EMBRACE: Developing an Inclusive Leadership Program With and for Undergraduate Nursing Students

In order to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse patient population, nursing schools around the United States have been trying to recruit future nurses from a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds, with limited success. To date, the literature does not describe how to develop culturally appropriate engagement models that can successfully transform minority nursing students into nurse researchers and leaders. Thus, the purpose of this article is to describe a promising research and leadership program for underrepresented undergraduate students entitled, "EMBRACE - Engaging Multiple-communities of BSN students in Research and Academic Curricular Experiences". More specifically, this article will: 1) describe the steps one College of Nursing has taken toward developing the EMBRACE program; 2) describe the theoretical framework developed for the program; and 3) present the initial challenges and positive outcomes of the program. The theoretical framework of the program is based on principles of excellence for diversity and inclusion as well as student and faculty engagement. The EMBRACE framework includes components of education, faculty contributions, social connections and emotional intelligence. The EMBRACE program consists of group mentoring with peers, one-on-one mentoring with faculty and graduate students, and working on a hands-on project relating to research or leadership.