Barriers and Facilitators To Recruitment and Retention of Minority Students

1. Barriers and Facilitators To Recruitment and Retention of Minority Students In Allied Health and Exercise Science Presented by: Dr. J. P. Barfield Dr. M. Rhonda Folio Tennessee Technological University AAHPERD National Conference, 2010 Indianapolis, IN March 17, 2010

2. The Problem • Professional allied health positions are part of the largest projected job growth in the United States (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008). • This field provides training for a variety of professionals, including athletic trainers, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, fitness and wellness professionals. • Minorities are currently under-represented in multiple allied-health and exercise science based professions and insufficient training of minority students in these fields continues the cycle of under-representation in the workforce (Grumbach & Mendoza, 2008).

3. Minority Population Growth • “About one in three U.S. residents is a minority,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon, 2006 • The U. S. Census Bureau has indicated that the U. S. population will increase in minority representation by the year 2030. • By the year 2030 it is projected that 40% of the U. S. population will consist of minorities (Comely, Haskins, & Ross-St Prix, 1998)

4. U. S. Population Growth Trends/2006 • Hispanic remained the largest minority group, with 44.3 million on July 1, 2006 • or 14.8 percent of the total population. • African American was the second-largest minority group, totaling 40.2 million in 2006. • They were followed by Asian (14.9 million), American Indian and Alaska Native (4.5 million), and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (1 million).

5. Risk Factors in Minority Populations • Certain non-white populations are at greater risk for the following health risk factors: • Hypertension • Certain Cancers • Diabetes • Heart Disease • Overweight & Obesity

6. Need to Train • Individuals prefer healthcare services from persons of similar culture and/or ethnicity. • Minority patients are less apt to follow prescribed diets, health practices, and exercise prescriptions from non-minority health care professionals.

7. Insufficient numbers of majors and training of minority students in exercise science and allied health fields contributes to under-representation in the workforce. • Poor recruitment of minorities into academic programs stems from various sources, ranging from poor career advice to faculty attitudes toward minority students (Urban Institute, 2005).

8. Group Questions • What do you view as barriers to allied health enrollment (specific to your school)? • What efforts, if any, are being implemented to recruit and retain minority students at your institution?

9. Facilitators • Mentoring • Job Worth • Altruism • Self-Efficacy • Knowledge of the Field

10. Mentoring • Common influence on allied health enrollment. • Sources range from family member to high school counselor to faculty member. • Allied health is not a typical course of study prior to high school; therefore, interpersonal influences are needed.

11. Job Worth • Income level and job image are important mediators to enrollment decision making in allied health. • Level of job compensation affects an individual’s job satisfaction (Zhang, DeMichele, & Connaughton, 2004). • High market demand, job stability, and employment longevity are all related to earning potentials and therefore have potential to influence students considering allied health enrollment.

12. Altruism • The desire to help others has been reported as a key mediating variable. • This factor may appear self-evident; however, its identification from survey studies has not been as common as others. • A desire to help others is important when other personal variables (e.g., job image, knowledge of the field) have been taken into consideration.

13. Self-Efficacy • Perceived ability to succeed in the field. • Academic Success vs. Athletics/Activity Success.

14. Knowledge of the Field • Overall understanding of the field appears very influential in student decision making. • Generally speaking, knowledge of the field has been associated with high tendency to enroll. • Recruitment strategies.

15. Barriers • Academic Preparation • Family Demands • Affect • Lack of Recruitment • Language • Cost

16. Academic Preparation • Allied health programs are accredited to meet certain professional practice standards including specific teacher:student ratios within didactic and clinical settings. • Ratios inherently increase the competitiveness of allied health programs, placing a greater emphasis on pre-enrollment academic scores (e.g., ACT, SAT, GPA). • Academic preparation is recommended at early stages in the K-12 process for students interested in allied fields.

17. Family Demands • Students pursuing allied health programs may pursue clinical hours during evenings and weekends. • Students must complete an inordinate amount of clinical hours for minimal academic credit. • Because of the time commitment, allied health programs can dramatically interfere with family responsibilities.

18. Affect • Multiple studies have reported isolation, negative affect or perception of a non-supportive environment as unique barriers to minority students (Dumas-Hines, Cochran, & Williams, 2001; Leverett, Parker, & McDonald, 2007). • Majority of minority students now educated at predominantly white institutions. • Insufficient minority faculty and administrators may polarize student integration on campus, increasing the isolation sometimes perceived by minority students.

19. Lack of Recruitment • Recruitment programs targeting prospective minority students are lacking at the university level. • Recruitment deficiencies are especially problematic for transfer students. • Ineffective transfer agreements (especially regarding clinical hours) are a major barrier.

20. Language • English is not the first language for many prospective minority students. • Most ESL programs are geared toward Spanish-speaking students – other minority students may need English developmental classes. • Language barriers can lead to isolation and polarization, increasing affect barriers.

21. Cost • Cost of programs is a primary inhibitor to student enrollment in various allied health programs • Equipment requirements and clinical placement costs place an additional funding burden on prospective students. • The expense for allied health students is much greater than the regular tuition cost and some students simply cannot afford program expense.