Supporting Australian Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal nursing students using mentoring circles: an action research study

Beyond enrolments: a systematic review exploring the factors affecting the retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health students in the tertiary education system

“…Other reasons for withdrawing included: high workload, fatigue, illness and cultural isolation, unclear expectations, and faculty staff.More support from the university may have encouraged respondents to continue.MediumFarrington et al (2001) [46]New South Wales (University of Sydney)Qualitative Interviews26 Cadigal Program students from the following courses: physiotherapy, occupation and leisure studies, communication and speech disorders, nursing, medical radiation (unclear how many participated from each course).Response rate: unspecified.Health SciencesFactors which influence participation, progression and retention of Indigenous students in full time health courses.Sources of support: family, previous positive educational experiences, the Cadigal program and other Indigenous students.Factors that caused students to contemplate withdrawing: family and personal crises, financial difficulties and racism from non-Indigenous students.Strategy: the Cadigal program consisted of a two-week orientation program, the option of reduced load during first 2 years combined with the Aboriginal Health Science Support program, peer tutoring and access to facilities and resources.MediumGarvey et al (2009) [47]New South Wales (University of Newcastle)Qualitative Focus groups16 Indigenous medical students.Response rate: 89% of Indigenous students enrolled in second or subsequent year.MedicineExperiences of 16 Indigenous medical students and their perceptions of the factors influencing their progression.Support provided by family, peers, senior Indigenous students and faculty staff was pivotal to students’ well-being and progression through training.Financial difficulties were cited as a reason to withdraw from studies. Other barriers that affected progression included: homesickness, personal and family issues, lack of confidence and racial discrimination.HighKippen et al (2006) [20]Victoria (La Trobe University)Qualitative Interviews, focus groups16 participants (14 Indigenous (academics, public health students and key community stakeholders), 2 non-Indigenous public health academics).Response rate: unspecified.Purposive sampling.Public HealthEnablers and barriers affecting recruitment and retention of Indigenous Public Health students.Family, positive role models and the Indigenous Student Support Centre were important sources of support.Barriers included: negative past educational experiences, family obligations, lack of Indigenous staff, cultural insensitivity by non-Indigenous staff and lack of formal articulation pathways from VET courses.HighMills et al (2014) [48]Queensland (James Cook University)QualitativeInterviews11 Indigenous nursing students.Response rate: 92% of mentoring circle participants.NursingDescribes the trial of a mentoring circle to support and retain Indigenous nursing students in a remote community.Mentoring circle consisting of one or two mentors and 12 students met regularly over two semesters. Students formed a group identity and provided support to one another.…”

“…Half ( n = 13) of the studies focused on issues affecting nursing and midwifery students [11, 28, 34, 48–53, 55, 57, 60, 62], five studies focused on medical students [45, 47, 58, 59, 64], three focused on psychology students [43, 56, 63], one study focused on public health students [20], and four studies reported on issues affecting Indigenous students across several health disciplines (courses included: dentistry, health science, human movement, medicine, nursing and midwifery, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry) [44, 46, 54, 61]. No articles reported specifically on the retention of dental students or any of the other allied health courses (such as social work or physiotherapy) apart from psychology.…”

“…Family support included emotional, financial and physical support, including when students were far away geographically, and it gave participants the confidence to go to university and encouraged them to remain there. Peer support from fellow Indigenous students, particularly those studying a health course, was also very important [28, 46, 48, 50–52, 60]. The value of support from workplaces and professional networks such as the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) and the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) was also identified [44, 47, 50–52].…”

Supporting Undergraduate University Students through Instrumental Mentoring

“…Mentoring programs in higher education settings have been found to have benefits for students who require academic support, as well as those from underrepresented groups (Beltman, Samani, & Ala'i, 2017). For example, a number of mentoring programs have been used to support Australian Indigenous university students (Beltman et al, 2017;Mills et al, 2014). In a survey of mentoring programs in Australian universities that targeted students from underrepresented groups, most mentoring programs focused on engagement at the beginning of courses, while others aimed at raising aspirations of prospective students and others focused on the transition to careers after university (Beltman et al, 2017).…”

The participation of Australian Indigenous students in higher education: a scoping review of empirical research, 2000–2016

“…Access to appropriate information, infrastructure, and resources within the university has also been highlighted (Barney 2013;Hossain et al 2008;Oliver et al 2013Oliver et al , 2015Usher et al 2005), facilitated through support services and programs (Barney 2013;Fleet et al 2007;Hossain et al 2008;Morgan 2001;Oliver et al 2013;Shah and Widin 2010;Usher et al 2005). A number of these studies also show that formal and informal mentoring provides a mechanism for engagement on campus as well as a source of information about university systems and procedures (Barney 2013;Cameron and Robinson 2014;Fleet et al 2012;Kinnane et al 2014;Mills et al 2014;Oliver et al 2013;Sharrock and Lockyer 2008;Usher et al 2005). Support from peers, opportunities for networking, and other social aspects of university life provide important connections (Barney 2013;Fleet et al 2007;Morgan 2001;Oliver et al 2013Oliver et al , 2015Rigby et al 2010;Usher et al 2005;West et al 2014).…”