Minority Nurses in the New Century
NLN Series

Minority Nurses in the New Century , organized into three sections, expands on Dr. Bessent's earlier groundbreaking body of work on the ethnic minority nurses. Dr. Bessent has dedicated her professional career to the inclusion of ethnic minority nurses in education, research, and practice and to the development of their leadership skills and opportunities.
In Section 1 of Minority Nurses , Dr. Bessent presents a follow-up to her 2002 survey, Characteristics and Workforce Utilization Patterns of African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Caucasian and, for the first time, mixed-race RNs. In Section 2, researchers Schuyler Webb, PhD and Juanita Fleming, PhD verify Dr. Bessent's 1997 findings of continuing under-representation of minority nurses and recommend effective strategies and methods for improving minority recruitment and retention by schools of nursing. The third section is a series of critical essays that provide context for the issues of recruitment and retention of racial/ethnic minority nurses raised by the surveys.

Preface
James M. Jones, PhD
Acknowledgments
Hattie Bessent, EdD, MSN, RN, FAAN
Abstract
Section I: Characteristics and Workforce Utilization Patterns-A Survey
Introduction
Methodology
Data Analysis
Conclusions
Recommendations
Section II: Recruitment, Retention and Graduation of Minority Nurses-A Survey
Introduction
Methodology
Data Analysis
Conclusions
Recommendations
Section III: Perspectives on the Recruitment, Retention and Graduation of Minority Nurses
Commentary: In Pursuit of the American Dream
Gloria R. Smith, PhD, MPH, BSN, FAAN, FRCN
Nursing and Mentoring: A Natural and Necessary Complementary
Ronald David, MD, MDiv
A Perspective on African American Nurses
Bertha L. Davis, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF and Pamela V. Hammonds, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF
A Perspective on Hispanic Nurses
Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, FAAN, and Taryn Gal, MPH
A Perspective on Asian Nurses
SeonAe Yeo, PhD, RNC, FAAN
A Perspective on American Indian/Alaska Native Nurses
Donna M. Grandbois, PhD, RN; Randi C. Medison-Jacobs, BA, and Gregory F. Sanders, Phd
Cultural Competence: Strategies for Nursing Schools’ Curriculum Development
Edwin J. Nichols, PhD
Appendices
I. Survey Participation Letter and a National Survey of Work Experiences of American Nurses- Questionnaire
II. Survey Participation Letter and Recruitment, Retention and Graduation of Minority Nurses- Questionnaire
III. Codebook
IV. Rating of Panel Members and Students on Criteria

Hattie Bessent, EdD, MSN, RN, FAAN
Dr. Bessent is a project director for Project Leadership, Enhancement and Development (LEAD), a W.K. Kellogg Foundation-sponsored program. Dr. Bessent earned a BS degree in Nursing Education at Florida A&M University, a MS degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Indiana and EdD degree in Psychological Foundations of Nursing from the University of Florida. She holds diplomas from Harvard University in Educational Management, and from Tulane University in Mental Health and Family consultation. She holds an honorary doctorate degree from Florida A&M University and Hunter College. Her awards include the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Nursing, and the Mary Mahoney Award from the American Nurses Association. She has been inducted into the American Nurses Association’s Hall of Fame and awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing. A prolific author, Dr. Bessent has published three books as well as many journal articles and monographs. She has held numerous fellowships and consultancies and has advised virtually every U.S. president since Eisenhower on mental health issues.