Progress Report; Implications for the Future

Participants enrolled in the program consisted of experienced educators representing a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, educational achievements, and geographic locations. Of these participants, approximately sixty percent (60%) were masters prepared nurse educators, and approximately forty percent (40%) were doctorally prepared. Data trends demonstrated that the educator's academic rank and terminal educational degree were not related to the participant's success in the program.

Challenges identified included participants lack of basic technology skills, attrition, acculturation, and ethical issues. Problem resolutions and program modifications led to a higher participant success rate.

Currently, there are 55 actively enrolled participants in the program with 74 educators on the waiting list. In response to this need, and the cost of the program, a continuation grant for future funding was submitted to the Human Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to continue to equip nurse educators with online teaching skills and contribute to the pool of minority educators nationally and globally. Follow up of the participants indicated that they have applied the newly learned pedagogical skills in other programs.

Although the program was limited to the United States by virtue of its funding source, the skills learned can be and are being utilized globally. Reflecting on the past three years, the experiences learned from offering the Minority Nurse Educator program has implications for nursing education and future research.