Answer To: A few things I will mention in addition:Your abstract shouldhave a background statement. Basic info....
Sunabh answered on Jun 19 2021
Mentorship
Maureen Leidecker and Ebonee Blake
Rosalind Franklin University
April 30th, 2021
Abstract
U.S is emerging as a minority-based country; therefore, inclusion of diversity in every segment becomes an essential segment of system and admission to registered nurse anesthetist is no exception. Mentorship is an invaluable component of graduate training, yet our CRNA program lacks individualized mentorship programs for students especially from diverse minority backgrounds. The current mentorship pairing at Rosalind Franklin CRNA program is random and does not put into consideration the individuality of students. Some students, especially from minority backgrounds, have difficulty locating one within their academic setting because of underrepresentation. As a result, students experience isolation and struggles throughout graduate school. This project of individualized mentorship pairing explores evidenced based literature to pairing mentee to mentors that had better suited their individual needs.
1. Background
A significant issue facing the future of the nurse anesthesiology profession is the need to increase the ethnic diversity of certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) providers within the workforce. This issue is relevant because the United States population is becoming increasingly minority-based (AANA, 2018). Therefore, promoting diversity amongst nurse anesthesia trainees is crucial to providing high quality, culturally competent health care. This recommendation follows a landmark research study that found "a direct link between poorer health outcomes for minorities and the shortage of minority health care providers" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011).
The quality of care received by racial and ethnic minorities continues to be suboptimal, as demonstrated by 2010 NHDR core indicators. Blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives receive worse care as compared to the Whites for about 40% of core measures do. Asians receive worse care than Whites for about 20% of core measures, and Hispanics receive worse care than non-Hispanic Whites for about 60% of core measures (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). By using these standard quality improvement tools, it is depicted that a diverse community of providers may improve healthcare outcomes for minorities and close the gap of healthcare disparities.
Ethnic Minorities
Comparison of Core measures with respect to whites.
1. Blacks and American Indians and Alaska Natives
Worse care than whites for 40% of core measures.
2. Asians
Worse care than Whites for about 20% of core measures
3. Hispanics
Worse care than non-Hispanic Whites for about 60% of core measures
Statistics compiled from the 2018 AANA profile survey of CRNA providers shows 1.3% African Americans, 2.5% Hispanics, 2.7% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.7% Native Indian, 3.8% Other/Non-Caucasian, and 89% Caucasian (AANA, 2018). Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) student data on diversity and inclusion from 2013 to 2018 showed that the school is progressing in terms of admissions: students of African American/Black descent increased from 37 to 137 and Hispanics from 68 to 134. However, Native American student numbers dropped from 6 to 2 during the same timeframe. Still, no mentorship or support programs with CRNA program are available to meet unique challenges that students from a minority background (Rosalind Franklin University, 2018).
Students From Ethnic Minorities
Number of Admissions in 2013
Number of Admissions in
2018
1. African American/Black descent (1.3%)
37
137
2. Hispanics (2.7%)
68
134
3. Native Americans
6
2
Attracting more minority students to the Rosalind Franklin CRNA program is of the utmost importance. However, there should also be a movement on creating support services, which retain and help these students succeed academically. Offering diverse mentorship training to both students and faculty and implementing a facilitated support system can help by decreasing the feeling of isolation, which is frequently felt by minorities. Minority groups that have gone through these interventions have reported feeling a sense of belonging and being understood (Williams, Thakore, & McGee, 2017). A study conducted in Chicago concluded that after the group leader received intensive diversity training, students reported that they felt like their facilitator really cared and understood them (Williams, Thakore, & McGee, 2017).
Currently, there is a lack of programs within graduate schools, which addresses societal problems, which foster students’ abilities to engage across differences in social identities, values, and beliefs (Harris, Montgomery, Perez & Robbins, 2019). Participants’ experiences with faculty, in courses, in departmental gatherings, and in research settings communicated the relevance or lack thereof of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to students’ disciplines and fields (Harris et al., 2019). In addition to addressing the barriers faced by minorities getting into graduate programs, social determinants within our education system create barriers to minority students entering and completing CRNA programs.
By setting up a mentorship program that is individualized and tailored to students' individual needs and backgrounds within our CRNA program, students are better equipped for success within the program. It is a priority for graduate schools to expand their focus to include cultivating cultural competencies with the goal of preparing faculty and practitioners capable of engaging with diverse students and colleagues (Harris et al., 2019). To meet the demands of diversity in healthcare better, graduate schools must be equipped with tools to support the success of minority students. Our research is focused on understanding what graduate students are learning about EDI to implement professional mentorship and support initiatives tailored to the needs of a diverse student population to meet their unique needs better within the program.
For RFU to be a place where diversity and inclusion thrive, efforts should be focused on implementing services that cater to these groups and grant them an opportunity for improved academic success. Redesigning RFU’s mentoring program is a potential service within the nurse anesthesia program.
2. Literature Review
The quality of care received by racial and ethnic minorities continues to be suboptimal, as demonstrated by the 2010 NHDR core indicators. Blacks, American Indians, and Alaska Natives receive worse care as compared to Whites for about 40% of core measures of health, Asians receive worse care than Whites for about 20% of core measures, and Hispanics receive worse care than non-Hispanic Whites for about 60% of core measures (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). The literature on higher education demonstrates that underrepresented Minorities (URMs) in predominantly White institutions can be disadvantaged in that they often find themselves feeling alone and isolated, experience emotional discomfort due to heightened visibility, experience implicit bias, receive less support for their research or teaching efforts, and perceive greater challenges to achieving promotion or tenure (Broome, Cary, Carter, & Randolph, 2020). By using these standard quality improvement tools, it is depicted that a diverse community of providers may improve healthcare outcomes for minorities and close the gap of healthcare disparities. Statistics compiled from the 2018 AANA profile survey of CRNA providers shows 1.3% African Americans, 2.5% Hispanics, 2.7% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.7% Native Indian, 3.8% Other/Non-Caucasian, and 89% Caucasian (AANA, 2018).
Hurd, Tan and Loeb (2016) investigated the association of natural mentoring relationships to academic performance by means of psychological distress among underrepresented students, at a predominantly white institution. This was a descriptive study of 336 students, who were first-generation college students, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, students from underrepresented ethnic or racial minority groups, who attended a white institution predominantly. Specifically, the researchers investigated whether improvements in students’ grade point average via reductions in psychological distress (depression or anxiety) was associated with the quantity of mentors the students had upon entry to college, the retention of mentors across the first year, and overall changes in the number of mentors possessed during the students first year at a predominantly white institution. The results of the study indicated that improvements in students' grade point average via reduction in symptoms of depression was related to the total number of retained mentors from fall to spring semester. The number of mentors upon entry to university and the total number of mentors students had was not associated with changes in students’ grade point average or psychological distress.
A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of Mentoring Interventions for Underrepresented Minorities by LaGuardia, Sharp, and Ryan (2016) recognized the challenges that minorities may face include but are not limited to lack of confidence, feeling of isolation, and bias, which can hinder their professional success. The authors conducted a multicenter RCT to obtain data regarding the effects on changes in the basic psychological needs of minority groups through a trained mentor. The study had a total of N=136 divided into the four groups which met 90% power to detect a difference. One group received trained mentors, the second group provided supplemental peer mentoring services for the students only, the third group received both interventions regarding a trained mentor and supplemental peer mentoring services for students, and the control group used their institution’s usual practice of mentoring technique. Overall, they found that there were no significant effects at the end of the 12 months between the mentor training or the peer mentoring of students only. However, the authors did find that the group with a trained mentor showed a short-term positive effect at 2 months compared to the other groups. While the beneficial effects did not last the entire 12 months, they believe that it was due to the provision of only 2 hours of education at the initiation of the project rather than offering better educational opportunities throughout the program. Using this existing literature, the implementation of mentorship training in Rosalind Franklin University’s CRNA program will be ongoing every quarter for effective training with significant results.
Another qualitative study by Williams, Thakore and McGee (2017) explored the benefits of setting up minority peer groups facilitated by coaches who received diversity training. The study’s key focus participants’ perception of how the social support group was beneficial for them through their medical education journey in provision of three subtypes of social support: emotional, informational, and appraisal. Social support groups were developed outside of the participants’ own educational institution due to their own institutions lacking a social support group and therefore included students from various medical programs. The study was conducted during the summers of 2012-2014. There were two different cohorts in this study, cohort 1 recruited students that were about to start their medical education, and cohort 2 recruited students that were about 18 months away from graduation. The students recruited were then separated into smaller groups of 10, which were each led by a trained coach. These coaches received extensive two-day diversity education before the start of the program and periodically throughout the first three years. At the conclusion of the study, the authors found that social support groups were perceived as beneficial in all three subtypes of support and that the students reported feeling a sense of belonging and being understood.
Museus’ (2011) study identifies if perceived elements of campus culture contributes to the success of racial and ethnic minority students at institutions that are predominantly white. This was a qualitative study where 65 individual interviews were conducted across three high performing colleges. The researchers used data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Results Online (CRO) database and selected one large private doctoral institution, one small public comprehensive state university, and a two-year community college institution. All three institutions exhibited relatively high ethnic and racial Minority Student Completion Rates and retention rates. The researchers collected data on 65 faculty, administrators, staff, and students of color from all three colleges by individual face-to-face interviews and the collection of documents. Findings from the three institutions showed that there were four common cultural characteristics, which were perceived to have contributed to the success of racial and ethnic minority students. These four cultural characteristics include strong networking values, commitment to targeted support, belief in humanizing the educational experience, and an ethos characterized by an institutional responsibility for student success.
A qualitative study by Eby, Allen, Evans, Ng and Dubois (2008); Kammeyer-Mueller and Judge (2008) show how mentorship in graduate training benefits women of color (WOC) with the ethnic background that include African American, Latina, Asian, and Native American descent. The study showed enrollment rates of WOC steadily increasing in recent years and 97% of graduates who experienced mentorship, perceived it as a tremendous benefit in their training and successful completion of graduate school. A prominent factor in the successful matriculation of graduate students and in them thriving as early career...