Abstract
Our nation has a very poor return for its overly large investment in health care services. Social determinants underlie the health disparities that burden our country’s most marginalized residents and undermine health improvements. Achieving health equity and eliminating disparities requires a focus on population health and related expanded roles for nurses. As Deans
and Directors of schools and programs of nursing in Washington State that prepare baccalaureate- and graduate-degree nurses, it is our goal to adopt a population health focus in nursing which considers the social determinants of health in all areas of nursing practice. In this paper, we describe our commitment to developing nurses who are equipped to create an
equitable and healthy future by integrating population health concepts throughout nursing curricula to prepare nurses as leaders, clinicians, scholars, and policy advocates.
