Although widely acknowledged that greater diversity among nurses reduces health disparities and improves quality of care, the U.S. nursing workforce does not mirror the nation’s increasingly diverse population. According to the most recent Ohio Workforce Data Summary Report from the Ohio Board of Nursing, 88.7 percent of registered nurses reported their race/ethnicity as White/Caucasian, followed by 6.6% who reported their race/ethnicity as African American/Black.
With over 25 years of experience at the Kent State University College of Nursing, Dr. Tracey Motter, DNP, RN, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, has devoted her career to addressing the diversity of the nursing student population and improving transition to practice for new graduates. In addition to overseeing the traditional BSN, Accelerated BSN, and RN-to-BSN programs, Dr. Motter has developed programs and sought funding support to more effectively recruit, retain, and graduate a more diverse nursing student population. She explains her dedication to these efforts and the urgency of supporting minority nursing students, explaining, “If we are going to improve equity in healthcare, we must increase the diversity of the nursing workforce. As nursing leaders, we have the ability to be catalysts for change, and we must act now.” Read the full story.