"It is always inspirational for minority nurses as well as men in nursing to see someone like them in higher education, whether it's face to face or online." —Dr. Leo-Felix M. Jurado

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Meet a Mentor:
Leo-Felix M. Jurado, PhD

Mentor Leo-Felix M. Jurado is committed to changing the face of nursing

Dr. Jurado feels that if he can help change the face of nursing education, he can alter the face of the profession.

"I thought that to steadily increase the number of successful minority and male nurses to the field of nursing, the profession would need more role models. That's why I enjoy being a mentor in Thomas Edison State College's W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing. It is always inspirational for minority nurses as well as men in nursing to see someone like them in higher education, whether it’s face to face or online."

Jurado, who mentors Men’s Health (HEA-306); Leadership and Management in Nursing (NUR-428); Seminar in Clinical Competence (NUR-500) and Advancing Nursing Practice (NUR-342) courses at the College, is a member of the W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing Committee (SONC). He is a past president of the New Jersey Board of Nursing where he served for 10 years. He also served as president of the Philippine Nurses Association of America from 2008–2010 and currently is a member of its Advisory Board.

Aside from his role at Thomas Edison State College, Jurado is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., where he teaches at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. He also serves as a National Council Licensing Exam reviewer for registered nurses at the Center for Professional Development at Rutgers University in Newark and is an administrative nursing supervisor for St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.

Jurado continues to work in tandem with his colleagues to reverse the surge of competent students being turned away from nursing schools – a shortfall felt most acutely in racially diverse populations.

In spite of the fact that racial and ethnic minorities constitute about 37 percent of the U.S. population, only 19 percent of registered nurses are derived from this population. The dilemma is compounded by inaccessibility to nursing programs in general. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, in 2012, U.S. nursing schools denied more than 79,000 qualified applicants due primarily to a shortage of nurse educators and classroom space.

With minority populations trending toward being the majority by 2043, a movement is underway to correct the disparity.

Jurado is a graduate of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) founded effort that was led by Thomas Edison State College's nursing school to recruit and prepare minority nurse educators in online education. He and fellow academics that have completed the program are committed to increasing diversity and access to the profession – underpinnings of HRSA's mission.

"A few years ago, I was one of 15 minority nurse educators to take part in the first year of the HRSA program and it was a tremendous experience," he said. "I learned so much from fellow students and enjoyed the community atmosphere we established online. We were required to learn online instructional strategies and many of us increased our familiarity with the field's emerging technologies."

Jurado holds a PhD from Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology; an MA in Delivery of Nursing Services from New York University, New York City, N.Y.; and a BA in English, a BS in nursing and an MA in education from St. Paul University, Tuguegarao City, Philippines. He is a Certified Nurse Executive with the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center; an Advanced Practice Nurse in Adult Health certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and a Certified Nurse Educator by the National League of Nursing. He is also a site visitor for the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing

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