The Health Equity Scholars program is an internship with the goal of providing nursing students with critical experience in LGBTQIA+ health, BIPOC+ health, rural health and global health through service-learning and community advocacy. Currently, the program is offered as a 1-credit internship course. Students get the opportunity to dive into health care concerns about a vulnerable population of their choosing, get to hear from guest speakers from diverse backgrounds, and commit to 20-hours of service learning in the community. Our students grow by becoming active in their community, develop empathy as future nurses, and advocate for those that need it most. Interested students must have strong academic standing and apply to be in the program by submitting a letter of intent. The program culminates in a community-advocacy project. Past projects have frequently focused on student and have shown to impact their learning on topics that are not traditionally covered in standard nursing classes.
In line with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) goals of advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity in academic nursing, this enrichment program aims to
- Improve the quality of education by enhancing the capacity of academic nursing to maximize learning opportunities and experiences for students and faculty, alike, which depend in significant ways on learning from individuals with diverse life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.
- Address pervasive inequities in health care by ensuring the preparation of nurses and other healthcare professionals able to meet the needs of all individuals in an increasingly diverse American society.
- Enhance the civic readiness and engagement potential of nursing students who will be in positions of leadership in health care, as well as in society, more broadly.
