Mentoring nursing career pathways: the Maryvale High School Student Nurse Academy

The health care system faces a critical challenge in recruiting younger and more ethnically diverse students into the nursing profession. The innovative Maryvale High School Student Nurse Academy was developed as a collaborative partnership among the public school system, the community college system, public and private universities, and the hospital industry, with guidance from Arizona Nursing Associations and Sigma Theta Tau. The program provides at-risk, minority teens exposure to the health system, professional nurses in a variety of roles, and employment opportunities that can expand in a number of directions within the health industry. Results of the first year pilot are encouraging, resulting in a 100% completion of the program with high student satisfaction ratings. Students demonstrated an increase in overall grade point average and a decrease in school absence rates.