In a continued university effort to assess instruction in order to offer the best undergraduate education, WSU’s Intercollegiate College of Nursing (ICN) plans to research the effectiveness of its Native American Summer Nursing Institute.
The institute, which has been in operation since 1995, is intended to recruit Native American students into college and nursing.
“Early evaluations have shown that, after attending the camp, more students saw nursing as a career with autonomy, power, financial rewards and a chance to contribute to their tribes,” said Janet Katz, assistant professor at ICN. “But we want more data on whether this type of recruitment program works.”
A $19,203 grant from Group Health Community Foundation will allow the college to design “a culturally relevant way to track the students long term and observe whether they become nurses,” Katz said.
The Na-Ha-Shnee Native American Summer Nursing Institute is the only program in the Northwest that recruits Native American students into college and nursing. Staffed by Native American nurses and counselors, the institute offers a free summer camp to Native American high school students from Northwest tribes.
Students learn nursing assessment skills, CPR and first aid, and background in diabetes, childbirth, STDs, birth control and wellness. Additionally, they learn Native American herbal remedies and healing rituals.
