Lori A. Escallier

Process and outcomes evaluation of retention strategies within a nursing workforce diversity project.

A commitment to enhancing the diversity of the nursing workforce is reflected in the recruitment and retention strategies designed by Stony Brook University with support of a grant received from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Three specific student retention strategies are evaluated in terms of their influence on student inclusion and promotion of student success. A review of the cultural competence of teaching and learning strategies and the promotion of cultural self-awareness underpinned these strategies. A mentorship program designed to provide individual support for students, particularly for those engaged in distance learning, proved to be challenging to implement and underused by students. Students found other means of support in their workplace and through individual connections with the faculty. Instructional programs that enhanced individual skills in the use of computer hardware and software were particularly effective in promoting student success.

An innovation in design of a school of nursing evaluation protocol.

Program evaluations in schools of nursing (SONs) serve the purpose of clearly demonstrating how the SON meets the quality standards established by governance, regulatory, and accreditation bodies. The authors describe the step-by-step process taken by a SON to develop a new model of an evaluation protocol that includes linkages to external criteria for evaluation of the plan itself. This analysis and feedback step is often neglected but is essential to the quality improvement process.