An AARP-backed Nursing Innovations Fund award saw an increase in nurses serving on boards and nurses who express a desire to serve on boards in 13 participating states, according to the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC), which co-led the effort.

The number of nurses who want to serve on boards in states was up two percent in 2024 compared with 2023, while the number of nurses who serve on boards and want to serve on another board was up seven percent, according to NOBC data. Similarly, the number of nurses expressing a desire to serve on a board was up six percent.

The 2022 Health Equity Innovations Fund award is sponsored by AARP and the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

NOBC, which co-led the effort with the Campaign’s Mississippi-based Action Coalition co-lead Rita Wray, also used the funds to provide engaging materials to prepare nurses for board service and communicate the value nurses bring to boards.  

Materials include a self-assessment to determine readiness for board service, a list of board competencies, how to identify and engage key supporters, webinars intended to prepare nurses from underrepresented backgrounds for board service, an elevator pitch to explain the value nurses bring to boards and social media messaging to encourage more nurses to serve.

Nurses Bring Trust and Broad Understanding of Health

Nurses, repeatedly ranked by Gallup as the most trusted profession, are the health professionals who spend the most time with patients and families and intuitively understand how social factors affect health. They bring a powerful voice to board discussions and decisions, which can result in improved health outcomes for people served by the organization.

NOBC, which was established in 2014 by the Campaign as part of its efforts to implement recommendations from the 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, seeks to improve the health of communities through the service of nurses on boards. Nurses serving on boards have opportunities to address the impact of the social determinants of health within their communities and lead change to advance health for all.

NOBC’s Project

NOBC’s project sought to identify and address gaps and barriers preventing nurses from serving on boards and advancing health equity through their service.

The group developed and tested the first comprehensive tool to measure the value of nurses on boards. A total of 3,905 nurses responded to a survey about the value nurses bring to boards.  

The survey revealed a need to bolster more nurses serving on hospital, legislative/policy, pharmaceutical/insurance, and rural boards. It found nurses from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in nursing also are underrepresented on boards.

However, the survey found nurses are improving health equity in their communities through service on their United Way boards, school boards and community boards related to health.

After conducting the survey, NOBC convened town halls to discuss the findings with 13 of the Campaign’s state-based  Action Coalitions, nurse-led, multisector coalitions working to improve health and health care through nursing. Participants expressed a need for materials to explain the benefits nurses bring to board service. They also requested resources to fill gaps needed to prepare more nurses for board service, so NOBC placed its most effective resources available in one location on its website.

NOBC also incorporated Action Coalition feedback to track the zip codes of nurses registered in NOBC database, allowing NOBC to match board opportunities with nurses living in those communities. The goal is for nurses living in rural communities who want to serve on boards to find more opportunities.

Why This Work Matters AARP’s mission is to empower people to choose how they live as they age. The organization knows that increasing the number of nurses who influence health and health care through board service and community boards can lead to improved access to care and services for all people. Since 2018, the Nursing Innovations Fund has awarded over $1.8 million across 30 states and DC, funding 63 projects that improve access to care and services, strengthen the nursing workforce, and create healthier work environments. More information on the Nursing Innovations Fund is available here.