Through a Health Resources and Services Administration Nursing Workforce Diversity (HRSA NWD) grant, the Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON) is working to address health and education inequities in collaboration with Corewell Health and McLaren Health Care. By increasing educational opportunities for registered nurses (RNs) employed by Corewell Health and McLaren Health Care that also come from educational, economic, or racial/ethnic underrepresented minority populations, we seek to transform the nursing workforce to better address social determinants of health by first addressing social determinants of learning.

The work of addressing these social determinants was envisioned and drafted in collaboration with nurse leaders at Corewell Health and McLaren Health Care and resulted in the formation of a practice partnership. Through regular meetings, KCON, Corewell Health and McLaren Health Care work to identify barriers to student academic success and develop interventions to mitigate these barriers. Additionally, this practice partnership works together to develop strategies to improve retention and recruitment of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students in the HRSA NWD grant complete clinical rotations in medically underserved areas where they have an opportunity to improve their ability to provide culturally competent care to diverse patient populations.