How the Birmingham Black Nurses Association Advocates for Quality Health Care

Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson | For The Birmingham Times Given recent staffing shortages that have caused challenges in recruiting and retaining talented nurses, the Birmingham Black Nurses Association (BBNA), is doing what it can to advocate for quality health care and attract more to the profession. Dr. Jennifer Coleman, a Nursing Professor at the Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing at Samford University and a member of the BBNA. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times) “The best way (for this profession to thrive) is for current nurses to act as role models,” said Dr. Jennifer Coleman, a Nursing Professor at the Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing at Samford University and a member of the BBNA. “Increasing diversity in nursing (gender, race, ethnicity, etc.) is critical to ensure that the nursing profession is representative of the general population in our country.” One strategy to address the nursing shortage could be to introduce the career to students at an early age, said Coleman, whose first job was as a Registered Nurse at UAB Hospital in the medical intensive care unit in 1977. “We should continue to provide nursing as a career option to young elementary and high school students, as well as...