Bring Diversity to Nursing: Use of Zoomerang to Assess Interest in Nursing as a Career Choice

Renee Creeden RN

Masters Student/Family Nurse PractitionerResearch Assistant for Bring Diversity to Nursing MDPH grant

The need to increase diversity in the workforce is well recognized in the nursing profession. Bring Diversity to Nursing (BDN) at the is a unique project aimed to recruit, retain, and graduate minority and economically disadvantaged students in an attempt to create a more diverse nursing workforce. BDN is targeting the communities of Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts to increase students’ competitiveness for entry into UML nursing program and ensure successful completion.

One important component of the BDN project is to promote awareness of a career in nursing. To assess middle and high school students’ knowledge of this possible career choice, a 66-item survey was developed by the BDN researchers based on a review of literature and group consensus. Following Institutional Review Board approval, Zoomerang, an online survey template and data collector, was used to survey students between July and November 2008. Students accessed the Zoomerang Nursing Assessment survey during health education and study periods and at UML summer pre-initiative workshops offered by the BDN project.

Self-reported ethnic and racial demographics of the students revealed 31% White, 38% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 9% Black, and 4% other. Of those who responded, 43% were in 7th and 8th grade.

Results indicated that while 70% of students know a nurse, 4% could not identify where nurses work and 4% did not know who nurses care for. Only 14% of students surveyed indicated that they were interested in a nursing career.

These data indicate that students are not strongly considering nursing as a viable career choice, and some lack knowledge of the profession itself. To date, 1,341 students have completed the survey, showing Zoomerang is an effective and appropriate tool for survey dissemination and data collection.

It is the goal of BDN to improve access to the nursing profession by recruiting minority and disadvantaged students through pre-entry initiatives at the Middle and High school level in Lowell and Lawrence, MA. .

Methods Conclusions

Use of Zoomerang to Assess Interest in Nursing as a Career ChoiceRenee Creeden BS, RN, Karen Devereaux Melillo PhD, Jacqueline Dowling PhD, Lisa Abdallah PhD,

Mary Findeisen PhD, Margaret Knight PhD, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELLLogo

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Reference

•Researchers decided on an online data collection method to reduce dissemination costs, decrease errors in data conversion and to maximize response rates.

•The communities of Lowell and Lawrence, MA were chosen for their cultural diversity:

• Lowell has a Hispanic and Asian population higher than the state average and 69% of the population in Lawrence is Hispanic (Massachusetts DPH, 2005).

•Zoomerang was chosen as the data collection method for its reliability and user-friendly design.

• When compared with other online data collection survey methods, CoolSurveys, Survey Monkey and Profiler, Zoomerang offers easy-to-use templates with no prior programming knowledge and allows email dissemination.

• Results are analyzed instantaneously and the researcher can view data by percentages, raw numbers, bar graphs and pie graphs.

•The survey was open to all middle and high school students in Lowell and Lawrence, MA from July 2008 through December 2008. At the end of this time period 1341 students had completed the 15 minute online survey. Collaboration from teachers at the schools was crucial since most of the surveys were completed during school hours in the fall of 2008. Students who attended the summer college prep program at the UML were given time to complete the survey in the library the morning prior to the start of the program activities. Surveys taken at this time were monitored by BDN researchers.

1. Massachusetts Department of Public Health 2005 Race and ethnic breakdown, of population Lowell, Lawrence and Lynn:2005. Retrieved March 1, 2009, from www.mass.gov.

The Bring Diversity to Nursing Project is funded by the U.S. DHHS, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Professions, Division of Nursing and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

•Middle and high school students from Lowell and Lawrence, MA have a knowledge deficit regarding nursing as a career choice.

•Students lacked knowledge of the role of nurses in healthcare, education requirements of nurses, and overall demonstrated a lack of interest in nursing.

•The majority of respondents indicated that they thought nursing was too difficult for them or answered that they did not know.

• 55% are not interested in becoming a nurse.• 57% did not want to learn more about nursing.• 57% thought the survey was too long.

•Results demonstrated that although there is a lack of interest in pursuing a degree in nursing 46% acknowledged that the survey was important and a majority felt that nurses are respected, caring and trusted. Though only 14% expressed interest in pursuing a degree in nursing.

•With the positive feedback about nursing it is realistic that BDN, through initiative programs and community outreach, can improve students interest in nursing and subsequent applications to the nursing program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Introduction Results

Student Population

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Grade

Per

cen

tag

e o

f S

tud

ents

Student Ethnic Background

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

White

Black

Hispan

ic/Spa

nish

Asian

Other

Ethnicity

Per

cent

age

of S

tude

nts

Question: Are you interested in being a nurse?

Yes14%

No55%

Maybe31%

Question: Where do nurses work?(check all that apply)

Hospital 1207

Home 497

Doctor's office 873

Health center 1009

Emergency room 963

Nursing home 984

Army/Navy/Marines 767

In schools 1036

In companies 348

I do not know where nurses work 46

Table 1.

Figure 3.