Barriers to increasing native hawaiian, samoan, and filipino nursing students: Perceptions of students and their families

This article presents the results of an innovative approach to increase the numbers of native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Filipino students who enroll in and complete the bachelor of nursing in science degree. The approach used 2 methods to obtain input. The first was a series of focus groups comprising current and potential students in the nursing program. The second method was a survey of community elders, parents, and high school students in schools with large enrollments of native Hawaiians, Samoans, and Filipinos. The results made clear that Asian Pacific Islanders are composed of distinct groups that have many diverse concerns that need to be addressed in the recruitment and retention phases. One surprise was the low interest in incorporating traditional healing into the curriculum. It was clear that high school students should be given information on nursing early and effectively because this is a key component of their interest in a nursing career.