Colleagues in Caring site: Alaska

Contact person and email address: Louise Dean, anlmd@uaa.alaska.edu

Recruitment initiative:
Targets Alaska natives to a nursing career- and works to facilitate their success in gaining access to nursing education and success in completing education program.

Timeframe/Target population:
Ongoing/Alaska Natives of all ages

Partners/Funders:
School of Nursing, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Southcentral Foundation - all native health organizations

Message:
Give back to your community - become a nurse

Evaluation of effectiveness:
Moderate-high. We graduate 5 Alaska native nurses each year. Increase in preclinical nursing majors from 26(FY00) to 41(FY01). Increase of 57%; of 26 preclinical nursing majors in FY00, 10 returned to school and NSS major in FY01 (38%). Three students entered clinical major in Fall 00.

Lessons learned:

• Proactive works better than reactive- We now have tutoring services for students before they get into academic difficulties.
• Alaska Native students dislike being singled out as being in need of special services - so we are inclusive.
• A sense of community is crucial to combating loneliness that Alaska natives experience on the college campus. We created a nursing hall in the dorm.
• One contact is not enough - multiple contacts over time are crucial.

URL for recruitment initiatives:

Resources available: