversity in Practice

The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice formally identified increasing racial/ethnic diversity of the RN workforce as one measure needed to ensure a workforce that's able to meet the U.S. population’s nursing needs.

The council, advocating that the nation set an action agenda to address the issue, recommends the following goals:

• Identify educational environments and programs that successfully support recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of minorities and more widely implement successful models
• Increase the number of diverse faculty in nursing programs over the number reported by the American Association of Colleges of Nurses for 1997-1998
• Improve the evaluation of and accountability for the outcomes of programs that are funded to increase diversity in nursing
• Establish partnerships among health profession education groups to help identify indicators for the academic and practice success of minority students
• Educate minority communities regarding nursing as a career
• Increase minority students’ and their advisors/counselors’ understanding of the academic requirements necessary to facilitate access to a professional nursing program
• Increase the overall number and percentage of baccalaureate-prepared minority nurses in the basic nurse workforce (At least two-thirds should hold baccalaureates or higher degrees by the year 2010.)

Promote diverse nurse leadership development:

• Increase the number of minority nurses in policy/leadership positions in health care administration, academia and research
• Reduce social isolation of minority nurse leaders by increasing opportunities for professional development activities focusing on the development of support systems
• Increase the use of mentors for students and those nurses that are young in their careers

Develop practice environments that promote diversity:

• Create and maintain workplace environments and employee support programs that promote and document recruitment, retention, and advancement of diverse nurses
• Promote the preparation of all nurses to provide culturally competent care
• Establish cultural competence standards in education and practice