Academic Updates

Link to MinorityNurse.com

Compiled by Pam Chwedyk

Three New Collaborative Programs Help Historically Black Nursing Schools Expand Resources for Students and Faculty
Nursing schools at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play a unique and vital role in helping to increase the cultural diversity of the nation's future RN workforce. Yet unlike many large, well-known majority universities, most HBCUs are relatively small in size. That's why so many of these institutions have mastered the art of forming partnerships with other organizations to accomplish mutual goals and open up new opportunities for students and faculty that they may not have had the resources to provide on their own. Here's a look at three such win-win collaborative ventures that have recently made the news.

Cooperative PhD Program Opens Doors for Minority Faculty
The School of Nursing at Florida A&M University (FAMU) does not currently have a doctoral degree program. But that's not stopping the Tallahassee HBCU from "growing its own" when it comes to developing PhD-prepared minority faculty. In fall 2002 FAMU became one of three North Florida schools to partner with the University of Florida (UF) College of Nursing in Gainesville on a cooperative doctoral degree program in nursing science.

This innovative collaboration enables students from FAMU, as well as from Florida State University and the University of North Florida, to access UF's PhD program through sites in Tallahassee and Jacksonville via an interactive distance-delivery system. Through state-of-the-art technology, doctoral students at each campus can attend classes simultaneously one day a week, engage in comprehensive research preparation and have access to faculty experts and academic resources from all four schools.

"This is an excellent opportunity for us to participate in a consortium that will enable us to increase our cadre of doctorally prepared faculty and will make this level of education accessible and affordable," says Margaret Lewis, RN, PhD, dean of the FAMU School of Nursing. "This arrangement will ensure a pool of highly qualified minority faculty for our university and other North Florida institutions and will contribute positively to diversity issues in higher education throughout Florida."

Hospital Teams Up With HBCU for Fast-Track BSN Education
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), accelerated BSN programs for students who hold degrees in fields other than nursing are gaining momentum nationwide. With the RN staffing shortage threatening to reach crisis proportions, a growing number of health care employers are teaming up with local nursing schools to offer these 12- to 18-month second-degree fast-track programs, which AACN calls "the quickest route to becoming a registered nurse."

In Winston-Salem, N.C., for example, North Carolina Baptist Hospital has joined forces with historically black Winston-Salem State University to launch a 13-month accelerated BSN track for prior-degree students, beginning in January 2003. But this particular partnership has a unique twist: It is one of only three such programs in the country where the hospital provides full funding for all of the program's costs. In return, the students must commit to work at North Carolina Baptist Hospital for three years after they graduate from Winston-Salem State.

"I am pleased that [our two organizations] have collaborated in such an extraordinary strategy to impact the nursing shortage," comments Sylvia Flack, RN, EdD, dean of the university's School of Health Sciences. "This collaboration between nursing practice and education will serve as a model for communities on a national basis."

Why did the hospital choose to partner with this particular school? "We have worked with Winston-Salem State University before," explains spokesperson Barbara Hahn, "they are located very close to us, and it was a good match."

Hampton University Helps Bermuda Solve Its Nursing Shortage
If you think the U.S. nursing shortage is bad, consider the situation in Bermuda. Because this British territory has no nursing schools, Bermuda must recruit approximately 60% of its nurses from other countries. But that may soon be changing, thanks to a groundbreaking agreement between Hampton University School of Nursing in Hampton, Va., and Bermuda College-the only degree-granting educational institution in Bermuda-that will enable the latter school to offer nursing as a major for the first time in its history.

The agreement, signed in 2002, provides for a two-plus-two program in which students will first attend Bermuda College for two years and a summer. The college will offer a core curriculum that includes liberal arts, science and beginning nursing courses. After completing the requirements for an associate's degree in applied sciences, the students will transfer to Hampton University for two years, where they will take the nursing courses necessary for a BSN degree. Bermuda College has hired a nursing coordinator who will act as a liaison between the two schools and help the Bermuda students prepare for a successful transition into the U.S. program.

"As of the fall 2002 semester, we have 12 students in the program [in Bermuda] and we're very excited about it," Dr. Pamela Hammond, dean and professor at Hampton University School of Nursing, tells Minority Nurse. "This relationship will be a valuable experience not only for Bermuda College's students but for Hampton's too. Our institution's goal is to internationalize our program and broaden our students' experience. It's important for them to be informed about what's going on in other parts of the world."

-Compiled by Pam Chwedyk