Presenters: Trudy Unger, Josephine McKay, Chris Boychuk NAHO 2009 National Conference

1. Native Access Program to
Nursing and Medicine
(NAPN/M)
Sihtoskatowin (supporting one another)
EDUCATION IS OUR NEW BUFFALO

2. Long Term Vision
Increasing the number of
Aboriginal Peoples in the
healing careers
Working towards balanced,
healthy, Aboriginal
communities
NAPN/M Wall Quilt

3. Mission Statement
• Success and Excellence for
Aboriginal Health Science
Students
• To recruit and retain
Aboriginal students in the
Bachelor of Nursing Program
& the MD Program in the
College of Medicine
• Referrals to other programs,
“successful attrition”

4. Background
• 1985-1997
– National focus
– 12 week pre-nursing program
– 196 students
• 1998 – Present
– Support and retention service for Aboriginal students
interested and/or enrolled in the following programs: NEPS,
Post-RN, LPN, Second Degree Option Program, MN Program
and Medicine
• Current funding sources:
– First Nations Inuit Health Branch
– AHHRI
– U of S (College of Nursing, College of Medicine)
– SaskLearning – Advanced Ed & Employment

5. Saskatchewan Demographics
• Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal
population is 15% (141,870) and
is projected to be 20% by 2015
• Saskatoon and Regina
demographics are 9% Aboriginal
and 33% in Prince Albert
• 50% of Aboriginal people
currently live off-reserve
• By 2016 45% of children entering
kindergarten will be First
Nations/Métis
• 6% of Aboriginal people obtain a
University Degree compared to
15% of non-Aboriginals

6. U of S Aboriginal Demographics
• 1800/18,000 (or 10%) registered students at the UofS
self-identified as Aboriginal (this does not include
part-time student participants)
• Clustered in Law,
Nursing, Education,
Arts & Science
• A number of programs
target Aboriginal student
recruitment and retention

7. Current Statistics –Nursing
2009/10
• Current Enrollment
– 220+ Aboriginal students
– 42 Regina
– 82 Saskatoon
– 104 Prince Albert
• Equity Seats
– Saskatoon and Regina
• 32 each site (mainstream avail.)
– Prince Albert
• 40 seats
2007/08 & 2008/09 Kawacatoose First Nation
• 70+ Aboriginal NEPS graduates

8. Nursing Graduates

9. Current Statistics - Medicine
• 20 Aboriginal students studying in the MD Program
– Year One – 5 Year Two – 7
– Year Three – 5 Year Four - 3
• 14 Aboriginal MD Graduates since 1993
• 3 Aboriginal grads prior to 1993
College of Medicine Aboriginal student gathering September 2007
9

10. Student Support
• Student lounges
• Fall Orientations
• Honor ceremonies
2009 New NEPS Student Orientation
NAPN/M Student lounge, UofS Campus
• Access to culturally
appropriate counseling
& traditional teachings
as requested
Elders Mary Lee & Maria Linklater
NAPN Culture Camp

11. Student Support
• Advocacy (financial,
personal, academic)
• Tutoring & clinical skills
labs
• Assistance with research
and editing of papers
• Summer Employment Tanny Yole-Merasty
4th Year Student
NEPS 2009

12. Promotion & Recruitment
• Profile students
• NAPN/M website
• Career Fairs
• Advertising
Aboriginal Achievement Week 2007
• Presentations NEPS students, Vanessa Aubichon, Sasha
Yole-Merasty, Nicole Marshall, Vanessa
• Mailouts Laflamme
• Role Models

13. Pre-Health Science Group -
Saskatoon
• Category “B” Strategy
– Established in 2005
– Role model gatherings and luncheons
– Academic/personal advisement
– Scholarship and summer
employment opportunities
• Aboriginal First Year Experience
Program (AFYEP) – ASC
• University Transition Program
& Royal West Campus Shanna LaFrambroise
NAHO Role model

14. NAPN/M Health Science
Summer Camp 2009
• Up to 20 Aboriginal High
School Students
• On-campus for 2 weeks
experiential learning
activities
• Integrating Cultural,
Academic, Professional,
Social elements
• Partnership of
community, education, 2009 Health Science Summer Camp
research, and Students, Chaperones, Summer
government Students, and Coordinator

15. IPHRC Student Poster 2007

16. IPHRC Student Poster 2008

17. IPHRC Student Poster 2009

18. Other Initiatives
• Promote Aboriginal
Nurses Association of
Canada (ANAC) to
Nursing students and
RN’s
• Resource to UofS and
Val Arnault-Pelletier and Dr. SIAST staff
Veronica McKinney

19. Beardy’s Okemasis Clinical
Project
• Collaborate to increase Aboriginal community clinical
placements
• Partnership with SIAST Nursing Division & Beardy’s
Okemasis First Nation
• 6 students – Willow Cree Healing Lodge & Willow
Cree Health Centre
• Elder’s teachings, community building, clinical
practicum
Willow Cree Health Centre,
Beardy’s Okemasis First Nation

20. Christine MacKinley, One Arrow First Nations
2006 NEPS Graduate
Student Comments
“I don't think I would have
graduated without this
program. I think the more the
program provides services for
Aboriginal nursing students,
the more students will stay in
school and graduate…”
Val Arnault-Pelletier and Kayla Klotz,
NEPS graduate 2008
“I especially appreciate the spiritual support in times of
personal crisis. The staff offer...support in all aspects of
student life”

21. Student Comments
“Because of NAPN/M, I feel like I've had so
many opportunities to both connect with my
culture (i.e. through Cree classes) AND get
to know other Aboriginal people in the
health professions”
Nicole Marshall, 2009 NEPS Graduate
2008
NAPN/M
Christmas
Gathering
Sherry Clarke, Buffalo Narrows
2006 NEPS Graduate

22. Chris’s Story

23. Achievements
• Approximately 176 Aboriginal
people have graduated from
Nursing to Spring 2009
• Fall 2009, another 3
Graduated
• 224 Currently enrolled in
Nursing
– 82 Saskatoon
– 42 Regina
– 104 Prince Albert
• 3 Aboriginal Master’s Nursing
Students
• 20 Aboriginal students enrolled
in Medicine Peggy Lumberjack, Master of
Nursing student

24. Native Access Program to
Nursing/Medicine
Val Arnault-Pelletier Trudy Unger
Saskatoon Staff
Rhonda Goodtrack Josephine McKay

25. Native Access Program to
Nursing/Medicine
Questions or Comments