Learning Objective #1: Identify at least two types of support that have proven to be critical for minority student success in the ALCANCE program

Learning Objective #2: Discuss at least three barriers and strategies to overcome those barriers, on the minority student nurse's path to success

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The purpose of the ALCANCE grant is to increase nursing workforce diversity in the rural, medically underserved Yakima Valley of Washington state by providing nursing education opportunities for minority individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The two target populations are Hispanic and American Indian, whose national representation in nursing is 2% and 0.5%, respectively. In Yakima Valley, Hispanics account for 35.9% of the total population of the county, while American Indian tribal members of the Yakama Nation are a part of the 2nd largest reservation in the U.S. Increasing the numbers of nurses who are from those cultures, and who desire to serve those populations, is essential to address the many health disparities found in these populations, as mandated in Healthy People 2010.

Critical elements to weave together a path for these students' nursing success include mentoring from within the culture, appropriate levels of support, such as provision of stipends and lending of laptop computers, tutoring assistance, and outreach to the schools and cultural groups through the use of recruitment and retention coordinators. The poster will provide a visual map of how these elements coalesce into a support network that serves as a pipeline from high school to nursing school graduation. Descriptive statistics and excerpts from research interviews will also provide insight into the process by which high school students from these target populations are exposed to nursing, encouraged and supported through the pre-nursing process, and assisted in their nursing education during their final two years of college.

ALCANCE is supported by a 5 year HRSA grant under the Nursing Workforce Diversity program, and is located at Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing, Spokane WA.