Pre-health program gets funding boost

Page 9

The University College of the Cariboo (UCC), in partnership with the Secwpemc Cultural Education Society (SCES), has received funding that will establish a program designed to encourage Aboriginal participation in the field of nursing. The program is one of three grants received to fund UCC First Nations programming.

"This is essentially a pre-nursing program," said UCC spokesperson Josh Keller. "What was proposed is about a 10-month course of study over three successive terms. The idea being to encourage and facilitate First Nations student access into our nursing program or possibly other health care programs."

The primary focus is to introduce students to nursing as a professional career and to focus on the issues of Native health, he said. Course content would include First Nations' culture, health and history and some of the work would be transferable for university credit.

"There is a growing and aging First Nations population that needs and deserves culturally sensitive health care," said Lori Pilon, special projects manager at SCES. "First Nations are taking on more responsibility for health care in their communities, so we need people that are knowledgeable in First Nations issues, culture, language to represent First Nations, to develop and run these programs."

The pre-health program will be delivered beginning September 2001 with a 20-student intake.

"We are at the planning and development stage. We've formed an advisory team with reps from Health Canada, band [community health representatives], health transfer program, UCC and [Simon Fraser University]. And we will meet to determine what courses will go into the program, what format of delivery and accreditation, and we will do that over the upcoming year," Pilon said.

The program will be delievered on the Kamloops reserve.

"We've shown that with smaller classes and a less intimidating environment that students do better," Pilon said.

The ever-evolving education society was established in 1983 and came out of a declaration of the 17 Shuswap bands to work in unity to preserve the language, culture and history of the Shuswap people. The society currently operates a museum, archives and heritage park with a language department, a monthly newspaper and a Secwpemc language institute which provides adult education from literacy up to a college prep program, a trades program, and, through a partnership agreement with SFU, a post secondary program.

UCC works closely with Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in nearby Merritt, and has been the accrediting agency for NVIT for many years. The two institutions are currently in the process of building a joint facility in Merritt.

UCC also works with the Cariboo Tribal Council on a number of programs that are unique and specific to students in its region. In fact, a $75,000 grant was also made available to fund the weekend university program in Williams Lake, which is delivered in partnership with UCC, University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and the tribal council.

One of the real challenges of serving Aboriginal communities is the distance involved, said Keller. The traditional way of education is to put the programs on and have people come to it. The weekend university program takes the opposite approach.

The weekend university program takes teaching to the community, ultimately leading those, usually adult, students to the completion of a university degree using both UCC courses and UNBC courses, and making a university education more accessible.

A $25,000 grant was received by UCC to establish the First Nations Learning Centre in Williams Lake. Grants were provided by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, Aboriginal post-secondary special project fund.