Minority Nurse Mentoring in the Mississippi Delta

Dreyfus Health Foundation

Delta State University (DSU) School of Nursing, DSU Institute for Community-Based Research, Coahoma Community College (CCC) School of Nursing, Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi (EPRNM), Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce (ONW)

Lizabeth Carlson; Dean, DSU SON;Project Director

lcarlson@deltastate.edu, 662-846-4268

John Green: Director ICBR, DSU, Project Evaluator,                       jgreen@deltastate.edu, 662-846-4334      

Pamela Hoyt; Global Nursing Coordinator, DHF; Project Coordinator

phoyt@dhfglobal.org, Phone: 212-750-5075

Brief Project Synopsis: 

The Dreyfus Health Foundation (DHF) of the Rogosin Institute in New York has programs in more than 30 countries to improve global health. DHF programs utilize a problem solving process (Problem Solving for Better Health®-PSBH®) that emphasizes responsibility at the community level.  PSBH participants are required to identify a local “health” problem that he/she would like to solve. With assistance from DHF facilitators, each participant generates a project plan of action for implementation that optimizes available resources in the community.

Building on an existing community-based DHF program in the Mississippi Delta and in partnership with the Delta State University School of Nursing, Coahoma Community College School of Nursing, and the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi (EPRNM), we have been working to retain minority nursing students, enable them to complete the program with successful NCLEX-RN pass rates, and enhance their commitment to work in the local region. Four of the five problem solving projects generated during our grant period will be sustained with existing resources from our institutional partners. The fifth project, involving a collaborative effort with ONW, has led to a broader partnership with additional funding from the Kellogg Foundation.

Project Goals and Objectives:

Our goals are to raise the level of cultural sensitivity of participants, increase the number of minority students who pass the NCLEX- RN exam on first write, increase the number of minority students who complete the nursing program and remain in the Delta region to work after graduation, and develop and implement PSBH-N projects targeting retention and progression. We are also trying to build upon our existing efforts by collaborating with the Mississippi ONW and the Mississippi Hospital Association.