Two nurse leadership programs created by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) have collectively received a $25,000 award from the Health Equity and Nursing Innovations Fund.
The award will aid the expansion of two programs created by VUMC and VUSN to foster the diversification of the nursing workforce, increase the retention of diverse nurse leaders and promote cultural awareness and sensitivity within nurse work environments. The programs, the Academy for Diverse Emerging Nurse Leaders and the Academy for Diverse Aspiring Nurse Leaders, provide opportunities for nurses from underrepresented groups in health care leadership and academia to gain leadership skills and knowledge for success.
“These programs are unique in that they focus on developing all aspects of effective leadership,” said Mamie Williams, PhD, MPH, APRN, senior director for Nurse Diversity and Inclusion at VUMC. “We are giving participants the space to develop themselves personally and professionally, which will better equip them to have the vital leadership skills needed to lead in diverse environments.”
The new grant will incorporate a two-hour training session into the academies that focuses on an aspect of healthy work environments and health equity. Each participant will design and incorporate a component of their leadership project to create or enhance a healthy work environment.
“We are excited to continue important work for the Academy for Diverse Nurse Leaders,” said Rolanda Johnson, PhD, RN, ADLN, associate dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at VUSN. “Equity in health care and academia is crucial, and this grant will help us develop more training to ensure nurses from underrepresented groups find success in health care leadership while promoting healthy work environments.”
The $25,000 grant is part of a larger initiative to strengthen and diversify the nursing workforce through innovative nurse recruitment and retention strategies that establish and sustain healthy, equitable work environments. This is key to addressing a national nursing shortage that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic due to stress, burnout and retirement.
“The Academies for Diverse Nurse Leaders are crucial to supporting nurses from diverse backgrounds in the nursing profession,” said VUSN dean Pamela R. Jeffries, PhD, ANEF, FSSH. “These programs successfully equip diverse nurse leaders with the tools they need to be successful.”
Donors for the project include AARP, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“This grant is not just an investment in our nursing workforce, it is a commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive health care environment,” said Karen Keady, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, VUMC System Chief Nursing Officer. “We are proud to be at the forefront of these efforts, fostering a future where excellence in patient care is delivered by a nursing workforce as diverse as the world around us.”
