The importance of educational and social backgrounds of diverse students to nursing program success

This article compares the educational and social backgrounds of Anglo students with those of Hispanic/Latino and American Indian students receiving stipends and other services from a Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant to determine the possible effects of such backgrounds on success in a baccalaureate nursing program. Stipend recipients provided baseline background data by interview on admission, and the results were compared with corresponding data from a volunteer sample of Anglo students to enhance understanding of the educational and social circumstances of the stipend recipients and to identify a need for individualized, tailored grant approaches. The Hispanic/Latino and American Indian students demonstrated less adequate educational backgrounds and lower social class as gauged by parental occupation, than did the Anglo students. Although overall comprehensive grant strategies maximized the potential for success of stipend recipients, strategies need to be tailored to fit each individual's unique educational and social background.