HHS Grant Helps Bring the Best to Nursing

By Anne-Marie Kent

When College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) professor Linda Dumas studied nursing, she was part of a ten-member cohort who took classes together, formed study groups, and forged friendships. She believes small learning communities make sense--and current research confirms her claim.
Now, with the help of a new $729,000 three-year Department of Health and Human Services grant and the assistance of colleagues Deborah Mahony, Jane Cloutterbuck, Victoria Palmer-Erbs, Lin Zhan, Joel Grossman, and others, Dumas hopes to create a special community of learners for CNHS.

The program, called "Bringing the Best to Nursing" (BBN), is designed especially for CNHS students of color, those representing linguistic minorities, and those from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Dumas cites research from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) supporting the idea of small learning communities, particularly for students of color.

"We want to maximize student potential and improve access to the healthcare system by diverse populations of color," Dumas says. "We hope to graduate intelligent nurses who mirror the populations they will serve in urban communities -- that's what hospitals desperately want and what communities need."

She first developed the idea with colleague Margaret Matteis, who, like Dumas, had experience in urban nursing; understood the value of small communities of learning; and saw a dire shortage of nurses from groups traditionally underrepresented in the nursing profession.

Although CNHS already has a significant minority population--currently 30 percent of its students, up from 22.3 percent in 1997--and a requirement that all students study community health nursing, Dumas says that there is more to be done. She points to the growing minority populations in Massachusetts and disturbing imparities in health between whites and other racial and ethnic groups as indicators.

The HHS grant will fund "a culture of community," one that includes faculty support, mentoring, help with ESL issues, peer support, laptops, and online tutoring and discussion groups. Stipends are available for those who qualify, as well as other financial aid benefits for all who meet the criteria. A BBN-related Kids into Nursing program in Dorchester middle schools encourages young students to develop interests in nursing. BBN students will mentor diverse, urban middle school students as they learn more about nursing.

Says Dumas, "Students will have to apply to be in the program. They will be a select group--but not a segregated group." She expects to enroll 20 students in the first year, 25 in the second year, and 35 the following year. Her future plans include writing more grants to fund program expansion.

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