Creating a mentoring and community culture in nursing

The Hispanic population is expected to grow both in numbers and in percentage of the total U.S. population. A disproportionately large gap in morbidity and mortality and overall health status exists between Hispanics and their White counterparts. We must take appropriate measures, or the gap in health disparities will continue to widen. Increasing the number of Hispanic health care workers is one strategy to decrease the gap. Although the Hispanic population is the fastest-growing segment of the Texas population, Hispanic RNs represent less than 10% of the total RN population in the state. This article describes Juntos Podemos, an innovative program designed to increase the recruitment and retention of Hispanic nursing students through the development of mentor-protégé relationships.