By the Bay Health has partnered with the University of California, Dominican University to create a new nursing scholarship to strengthen clinician diversity and promote culturally competent care.
Two students each received $25,000 through the Pat Kendall Memorial Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship was launched this year as part of By the Bay Health's Pathways to Care Careers initiative. The program includes institutional preceptorship training and the possibility of employment in hospice, home care, or adult and pediatric palliative care.
Robertina Shoralova, By the Bay Health's chief administrative officer, said the scholarship program is aimed at developing a strong pipeline of clinicians. The program also aims to address health care disparities among underserved patient populations.
“With this scholarship, our goal is to attract fellow nurses from diverse backgrounds who live in the area and understand the community,” Sholarova told Hospice News, a sister publication of Home Health Care News. “Cultural competency is central to how we provide care. We seek to close gaps for patients who may otherwise be excluded from care, including patients who are low-income, uninsured, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and live in hard-to-reach areas.”
break down barriers
California-based By the Bay Health provides home hospice, home health, bereavement care, pediatric and palliative care. This nonprofit organization serves nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. By the Bay Health's geographic service area encompasses a wide range of culturally diverse communities, Sholarova said.
Sholarova said the scholarship program is aimed at expanding career opportunities among underserved communities and increasing exposure to home health, hospice and palliative care in medical student training. Expanding preceptor training opportunities for experienced staff will increase satisfaction and have a gradual effect on retention rates, he said.
“We're giving our students a hands-on look at what home health, hospice and palliative care are like, and the teamwork that takes place between clinicians from all disciplines,” she told Hospice News. “Our nurses are passionate about mentoring, educating and supporting this next generation and sharing why it is such a rewarding career. We believe (this program) is an effort to raise awareness in the home care setting and could lead to a truly rewarding career for students who may not be familiar with it during their training.”
The new scholarship honors Pat Kendall, a member of the By the Bay Health community whose career “exemplified compassion and service” until the time of her death, the organization said in an announcement shared with Hospice News. Solalova said the program was established through a long-standing partnership with the university.
The scholarship is intended to support economically disadvantaged students who are interested in home care and ideally remain in the community and serve the community after graduation, she said.
“Younger generations seem to be looking for a deeper connection to humanity, what it means to care for others in their own communities,” Sholarova said. “So many students said it was important.”
Promote employee sustainability
By the Bay Health said in a statement that UC Dominica is “particularly grateful” for the scholarship opportunity due to recent cuts in federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Founded in 1890 as an independent nonprofit organization, the university is a designated educational institution serving first-generation Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students.
Dr. Kendra Hopper, associate professor and dean of the School of Nursing at UC Dominican, said this scholarship program has the potential to bring more educational and career opportunities to underrepresented communities.
The program's goals include eliminating some of the critical challenges that fuel the clinical workforce shortage, Hopper said in the announcement. High educational costs and lack of exposure to community-based care settings contribute to the staffing problems the program aims to solve, she noted.
“Nurses are increasingly providing care in clinical settings in schools, neighborhoods, homes, and communities, allowing them to address population-level health challenges and work closely with individuals in their everyday settings,” Hopper said in a statement shared with Hospice News. “This scholarship not only provides significant financial support, but also provides students with clinical experience and develops clinically competent, community-based, public health-oriented nurses.”
At By the Bay Health, interest in the nursing scholarship program from a staffing standpoint is growing at an “incredible rate,” Sholarova said. The program represents the organization's Pathways to Care Careers initiative and investment in employee retention and sustainability.
By the Bay Health recently raised $1 million in philanthropy to support employee initiatives. Funds will be used to support scholarships and career path programs. The organization plans to expand its scholarship program throughout Northern California and begin offering scholarships to local high school students.
“Looking to the future, we see this scholarship as part of a long-term investment in our workforce,” Sholarova told Hospice News. “Ultimately, we are looking to build a pipeline for people new to the medical field into high school classrooms and universities. We saw a lot of energy and enthusiasm in our first year and hope to build on this.”
