Targeting middle & high school students in underserved and/or underrepresented communities
CompassRN is a nurse-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization connecting youth to health education and the field of nursing. We target underserved and underrepresented middle and high school students by creating awareness of nursing career opportunities, facilitating access to the Houston nursing community, and providing long-term mentorship from high school to nursing licensure.
Through a nurse-led initiative, we’ve developed a framework to not only tap into the issues of health equity, but also increase minority representation in the field of nursing. Through academic preparation, mentorship, and the pursuit for higher education, we are committed to affecting change within communities as a whole.
Though statistics center our organization around minorities, we do not participate or tolerate any form of racism or discrimination.
Initial outreach begins with our health & wellness camps for 7th- 8th grade students (Coming Spring 2023). Through innovative and interactive methods, students will learn about body systems, common diseases prevalent among minority groups, and healthy lifestyle habits.
Once in high school, students who show interest in the nursing field are invited to attend one of our summer camps. As students progress in grade, year-round opportunities are available to further engage with the nursing community.
The official mentorship program begins for rising juniors and focuses on college readiness as students begin to transition. Students are matched with a nurse mentor and receive one-to-one mentorship throughout the journey of becoming a nurse.
56% of undergraduates nationally were first-generation college students (neither parent had a bachelor’s degree) and 59% of these students were also the first sibling in their family to go to college.
(Center for First-Generation Student Success, 2019)
According to a 2013 report by the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, a diverse nursing workforce is essential for progress towards achieving health equity in the United States.
(AACN, 2022)
By 2044, more than half of all Americans are expected to belong to a minority group (any group other than non-Hispanic White alone)
(U.S. Census, 2015)
With almost 4 million registered nurses in the U.S., minorities account for 19.4% of the workforce.
Men now account for 9.4% of the RN workforce, which represents a 0.3% increase since 2017.
(AACN, 2022)
Renée G. Omoyeni is a native to Orlando, FL, and began her pre-nursing journey at Valencia Community College in 2002. She later transferred to Bethune Cookman University and graduated with a BSN degree in 2010. Soon after, she joined the United States Army as a RN and worked on a Med-Surg unit until 2014.
Since that time, Renée has worked in RN case management, IV infusion therapy, and earned her MS degree in Health Education & Promotion. CompassRN was birthed from a long time passion for mentoring, a love for the nursing profession, and her own personal struggle throughout her pre-nursing journey.
Outside of her career life, Renée is a newlywed, dog mom, brunch fanatic and ice cream lover, sports fan, enjoys traveling, the outdoors, theater shows, and the symphony.