Dr. Norma Martinez Rogers’ new $900,000 grant will promote diversity in the School of Nursing’s undergraduate programs and encourage students to continue their education to become nurse leaders, researchers and educators.
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More undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds may consider entering the nursing profession, thanks to a new grant totaling more than $900,000 received by the School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Norma Martinez Rogers, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, a professor in the Department of Family & Community Health Systems, received word in August that she had received the three-year award of $911, 750 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Her “Diversifying Future Leaders in Nursing” project is aimed at increasing diversity in the School of Nursing’s undergraduate programs and supporting students’ desires to continue on to become nurse leaders, researchers and educators.

Recruiting students from South Texas
“The most successful way to bring nurses to South Texas is to recruit students from our university’s service area in hopes that they will graduate and return home to provide care,” Dr. Rogers explained. The Health Science Center’s service area includes 38 counties mainly south and west of San Antonio extending to the Mexican border. Almost all of the counties have been designated by the federal government as medically underserved areas, meaning that those counties do not have enough medical or health professionals to provide care.

“Because many of these students are the first in their families to attend college, they sometimes need extra encouragement and support to envision themselves as students in higher education, and then as researchers, educators and leaders,” Dr. Rogers said. “This grant will empower these students to achieve their dreams.”

Partnering with UTSA
Working with the University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) University Health Professions Office, a longstanding educational partner of the School of Nursing, the project will develop Web-based recruitment and retention programs, as well as educational materials to attract minority students into the field of nursing. Students often earn their prerequisites at UTSA, then transfer into the Health Science Center’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to complete their degree.

Promoting research, teaching and leadership
The nursing professor also will develop and implement three undergraduate nursing programs at the Health Science Center including:

• A research scholars program focusing on health disparities of minorities;


• A teaching scholars program focusing on the integration of cultural competence; and


• A leadership seminar series

“We will also provide social and emotional support for students by hiring a social worker who will implement programs that will help students learn to balance family, school and work,” Dr. Rogers said. “The counselor will also provide self-growth activities for the students and help them learn stress-management techniques.”

Successful mentoring program
Dr. Rogers is known for her successful mentoring program, Juntos Podemos, that supports and encourages undergraduate nursing students at the Health Science Center. As president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), a two-year commitment she completed in July, Dr. Rogers’ submitted a grant through NAHN for a larger mentoring program based on Juntos Podemos expanding the program to a number of other nursing schools in Texas, Arizona and California. NAHN received $500,000 in funding from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for the program that will begin in September, led by Dr. Rogers.