Nursing at the cross roads: Increasing workforce diversity and addressing health disparities

Efforts to recruit and train ethnic minorities for the nursing profession have been slow. The barriers to diversity in nursing education can be grouped into three categories: negative perceptions of nursing as a career, use of traditional recruitment approaches, and the presence of aversive academic environments. National nursing or ganisations such as Sigma Theta Tau International, the Federal Division of Nursing, and the American Association of Colleges (AACN) agree that recruiting under‐represented groups into nursing as a priority. In response to the need for diversity in nursing education and practice, a framework for viewing nursing within the broader context of ethnic diversity in health professions is crucial. The Leadership Enhancement and Development (LEAD) for Minority Nurses in the New Millennium model provides a contemporary framework for increasing ethnic diversity and leadership in nursing.