Profile

---

Associate Professor, Director of Student and Community Engagement
University of Utah College of Nursing
sara.hart@nurs.utah.edu | (913) 486-1617

---

An Academic-Community Partnership to Promote Nursing as a Career Among Underrepresented Groups

Sara Hart, PhD, RN, University of Utah

---

Co-Author(s): Keely Vandenberge, University of Utah

---

Abstract
Utah’s nursing workforce does not reflect the state’s increasingly diverse population. Evidence confirms that this disparity can result in diminished health outcomes. The University of Utah College of Nursing (CON) seeks to recruit underrepresented students and provide an inclusive learning environment that prepares graduates to provide culturally-appropriate, patient-centered care. With the goal of supporting diverse high school students interested in health careers, the CON partners with the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program at Granite Technical Institute High School (GTI). This partnership, now in its sixth year, continues to demonstrate success in increasing the diversity of the CON applicant pool. Peer mentoring promotes student success and fosters inclusion. Structured CON-GTI peer mentoring activities provide GTI students with opportunities to consider nursing as a career and explore higher education. Use of a waterfall mentorship model allows CON students across programs (DNP, pre-licensure, and pre-nursing) to participate and benefit from partnership activities. During the past year, CON students peer-mentored 86 GTI-CNA students – 98% of whom were diverse. CON students introduced GTI students to the nursing profession, taught nursing skills, explained the CON application process, and planned and hosted GTI students for engaging learning experiences in the CON Simulation Center. Following these experiences, 98% of CNA students expressed interest in pursuing a healthcare career. This presentation will describe the CON-GTI partnership, including its structure, innovations, and outcomes, demonstrating our commitment to improve diversity within Utah’s nursing workforce. Additionally, we will explain how we rapidly pivoted to sustain mentorship activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

---

Biography
Sara Hart, PhD, RN is an educator and public health nurse with experience in curriculum design, program development, and community engaged learning. In her faculty role, she uses social and ecological models of health to guide students in building linkages between social determinants of health and the public policies that directly, or indirectly, influence the health of populations. Her scholarship reflects a focus on interprofessional education and pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning health systems science in health professions education.

---