Atmosphere, Tolerance, and Cultural Competence in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program: Outcomes of a Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant

The purpose of this article is to report the results of a comparison between the educational climate of a baccalaureate nursing program and that of a Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant. Fifteen Hispanic/Latino and American Indian upper-division baccalaureate nursing students completed 37 questionnaires. A 76-item questionnaire was designed to measure the effectiveness of grant services. There was a difference (t [34] = 3.174, p = .003) in satisfaction across the two climates on “caring and respect” and “atmosphere” (t [33] = 3.267, p = .003), with the grant climate rated higher. Although there was overall satisfaction with both the nursing program and grant services, students requested improvements in atmosphere, tolerance, and cultural competency. There is a need to create an atmosphere of trust, caring, and cultural congruity to recruit and to retain diverse students.