Nursing at historically black colleges and universities

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been committed to educating diverse and underserved populations since their inception. Their commitments for over 100 years have resulted in increased diversity in many careers, but specifically in the field of nursing. HBCU nursing schools have been producing diverse nurses since shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, and today HBCUs continue to educate, motivate, and develop nurses at every level, including associate, baccalaureate, master, and doctorate. With universal consensus on the need for a diverse and highly functional nursing workforce, both the historic and potential future impact and contributions of HBCUs should not be ignored. HBCU schools of nursing continue to be committed to producing baccalaureate nurses prepared to advance and lead health care in a variety of settings, from a variety of backgrounds. Their commitments to first-generation college students and those from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, continue to be a hallmark characteristic of HBCUs, therefore, clearly pointing to their paramount role in producing the future of healthcare.