Promoting Public Health Nursing
Students Championing Health Equity Leadership and Anti-Racism in Nursing (also called Scholars) is a pilot program for nursing students across Washington state. The program supports nurses in addressing systemic barriers to care and promoting fair and respectful treatment for all individuals within the health care system.
The program places Scholars nursing students in paid and unpaid internships at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). The students take part in professional development activities and gain valuable insights and health care alignment in the field of public health.
Scholars nursing students:
- Are University of Washington nursing students (doctorate and master’s level)
- Are from communities that have historically faced systemic barriers to employment and access to services
- Support DOH projects that promote equitable policies and practices to improve public health and health care services for all communities
The Scholars program launched in 2024 under the leadership of Shanell Brown as a partnership between DOH’s Workforce Pathways Program and the Office of Prevention and Community Health, and the University of Washington’s Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism in Nursing. The program was created to promote and raise awareness of public health nursing and to expand equitable access to opportunities for nursing professionals across Washington state.
Program Objectives
- Raise awareness: Increase visibility and expand opportunities for careers in public health nursing.
- Promote access and opportunity: Support fair and equal access to nursing professional pathways within public health nursing.
- Reduce barriers: Address obstacles that limit public health nursing career advancement across regions and communities across Washington.
- Enhance skills: Strengthen the professional skills, knowledge, and leadership capacity of public health nurses.
- Support system improvements: Increase the number of projects that promote inclusive, respectful, and community-centered public health practices within public health nursing.
Vision
We envision a future where public health nursing leads to a healthier and more equitable Washington state. We aim to support every public health nurse in fostering respectful, collaborative, and community-centered practices that contribute to improving health care standards.