Application of the caring curriculum to education of Hispanic/Latino and American Indian nursing students

To increase work force diversity and decrease health disparities, students of color must be successful in nursing programs. Unfortunately, the literature describes numerous barriers to these students' success, originating in both the socioeconomic and cultural environment in which they live and work, and in schools of nursing. In this study, seven filmed interviews of Hispanic/Latino and American Indian nurses were examined for barriers to educational success. Eighteen barriers to success were identified, examples of these barriers were extracted from the data, and the caring curriculum was proposed as one possible solution for removing or mitigating these barriers. Principles of the caring curriculum were then used to provide a framework for suggested retention strategies for Hispanic/Latino and American Indian nursing students.