NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Being able to relate to a doctor or nurse helps lead some to better health outcomes. In the medical field however, some demographics are not well-represented.
Nurses from minority backgrounds represent 19.4% of the workforce, whereas more than 40% of the U.S. population identifies as a person of color, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Because of the disparity, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Pearl Cohn High School are teaming up to help minority students who are interested in nursing stay on track.
Currently, mentors are helping students select classes and apply to the best colleges that fit their long-term goals. Student Joya Lewis wants to be a travel nurse.
"It takes a lot of hard work to get to where they are," said Joya Lewis.
Lewis' teachers believe the Vanderbilt mentors will help her and others stay the course.
"It is showing up and completing what's expected of you and knowing that it matters right now, the work you're doing," said Brittany Edmondson, academy coach at Pearl Cohn High School.
This is the first schoolyear Pearl Cohn students who are interested in nursing are working with mentors. Diversifying the medical field is the overarching goal. It is something Lewis would like to see.
"It would be great to go in, find your doctor, and your doctor looks like you; they relate to you. They can understand what you're going through, how you are, things that you've been through," Lewis said.
The mentors are nurses in all different settings, including ambulatory services, the psychiatric hospital, and some are even nurse managers.
Edmondson is excited about the impact the mentorship is going to have in the long run.
"It's about seeing someone that looks like them in the healthcare field. It's to let them know that there is someone already working, and they've experienced what they've experienced, and sometimes they share a story," Edmondson said.
