The rapid growth of minority populations, coupled with the low percentage of minority nursing graduates in the US and other countries, compounds the problem. Minority populations have higher rates of certain diseases, lower rates of successful treatments, and often reside in areas where chronic shortages of health care workers and facilities are prevalent.

            The Sullivan Report (2004) summarizes rationale for increasing diversity in the health care workforce: diversity increases cultural competence, patient satisfaction, social justice, and access to health care for vulnerable populations. Research shows that barriers to graduation from nursing for minority students include lack of educational opportunities, economic and educational disadvantages, and lack of social support.

            An evidence-based retention model for minority nursing students was developed and tested over a six year period with two federally-funded grant projects. The model includes one quarter of pre-entry preparation classes (critical thinking, applied science principles, study strategies, mathematics, medical terminology, writing and reading skills), financial support (living stipends, tuition discounts, and scholarships), academic support (study groups, tutoring, faculty advising, and peer mentoring), social support (peer support groups and activities) and faculty development workshops. Students’ ratings of the importance of model components will be discussed.