The Pennsylvania Nursing Workforce Coalition (PA-NWC) is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive nursing workforce. The PA-AC Cohort of Exchanged Learning (PA-ACCEL) Mentorship Program, established by the Nurse Diversity Council, aims to support nursing students by providing mentorship, educational resources, and professional guidance.
From 2023 to 2024, the program expanded through a partnership with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation to include students from the Healthcare Scholars Program, supporting 36 first-year students in fully funded nursing programs. This collaboration provided mentorship, leadership engagement, and professional growth opportunities to prepare scholarship recipients for successful nursing careers.
The primary goal of the PA-ACCEL Mentorship Program is to empower nursing students to thrive academically and transition smoothly into professional nursing practice. Mentorship not only promotes lifelong learning and professional resilience but also helps nursing students:
Creating a healthcare system that supports everyone in living their healthiest lives requires a diverse nursing workforce that reflects the population it serves. As outlined in The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity, developing a diverse workforce is crucial to:
Mentorship programs, like PA-ACCEL, are critical to addressing barriers faced by minoritized nursing students, including:
By nurturing nursing students from underrepresented backgrounds, the PA-ACCEL program helps bridge these gaps, fostering a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.
Mentorship in nursing is a powerful tool for creating a healthier future. By dismantling the systems that perpetuate inequitable outcomes, the PA-ACCEL program equips nursing students with the resources they need to succeed and become the healthcare leaders they are fully capable of becoming. Through mentorship, we aim to transform the U.S. healthcare system by empowering the next generation of healthcare leaders from diverse backgrounds.
The PA-NWC implemented PA-ACCEL from 2020 - 2024. For highlights of this work, please see below.
If you’re passionate about advancing health equity and supporting future nurse professionals, consider joining our Nurse Diversity Council. To connect with us to explore future partnership opportunities, please reach out to Zaharaa Davood () and Namaijah Faison (). Together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive healthcare system.
