Blacks comprise 12.3% of the U.S. population and only 4.6% of registered nurses nationally. Moreover, Blacks have the highest percentage of nongraduates among nursing students compared with other U.S. racial/ethnic groups. This descriptive qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences that contributed to success for Black graduates, ages 18 to 50, who attended nursing degree programs with predominantly White students and identified the experiences students credited for their success. Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 18 participants. Categories and patterns were established using content analysis. Findings suggest that the Black students valued peer support, interactions with White students' study groups, family support, and faculty encouragement and support as factors that enhanced success. This article focuses on those supports students identified as essential to graduation. The findings of this study demonstrate that it takes a community to create a nurse. Specific implications for student retention are discussed.

This qualitative descriptive research study looks at the services that community-based breast cancer support agencies provide to underserved and African American women who are at risk for or diagnosed with breast cancer in Memphis, Tennessee. We seek their understanding of breast cancer mortality disparities in Memphis. Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth focus groups with five breast cancer support agencies. Categories and patterns were established using thematic analysis and a deductive a priori template of codes. Thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analyzing, and reporting themes within the data. The main themes identified within support agencies for African American women with breast cancer who live in Memphis were barriers to the use of services, education, health system support, and emotional support. Numerous sub themes included cost of medications, support group supplemental programming, eligibility for mobile services, patient/provider communication, optimism about the future, and family advice. Procrastinating, seeking second options, fearfulness, insurance, childcare, and transportation were barriers to care. Community-based breast cancer support agencies play a critical role as connectors for women with breast cancer who live in medically underserved areas and must find their way within a fragmented medical care system.

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Background: Recruiting, retaining, and graduating more minorities to diversify the nursing workforce is a national priority, which can lead to a decrease in healthcare disparities. The purpose of this review of literature is to highlight models developed and implemented in nursing education that focus on recruiting, retaining, and graduating minorities, and the degree of success obtained. Methodology:Electronic database searches of Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect were conducted using specific keywords: minority, recruitment, retention, graduation, nursing students, models. The search yielded seven articles published in peer-reviewed journals that described each schools model, strategies, and the implementation process used to recruit, retain, and graduate minority nursing students. A tool was developed by the researcher for this review then used to analyze articles for inclusion.Results: Findings revealed that successful models included various combinations of academic support, mentoring, student financial support, and community partnerships that were effective in recruiting, retaining, and graduating minority students in nursing education. Conclusions/:The articles reviewed highlighted that when combinations of multiple strategies that includes; academic support, mentoring, student financial support, and community partnerships were used in minority nursing student populations there was increased minority retention. All articles included in this review reported minority nursing students who were given support prior to entrance and during nursing school, recruitment, retention and graduation increased.