Abstract
Currently, 60 % of the United States population is White, while the remaining belong to ethnic or racial minorities. By 2045, the Census Bureau predicts that there will no longer be any single racial or ethnic majority group in the United States. Yet, people across all healthcare professions are overwhelmingly non-Hispanic and White, leaving people from underrepresented groups severely underrepresented. The lack of diversity in healthcare professions is an issue because there is overwhelming evidence that patients from underrepresented groups experience disparities in healthcare at alarmingly high rates when compared to their White counterparts. Diversity is especially important in the nursing workforce since nurses are often the healthcare providers that engage with patients the most frequently and intimately. Additionally, patients demand a diverse nursing workforce that can provide culturally competent care. The purpose of this article is to summarize nationwide undergraduate nursing enrollment trends and discuss strategies to improve recruitment, admissions, enrollment, and retention of nursing students who belong to underrepresented groups.
•Currently, schools of nursing are comprised of 81 % white students and 19 % are underrepresented.•Schools of nursing need to continue to improve the recruitment, admission and retention of underrepresented students.•Increased diversity in nursing can help address the current health disparities that exists in underrepresented groups•Schools can implement several strategies to increase recruitment, admission and retention of underrepresented students.
