Cultural Competence in Rural Nursing Education: Are We There Yet?

Aim: This multimethod study assessed the capacity of nursing education programs to promote culturally congruent practice in a single rural state.

Background: An important objective of our HRSA-funded Advanced Education in Nursing grant was to increase nurse educator proficiency in teaching cultural concepts. This study served as a statewide baseline assessment to inform future faculty development efforts.

Diffusion of a nursing education innovation: nursing workforce development through promotion of RN/BSN education.

Despite state, national, and organizational objectives to increase the proportion of nurses with a bachelor's degree or higher, a majority of nurses hold an associate's degree in nursing. To address the need for a better-prepared nursing workforce in this rural state, an RN/BSN recruitment and retention project was implemented. The authors discuss the Leadership Education to Advance Practice project and its outcomes.