HealthE STEPS - Nursing Workforce Diversity
In July, 2013 the OHSU School of Nursing was awarded a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to recruit and enroll more underrepresented students in nursing school and support them during their educational program. This work is part of a national initiative to diversify the nursing workforce. The program, Advancing Health Equity through Student Empowerment &Professional Success (HealthE STEPS) seeks to attract and advance a diverse nursing student body within the Oregon public education system, from pre-nursing through graduate education. By diversifying the nursing workforce, we believe that minority groups will be able to identify with their health care providers, resulting in increased access to health care and improved health equity across communities.
The SON was re-awarded another grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration in 2017 to launch this successful program on all five undergraduate campuses, HealthE STEPS 2.0.
OHSU students address barriers to health
Navigating the health care system can be intimidating for many. Challenges such as poverty and homelessness, cultural and language barriers, and rural or social isolation often have negative health impacts and can make it difficult to access care.
That’s where OHSU’s Interprofessional Care Access Network, also known as I-CAN, comes in. The program partners OHSU students from all areas of health care — nursing, dentistry, medicine and other fields — with local agencies to help meet the needs of disadvantaged communities. Read more...
Financial Assistance
The program provides financial assistance to nursing students in our undergraduate bachelor degree programs and graduate programs annually.
- Scholarships are available to OHSU Nursing students in our graduate program, OCNE 3 Year Program on all five campuses, Accelerated Baccalaureate Program on both campuses, and student in the on-campus BS completion program.
- The program provides academic and social support to scholarship and stipend recipients in the form of case management, mentoring, and other services.
- Grant funds are used for community outreach to minority populations, with the goal of recruiting them to the nursing workforce; and to support minority nursing students through retention initiatives so that they can successfully complete their program of study.