Strategies to Support Recruitment and Retention of First Nations Youth in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs in Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Aboriginal youth is one of the fastest growing of all populations in Saskatchewan today. This is a prime group to target for training in the health care professions. The need for strategies to support recruitment and retention in these programs is critical for maintaining our present standard and increasing demands of quality health care. Program initiatives and supports need to be implemented to encourage this population to enroll in and complete health care programs. Although only 5 years old, the University of Saskatchewan, First Nations University of Canada, and Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) have created a viable northern nursing program with a retention rate of Aboriginal postsecondary students 13% greater than the provincial norm. They graduated their first class of nursing students from and for the North, May 2006.

Aboriginal Recruitment and Retention in Nursing Education: A Review of the Literature

“…Aboriginal student experiences highlight factors specific to living conditions, fears and anxieties, inadequate educational preparation, culture shock when relocating to urban areas, a lack of Indigenous mentors and financial hardship (Anonson, Desjarlais, Nixon, Whiteman, & Bird, 2008;Martin & Kipling, 2006;Usher, Lindsay, Miller, & Miller, 2005). Aboriginal student experiences highlight factors specific to living conditions, fears and anxieties, inadequate educational preparation, culture shock when relocating to urban areas, a lack of Indigenous mentors and financial hardship (Anonson, Desjarlais, Nixon, Whiteman, & Bird, 2008;Martin & Kipling, 2006;Usher, Lindsay, Miller, & Miller, 2005).…”

“…Similarly, Yurkovich (2001) argued that Aboriginal students who enter Euro-Anglo educational settings become "painfully aware that their values, beliefs, and practices are in conflict with many practices and procedures of the educational culture" (p. 268). The presence of culturally relevant social supports, such as Indigenous mentorship and role models in educational institutions (Anonson et al, 2008;Martin & Kipling, 2006;Turale & Miller, 2006;Usher, Cook et al, 2005;Usher, Lindsay, Miller et al, 2005), and appropriate tutoring (Anonson et al, 2008;Hobenshield, Scow & Drees, 2007) were found to positively influence Aboriginal nursing students' social experiences in university or college. This lack is perceived by Aboriginal students to be a considerable barrier to their academic success (Usher, Lindsay, Miller et al, 2005).…”

“…Most nursing programs lack an Indigenous support person. Mentorship from other Indigenous students and Elders (Anonson et al, 2008;McBride & Gregory, 2005) were other examples cited in the literature as sources for support. The presence of culturally relevant social supports, such as Indigenous mentorship and role models in educational institutions (Anonson et al, 2008;Martin & Kipling, 2006;Turale & Miller, 2006;Usher, Cook et al, 2005;Usher, Lindsay, Miller et al, 2005), and appropriate tutoring (Anonson et al, 2008;Hobenshield, Scow & Drees, 2007) were found to positively influence Aboriginal nursing students' social experiences in university or college.…”

“…Many of the studies reviewed suggest that the difficulty that Aboriginal nursing students experience staying in university is also related to economic barriers, including financial hardship and inadequate funding (Association of Canadian Community Colleges [ACCC], 2005; Anonson et al, 2008;Arnault-Pelletier, Brown, Desjarlais, & McBeth, 2006;Malatest, 2002;Martin & Kipling, 2006). To address these difficulties, Goold and Usher (2006) and Gregory and Barsky (2007) among others, suggest that more financial support in the form of scholarships, bursaries, tuition waivers, and living allowances, as well as student loans, grants, travel allowances and childcare expenses are needed (INEWG, 2002;Labun, 2002;Malatest, 2002;Usher, Cook et al, 2005).…”

Resiliency: learning from Indigenous women in social work

“…In the fi eld of nur ing, the Uni' cr~tt y of Saskatchewan credits thei r ht gher retention of Indi genous students and gradu ates to the creation of formal n1e ntor~h1p and professional de\ elopn1ent progratns They ~pecdica ll y recruited and tratncd Ind1 genou~ students to take on the e roles creating ~p ace for n1ore Indi genous educators'" 1th1n the health ca re fi eld (Anonson, et aL 2008). They have partnered with other con1n1untty par1ncrs and disciplines to recruit Indi genou s n1 cntors to support an Indigenou s perspecti ve withtn learning.…”