(SACRAMENTO)

The Summer Health Institute for Nursing Exploration and Success (SHINES) Program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis received the 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine.

The program is one of 83 hosted by universities recognized for encouraging students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Seeing is believing

SHINES is a two-week summer program that draws from a diverse pool of high-school and  community college students in and around Sacramento. They get hands-on experience to see if nursing, or other health care professions, such as physician assistant (P.A.), might be a fit for them. They also learn useful skills such as interviewing and writing techniques and get tips for applying to college. In addition, they are mentored by nurses of color and P.A. students from the School of Nursing. The third year of the program wrapped up in June bringing the total number of alumni to 113.

“Research shows us these students may not consider nursing because they may not know or have seen health care professionals, who look like them,” explained Piri Ackerman-Barger, associate dean for Student Affairs and Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the School of Nursing. She is also the SHINES founder. “We developed SHINES to illustrate to these young people that not only is nursing a great career, but that with proper planning, it could be a reality in their futures.”

Magazine editors choose award winners for their outstanding efforts in motivating and guiding the next generation to pursue careers in STEM. They achieved this through mentoring, teaching, research and successful programs and initiatives.

Barriers to entry

Despite continuous efforts to enhance diversity within the health care workforce, several racial and ethnic groups remain underrepresented in health professions. Studies have investigated why there are fewer Black, Hispanic and Native American people in health professional schools. The reasons can be grouped into three main categories:

Social factors, including not being exposed to health career options early on, the lack of advising and mentoring, facing stereotypes and discrimination, and feeling like they don't belong. Institutional factors, such as attending schools with poor quality education, insufficient enough support and resources from institutions, and struggling with standardized tests. Financial factors, including limited financial support and accumulating debt.

“The field of nursing historically has not been a diverse and welcoming profession, but we are changing this fact,” added Victoria Ngo, SHINES director. “SHINES exposes underrepresented and disadvantaged high school students to pathways to the profession, boosts their academic understanding of how to excel in the profession and increases the likelihood of these students enrolling in health profession schools.” 

Measuring the impact

“To determine the program’s impact, we conducted session evaluations and an alumni follow-up survey,” said Patricia Fernandez, SHINES assistant director. “Students tell us that because of their two weeks with us, they now know the steps needed to pursue a nursing career, how nurses uniquely benefit patients and the resources needed to apply for college.”

Insight into Diversity is the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.