With the recognition of the importance of diversity in health professions, efforts are being undertaken to increase the representation of minority students in health profession schools. Evidenced based practice has shown that summer bridge programs can be an effective method for increasing the educational opportunity of underrepresented students (Bir & Myrick , 2015; Slade, Eatmon, Staley, & Dixon, 2015). By providing underrepresented students with an academic skill set and a sense of academic efficacy, summer bridge programs lay the foundation for future academic success (Slade et al., 2015; Wachen, Pretlow, & Dixon, 2016)
Our team developed an innovative Leadership 2.0 summer bridge program as a method to increase diversity in the nursing student body and subsequent workforce. The comprehensive six-week student-centered summer bridge residential program is designed to increase the academic opportunities and success of underrepresented students seeking nursing careers. The goal of this presentation is to summarize our team’s successful implementation of a summer bridge residential program that had significant effects on the recruitment, retention, and academic success of underrepresented students. The significance to global nursing is that minority students continue to be underrepresented in the nursing workforce despite an awareness of the benefits of a diverse workforce. Summer bridge programs are an evidence based practice to increase the diversity of students entering and graduating from health profession programs.
Methods: Methods for implementing a summer bridge residential program for underrepresented students were identified through town hall meetings in target neighborhoods and an extensive literature review of evidenced based strategies (Bir & Myrick , 2015; McCoy, & Winkle-Wagner, 2015; Slade et al., 2015).These elements informed the development of Leadership 2.0, programming activities which focused on academic preparation, socialization, clinical and research immersion, cultural exposure and financial support.
A longitudinal study design of qualitative and quantitative methods was utilized to establish the effectiveness of the bridge program. Data collection consisted of pre-survey (conducted at 0 weeks) post-surveys (conducted at 6 weeks and 9 months), one-on-one interviews, and a focus group. The study participants consisted of all twenty-six students who completed Leadership 2.0 over a two year period. Results from the pre and post surveys indicated that 92% of study participants felt Leadership 2.0 helped prepare them for college, and 100% felt that Leadership 2.0 helped prepare them for the undergraduate nursing degree program.
Results: Leadership 2.0 also positively impacted academic success. Participants indicated that Leadership 2.0 provided a sense of community with 96% supporting the social interaction components. In the one-on-one interviews, 92% responded that Leadership 2.0 increased their passion for nursing and the majority felt prepared for freshman year. Additionally, during the interviews 73% of participants reported that community service experiences increased their desire to serve the underprivileged. First year retention rates increased from 34% for underrepresented students prior to Leadership 2.0 compared to 96% after Leadership 2.0 (92% for the overall nursing student body). Additionally, the average GPA for Leadership 2.0 participants at the end of the first year was 3.45 compared with 3.40 for the overall nursing student body.
Conclusion: Leadership 2.0 also effectively incorporated significant holistic elements to set it apart from other summer bridge programs. These elements include parental involvement, community experience, research exposure, public speaking, and social interactions with faculty and staff.