Promoting Indigenous nursing student success in post-secondary education: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Background and aim: Indigenous students have a lower rate of post-secondary completion than non-Indigenous students. This is due to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Current literature revealed a variety of concerns that were naturally divided under the themes of academic preparedness, cultural safety, intrinsic student factors, and student supports. This study examined the completion rates of Indigenous students within a nursing program, student associated success strategies, and predominant personal barriers to success. Using focus groups and interviews, the researchers examined the lived experiences Indigenous students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Western Canada. Methods: A qualitative design using a phenomenological approach was utilized to gather data. Focus groups and interviews with Indigenous students were conducted to gather personal perspectives and experiences. This data was then coded and themed. Results: The results of this study identified various strategies and supports that advanced and promoted Indigenous student success along with numerous barriers that Indigenous students felt impeded their success within the nursing program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The themes in this study included academic preparedness, cultural safety, resolve/resilience, confidence, social expectations, and financial support. Conclusions: There is a need to expand and develop support systems that enable Indigenous students to improve academic completion rates. Building confidence and a sense of belonging are important factors in improving student success from post-secondary programs

Diversity and development of Indigenous rehabilitation professional student identity

“…This study advances knowledge related to student experience in relation to being admitted to a heath professional program in an Indigenous Peoples priority category. Our study confirms findings by Cox-White and Penfold [11,27] that students experience and worry about experiencing stigma from other students because of an alternate admission pathway. Our findings expand on how students can be concerned about the perpetuation of stigma and racism because there is not enough understanding of the purpose of Indigenous student admission categories and the resilience of Indigenous students at the post-secondary level.…”

“…This is a unique contribution to the literature as we know of only one other peer-reviewed study that examined Indigenous identity in health professional students and it did not include rehabilitation students. Previous works have already highlighted how Indigenous students are a diverse group of people (rural, remote, urban and from different Indigenous nations); in those studies, the student experiences were combined in the findings [9,11,27]. The students in this study spoke of some aspects of being an Indigenous post-secondary student that have been discussed in other literature, such as how Indigenous students have a more collective motivation for schooling (e.g., giving back to their community) and how they experience racism in their everyday lives [11,13,14,28,29].…”

“…Previous works have already highlighted how Indigenous students are a diverse group of people (rural, remote, urban and from different Indigenous nations); in those studies, the student experiences were combined in the findings [9,11,27]. The students in this study spoke of some aspects of being an Indigenous post-secondary student that have been discussed in other literature, such as how Indigenous students have a more collective motivation for schooling (e.g., giving back to their community) and how they experience racism in their everyday lives [11,13,14,28,29]. Our study provides more insight into the identity diversity within Indigenous health professional students by presenting their seven unique stories individually.…”

“…Factors negatively impacting retention and success include racism and discrimination in the classroom and in clinical rotations as well as numerous systemic barriers for non-completion of their degree. These barriers have been well-documented in the literature and include navigating Eurocentric systems, lack of adequate academic support, caring for family members while being a student, financial insecurity, less social support (particularly for students leaving their home communities to attend university), and deficit-based academic models [7,[9][10][11].…”

“…The literature has identified that cultural supports -i.e., strategies that support the cultural identity and expression of the individual -can increase student success rates [9]. Cultural supports include: Indigenous-specific philosophies and practices with Elders, Knowledge Keepers and counselors; a personal network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous mentors, faculty, and classmates; help with navigating financial supports; culturally appropriate recruitment and admission processes; pre-entry upstream recruitment programs; embedded Indigenous curriculum that centres Indigenous ways of knowing and being; flexible delivery of content; social and financial support; and program flexibility that allows students to return if they need to leave for some reason [9][10][11][12]. Anderson and colleagues [9] suggest that fostering, affirming and/or supporting a strong cultural identity is central to these supports, but expressing Indigenous identity in a colonized university environment can contribute to students experiencing further victimization [13,14].…”