A mentorship model for the retention of minority students

Abstract

In order to change the cultural face of nursing to be reflective of the country's population, it is imperative that the retention of minority students be a major focus once they have been accepted into nursing school programs. To successfully achieve this goal, there must be a systematic commitment to improve the retention and graduation rates of students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. To ensure success, this commitment must be grounded in rationale and integrated into a systematic plan of implementation. Obstacles associated with retention of students from different ethnic backgrounds have been documented in the literature and are associated with the predominant theme of the experience of the minority student enrolled on a majority campus. This manuscript describes the Mentorship Model for the Retention of Minority Students (MMRMS), which was developed to guide the retention effort in a baccalaureate nursing program. The model was developed using concepts identified from themes that emerged in the literature review on obstacles to retention of minority students. Consistent with the theme of the experience of the minority student in a majority academic institution, mentorship is the permeating concept of the model, while the concept of faculty and institutional awareness is an overarching concept. Supporting concepts include: academic support, financial support, self-development, and professional/leadership development.