title: Improving communication through accent modification: growing the nursing workforce.
abstract: A pilot program was developed to reduce the attrition rate among nursing students, especially those in ethnic and minority groups. The presence of accents and dialects among some of these students created communication difficulties which had the potential to negatively impact both academic success and patient safety in healthcare settings. Screening processes used to identify students with reduced speech intelligibility, specific accent modification methods and other speech improvement lessons implemented to improve overall communication abilities are described. Clarity of communication improved in all pilot program students.
authors.affiliation: Long Island University School of Nursing located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne Marie
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: DeKemel-Ichikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000193:education*; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult