Public health and health professional education at a tribal college: a collaborative immersion program in rural North Dakota

Abstract

Introduction: Native Americans have some of the worst health outcomes of any minority group in the USA, and are severely under-represented in the health professional workforce. From 2009 to 2015, partners from a tribal college in rural North Dakota and academic institutions in New York collaborated to create a program wherein non-Native health professionals traveled to the reservation to teach a summer course to Native students. This study assessed the impact of the program on both the Native students who took the course and the non-Native health professionals who taught the course. Methods: Focus groups composed of former students in the program were held in Spirit Lake, North Dakota. Non-Native student teachers were surveyed using an online survey tool. Focus group data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: Fifteen former students participated in the focus groups. Participants stated that their experiences in the course increased interest in health professions and knowledge of public health issues. Participants also described barriers to entering health professionals for Native students and the benefits of close interaction with non-Native individuals. Eighty-six percent (24/28) of former course teachers responded to the survey. Survey respondents stated their experiences in North Dakota increased their understanding of underserved populations and their interest in working in rural areas. Conclusion:This study assessed the successes and limitations of a collaborative, interprofessional immersion program in rural North Dakota. Similar programs may increase the number of Native Americans in health professions and increase non-Native health professional interest in and engagement with rural communities.

Interprofessional Education Opportunities and Challenges for Public Health Students

“…Public health, health policy, and clinical topics can be taught effectively by a team of interprofessional community experts and lead to increased student understanding of the health policy importance for individual and population health outcomes (Clithero et al 2016). Student experience in training will increase interest in the health profession and knowledge of public health issues (Austin et al 2019). Students can play important and effective role in increasing health education opportunities globally (Moran et al 2015).…”

Preparing genetic counselors to serve Native American communities

“…It is worthwhile to note however, that these developments may be at a distance from the communities they are designed to benefit. Reports of medical education efforts that have increased knowledge about the health professions among Native American students and that have increased health professionals' commitment to underserved populations suggest that physical proximity facilitates effective cultural learning to a greater degree than simply incorporating issues into a curriculum or learning from a distance (Austin et al 2019;Gallagher et al 2019). One immersive program where pharmacy students could live and work alongside IHS practitioners and Community Health Representatives showed a significant impact on the career choice for those students, increasing their likelihood of choosing a career that serves predominantly Native American communities (Roche, 2014).…”

Perspectives: Leadership in rural health through policy generation: attraction and recruitment in rural Australia

“…This strategy builds on the strength and value of communities, their relationships, networks and uniqueness to develop and sustain the rural and remote workforce (Bushy and Leipert, 2005; Trepanier et al., 2013; World Health Organization, 2010). Examples from North Dakota, (Austin et al., 2019), mid-northern Canada (Zimmer et al, 2014) and Queensland, Australia, (State of Queensland (Queensland Health), 2018) point to the increasing success of such collaborative interprofessional approaches. Practitioner benefits include cross-cultural exposure that leads to life-changing interest, shared experiences, clinical practice and cultural competence.…”