Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing

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1 Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing To the left: RRANN Bethel Summer Nurse Camp students with their stethoscopes and certificates. The RRANN Bethel Summer Nurse Camp is held for groups of students interested in an introduction to nursing. Students visit clinical settings, hear from nurses serving in the healthcare workforce, and learn to take blood pressures for elders in their community. We are proud of our future nurses! Kijik: Gathering Place Our newsletter is called, Kijik, or Gathering Place. Kijik (or Qizhjeh) was a well-populated Dena ina settlement. The Dena ina abandoned Kijik as a settlement in 1909 due to concern over a measles outbreak, but still gather at the site to collect subsistence foods necessary for a healthy life. This continues the long tradition of Kijik being a gathering place where people care for each other. RRANN wishes to offer its deepest respect and gratitude to James Hobson as well as his mother, Aggie, for their gift of this name capturing the dream of its students and staff: Native people joining in community to build a healthy future. We invite you to join us in these pages as a community celebrating the news and accomplishments of our people. Throughout this newsletter, we invite you to see several traditional values of Alaska that inspire and support each piece of our Kijik newsletter content. We hope you enjoy seeing traditional values alongside our articles and photos! Inside this Issue: 2-5: Our Recent Graduates 6: Recruitment Update: RRANN Staff Visits Fairbanks and Kotzebue 7: RRANN Student Profile: Sharon Dull, Bethel, Alaska 8: RRANN Kijik Gatherings: A Place to Share and Connect 9: RRANN Student Home Communities: Gathering from Many Places 10-11: Meet the RRANN Staff! 12-13: Interested in Supporting RRANN? 3211 Providence Drive Anchorage, Alaska (907)

2 Kijik Fall 2014 Page 2 Graduates who earned their Bachelors of Science in Nursing: Anchorage Campus: Cheryl George Bessareen Gonzalez Amanda McKinney My name is Amanda McKinney. I was born and raised in Anchorage, but my family is originally from Little Diomede and Wales. I am a December 2014 UAA graduate with my BS degree in nursing. I plan to work at ANMC after graduation. I really like the Critical Care Unit so far. I would like to say thank you to all those who helped to support me through school: my family, The CIRI Foundation, IHS Scholarship Program, ANMC Auxiliary Scholarship Program, and the RRANN Program. The support I received was so wonderful and it made my college education a possibility. My name is Bess Gonzalez, and I am from Minto, Alaska. I am a UAA graduate with my BS degree in nursing. I hope to gain employment at ANMC in the pediatric setting. I thank GOD for the many blessings in my life including the ability to achieve this goal. In Him, all things are possible. Thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me throughout my schooling and a special thanks to my husband without whom I could not have achieved my goal of becoming a nurse. I LOVE YOU BABE! My name is Cheryl George; my Yupik name is Arnarayuk. I am a December 2014 UAA graduate with my BS degree in nursing. I have known for years that I wanted to pursue a career in health care and chose nursing because it is a rewarding profession that will enable me to work with those in need. A family friend motivated me to pursue this profession and seeing the need for Native workers in healthcare is what pushed me to finish my degree. I thank the RRANN program not only for offering scholarships and tutors for classes but also for providing me with a network of people who can and have helped me through difficult times. The RRANN program is an integral part of my success. RRANN staff people are charismatic and warm-hearted individuals who genuinely care for students.

3 Page 3 Graduates who earned their Associates of Science in Nursing: Anchorage Campus: Pollyanna Bingman Tracy Frost Jim Gayheart Bethel Campus: Alison Angaiak Elizabeth Lee Marissa Rankin Dillingham Campus: Natasha Nielson Jocelyn Reamey Nome Campus: Jacqueline Ivanoff Theresa Olanna Sitka Campus: Rebekah Clifton My name is Alison Angaiak and I was born & raised in Bethel, Alaska. I started nursing school in Anchorage, and then transferred to the Bethel cohort to pursue my AAS degree in Nursing. I plan in working in my community though I am still undecided in which field. I'd like to thank my parents for being supportive and patient through my journey in academia. I thank RRANN Success Facilitators for being there to listen, be unbiased, to give endless encouragement and support. Lastly, I'd like to thank Mary Weiss for welcoming me with open arms into the Bethel cohort after a rough transition, organizing all the group study sessions, and making weekend clinicals manageable. My name is Jocelyn Reamey, and I am from Pilot Point, Alaska. I am honored to be a graduate of the RRANN program with an Associate of Applied Science degree from the UAA School of Nursing in the Dillingham cohort. I am so thankful to RRANN and all the staff. I thank my parents, my son Justin, all of my family, friends, coworkers and the community of Dillingham and surrounding villages. I thank all of my sponsors for scholarships, their support and encouragement. I look forward to serving my community as a nurse. Quyana! My name is Natasha Nielsen, and I am a December 2014 graduate of the UAA Associate of Nursing program in Dillingham, Alaska. We are responsible for each other as well as for ourselves. I plan to take my NCLEX early in the New Year and begin practicing as a registered nurse here in Dillingham at Kanakanak Hospital. I would like to thank RRANN for the support they have provided me with throughout my time in school. Also, I would like to give a special thanks to Rebecca Dreier and Stephanie Sanderlin, my RRANN contacts, for all their support and encouragement while earning my degree.

4 Kijik Fall 2014 Page 4 Associates of Science in Nursing: My name is Tracy Frost, and I am from Togiak, Alaska. I recently graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with my AAS degree in Nursing. I plan to work in a medical-surgical unit at the Alaska Native Medical Center. I would like to thank RRANN and its facilitators for being so supportive and generous. Without RRANN, it would have been more difficult to be able to obtain this degree and become a registered nurse. Having the tutoring available, scholarships, supplies, and just having meetings where we can come together, mingle, and support each other. I would love to be able to work with RRANN in keeping the program going and to give back the support they kindly shared with me. I would also like to thank the School of Nursing staff for their support as well. Lastly, my family support was key! Quyana. My name is Jim Gayheart. Born in Juneau and raised in Anchorage, I moved away for 13 years, I spent 10 of those years on active duty army on one tour to Iraq. I returned to Anchorage in 2010 to pursue my AAS degree in Nursing. I currently work at Alaska Native Medical Center and plan on staying there for my future employment. Special thank you to ANTHC for being so accommodating with my work schedule so I was able to attend classes and clinical rotations. My name is Marissa Rankin, and I am from Bethel, AK I earned my AAS Nursing degree in Nursing in December 2014 as part of the Bethel cohort. I plan to work at the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, in Bethel, AK Special thank yous: Thank you to RRANN, ONC, Calista, BNC, VFW Ladies Auxiliary, UAA Scholarships & YKHC for your support, and assistance.

5 Page 5 Associates of Science in Nursing: Waqaa. Winga Anugut-augua. My name is Elizabeth Lee, and I am from Bethel, Alaska. I am a Yupik graduate from the Bethel Nursing cohort obtaining an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing. As a registered nurse, I intend to continue to work for the people of rural/remote Alaska. Special thank you for the tremendous support from immediate family, close friends and several organizations, including the RRANN program, that made this dream possible. Quyana caknek ircaqumnek! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! My name is Theresa Olanna. I am from Shishmaref, Alaska. I plan on working in acute care at the Norton Sound Health Corporation. It serves the villages in the Bering Straits region, including Shishmaref. I will work in acute care, which includes pediatrics and adults, psychiatric patients, and labor and delivery. I am very excited! I'd like to thank my family and friends that encouraged me every step of the way through out the past 5 years, my amazing instructors who inspired me to be the best nurse I can be, and all of those who financially supported my education (Bering straits foundation, Aleut foundation, Kawerak, Norton Sound Health Corporation, Norton Sound Economic Development, RRANN, Shishmaref Native Corporation, and the UA foundation). I look forward to giving back to my region in return for everything that they have done for me! They allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. Were you a RRANN graduate? Would you like to reconnect? Greetings to all our RRANN alumni! We d like to hear what you are doing now in your careers and families, and we d love to feature that information in an alumni updates section we would like to add to future RRANN Kijik newsletters. If you have news to share with our Kijik newsletter audience, please contact Stephanie: smsanderlin@uaa.alaska.edu.

6 Kijik Fall 2014 Page 6 Recruitment News: RRANN Staff Visits Fairbanks and Kotzebue There have been many RRANN recruitment efforts this fall, including Alaska Federation of Natives Youth and Elders Conference and trips to Fairbanks and Kotzebue. RRANN Student Success Facilitator Rebecca Dreier has been busy traveling and talking! Rebecca Dreier Certified Nursing Assistants graduated in Fall 2014 in Kotzebue. They are now RRANN pre-majors! Above, November sunset in Kotzebue. Right, entrance to Maniilaq Clinic. RRANN students from Interior Alaska at Fairbanks Kijik Gathering. Rebecca Dreier and Pam Bowers at Youth and Elders Conference.

7 Page 7 Sharon Dull: Walking the path to a degree in Nursing Sharon Dull is a nursing student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus (KuC) in Bethel. She is pursuing her AAS degree in Nursing and will graduate in Fall Sharon says, My cultural background motivated me to pursue success by encouraging me to give back to my community and be a role model for others. My family is also a big part of my perseverance for success by supporting and motivating me. KuC Vision: Remember what you are taught and told. Never give up. Elitnauraput cikiumalartut puqigmek wangkuta-llu ellaitenek elitesqelluta. Our students are given wisdom to learn so that we can also learn through them. Have you visited the RRANN Facebook Page? The RRANN Facebook page is an online gathering and sharing place. You can find announcement and updates for RRANN events as well as articles, pictures, and news from the healthcare field and from Native communities. The RRANN Facebook page is another place we can connect! Please visit: Listen with your heart and mind.

8 Kijik Fall 2014 Page 8 RRANN Kijik Gatherings: A Place to Share and Connect Gatherings with food and sharing are a vital part of Alaska Native/American Indian culture. RRANN staff ensures that culturally appropriate foods are served at most of our RRANN Kijik gatherings to celebrate tradition and combat the homesickness, sadness, and isolation that Alaska Native/American Indian students often face. RRANN Kijik gatherings occur monthly during Fall and Spring semesters. Each gathering provides a place for students to connect with each other and guest speakers to encourage, inform, and enrich them. Here is what is scheduled* for students in Spring 2015: January: UAA Financial Aid Officer Carrie Burford Financial Aid and Scholarships February: Professor Elizabeth Driscoll, PhD, FNP, RN Head Start Volunteer Opportunities in Nunapitchuk, Pilot Station, Kwethluk, Grayling, and Holy Cross. March: Veterans Affairs Equal Employment Officer James Kirkland Veterans Affairs Learning Opportunity Residency (VALOR) Program April: Nurse Recruiter Gloria Rhodes Employment at Alaska Native Medical Center *May change due to changes in guest speakers schedules. Would you like to serve as a guest speaker? If you are a RRANN supporter and especially if you are a RRANN alum we would be honored to have you volunteer as a guest speaker for one of our RRANN Kijik gatherings. We are always looking for people to speak on healthcare/nursing, Native traditions, customs, values, and issues, volunteer opportunities, and community building. Guest speakers are very welcome to eat with us! To volunteer as a guest speaker, please contact Stephanie at smsanderlin@uaa.alaska.edu. Fishing for salmon to nourish students at RRANN Kijik Gatherings! Gather knowledge and wisdom from your elders.

9 Page 9 RRANN Students Home Communities: Gathering from Many Places Share with others whenever possible.

10 Kijik Fall 2014 Page 10 Jackie Pflaum RRANN Project Coordinator An itinerant public health nurse in the Yukon Kuskokwim region before joining the University of Alaska Anchorage faculty in 1979, Jackie Pflaum is now the Associate Vice Provost for Health Programs Development. Her research in nursing history includes a biography of Elinor Gregg, first Nursing Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Rebecca Dreier UAA/UAF RRANN Student Success Facilitator rrdreier@alaska.edu Born in Bethel, but raised in the Fairbanks area, Rebecca Dreier comes from a long line of educators and holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the UAF. Her professional background includes many years of work with at -risk student populations and Alaska Native students in elementary and high schools. She has over 25 years of experience in coaching/ mentoring in many different areas, including sports, performing arts, and community service groups. Rebecca also has many years of community involvement with the many diverse cultural groups and individuals in our state including her membership in Pav va Inupiaq Dancers, a dance group based in Fairbanks. Rebecca works with RRANN students all around Alaska. She truly enjoys connecting with the wide variety of communities and cultures in our state. Joel Manalo Tutor Coordinator jnmanalo@alaska.edu Joel Manalo was born and raised in the Philippines. He moved to Ketchikan, Alaska in September 2000 at the age of 11. Moving to the US at such a young age allowed Joel to quickly adapt to American culture. During high school, Joel took a Child Psychology class as he was interested in pursuing a teaching degree. His interest in health care as well led him to a medical terminology class. Part of the medical terminology course allowed students to shadow somebody in a hospital. Joel was partnered with a nurse in a long-term care facility and noticed that the nurse did patient teaching in regards to their medications. This taught Joel that nursing involves more than caring for the sick as nurses are also educators. Nursing is a profession that will allow Joel to combine both of his career interests! In August 14, 2014, Joel graduated from the UAA with his BS in Nursing. As the RRANN tutor coordinator, he tutors nursing students from different trimesters. He also connects pre-nursing students who seek tutoring for nursing pre-requisite classes. He says, This job allows me to give back to students by tutoring them. It also helps me develop effective teaching styles while maintaining the knowledge I have acquired in nursing school. Joel is very interested in becoming a nursing educator in either the university or clinical setting. He recently passed the NCLEX and attained his RN license and plans to work in clinical settings before pursuing a higher degree in nursing.

11 Page 11 Shannon Sumner UAF Recruiter/Advisor and RRANN Student Success Facilitator Shannon Sumner started life in South Dakota, a land with Family Therapy. Her Internship winter similar to her new hometown of Bethel, Alaska. was at Olympic College in WA, She is the youngest in a family of five, and moved to and she stayed on there as a Southern California in grade school. She graduated from Arizona State University with a BA in Liberal Arts, which Counselor and Career Advisor, helping nursing and pre-nursing is the degree many students who like multiple subjects students reach their goals to equally often complete! become R.N's. She spent 10 years in the land of books and learning, This Fall, she made her way north to the off the road first as an Elementary Librarian, then as a Young Adult system to the tundra town of Bethel. As the RRANN Librarian in the Seattle area. She decided that she wanted Student Success Facilitator on the Kuskokwim Campus in to help folks learn more about themselves, and went back to school for a Master's degree in Marriage and Bethel, she is continuing to serve students who look to contribute to their communities as nurses. UAA RRANN Student Success Facilitator Stephanie Sanderlin smsanderlin@uaa.alaska.edu Stephanie Sanderlin is of Yup ik, Aleut, Russian, and German heritage and is originally from Dillingham, Alaska. Her parents, Jim and Jeanie Timmerman, raised Stephanie along with her three younger siblings in a subsistence and commercial fishing family. After graduating from Dillingham High School, Stephanie attended Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa Robert Love robert.love@uas.alaska.edu With 25 years of experience educating the youth of Alaska, Robert (Bob) Love has served our state as a principal, teacher, and counselor for Craig City Schools and Mt. Edgecumbe High and received her B.A. in English Teaching. She spent 15 years in secondary education before moving to the UAA School of Nursing to work for the Anchorage RRANN program. Since Stephanie's mother served as an Alaska public health nurse for over 30 years and currently works for the Head Start program as Wellness Content Manager, Stephanie has been pretty well-acquainted with nursing and nurses throughout her lifetime. Consequently, she realizes the incredible role nurses play in healthcare and is eager to help Alaska Native and American Indian students as they pursue their nursing degrees. UAS Outreach Specialist School, located in Sitka, Alaska serving s student body of mainly Alaska Natives and students from rural Alaska. Currently housed at the University of Alaska Sitka campus, Bob works with the students of Southeast Alaska in Sitka, Juneau, and Ketchikan. He also works within the Career Education Department as a Recruitment Specialist. Life is gifted to you. What you make of it is your gift in return.

12 Kijik Spring/Summer 2014 Page 12 Interested in supporting RRANN? The goal of Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives in Nursing (RRANN) is to increase the percentage of Alaska Native and American Indians in nursing to equal their percentage of Alaska s population (16%). Through recruiting Alaska Native students into nursing and providing both group and individual support through their studies, the program has helped over 120 Alaska Native and American Indian students graduate from UAA s nursing programs. RRANN is one of UAA s most successful initiatives with a 96% graduation rate. Respect and obey the traditions of your elders. RRANN matters! Providing culturally relevant health care is not a matter of political correctness; it is often a matter of life and death. When cultural competency is missing from health care, important information is not communicated, symptoms of illness are overlooked or misinterpreted and patient outcome suffers. RRANN Founder, Tina DeLapp, EdD, R.N. RRANN helped me a lot when I was going through the nursing program. Now I have the income to give back, and I feel that s important because I believe in RRANN with all my heart. RRANN Graduate and Donor, Flora Sapp, R.N. For more information about making a gift, contact Anecia Tretikoff O Carroll at (907) or atocarroll@uaa.alaska.edu.

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14 3211 Providence Drive Anchorage, Alaska Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit #107 Anchorage, AK (907) Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing is vital, enriching, and valuable to both the University of Alaska system and Alaska s diverse and varied communities. RRANN began in 1998 with federal grant funds to recruit and mentor Alaska Native and American Indian students in the pursuit of nursing degrees. In 2006, UAA ranked 7th in the nation for Alaska Native and American Indian students earning Bachelor degrees in various health-related programs. Sixty percent of these graduates were RRANN students. RRANN employs student success facilitators around the state to support students in the day-to-day challenges of school and life. The program also helps students connect with on-campus housing, career and academic advising, job placement, and academic and financial aid resources, including a scholarship program open only to RRANN students. RRANN students have access to the free loan of tools like lab coats, stethoscopes, SmartPens, and scrubs. RRANN, in partnership with community and other UAA agencies, also works to provide enriching gatherings and guest speakers who offer guidance and wisdom to students as they continue in their pathways to nursing careers. Since 1998, RRANN has proudly seen 217 Alaska Native and American Indian students graduate from the School of Nursing. Approximately eighty percent of RRANN graduates remain in Alaska to serve our population with excellent and culturally relevant health care.