Nursing students get advisor

Page 12

Aboriginal nursing students in Regina now have access to the same support system that their fellow students in Saskatoon have had since the late 1980's.

The Native Access Program to Nursing (NAPN), which works to recruit Aboriginal students into nursing, and then helps them with obstacles they may face in their studies, has recently opened an office in Regina, staffed by NAPN advisor Bev McBeth.

The NAPN program is offered by the nursing division of the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) and the College of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan. The new office will serve Aboriginal nursing students at SIAST's Wascana Campus.

According to Norma Wildeman, program head for the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS) at Wascana Campus, the program had been lobbying for a Regina NAPN advisor for a couple of years. Saskatchewan Health came through with funding for the expanded program last year.

As Wildeman explained, the existing NAPN program has its focus on serving students in Saskatoon, although some work was done trying to serve Regina students as well. With creation of the new Regina-based advisor, students in both centres will be receiving improved service.

"It is important - because it is one program, it's offered in two sites - that the students do have access to comparable services. So this certainly will help in that respect as well," Wildeman said.

McBeth will act as advisor to the Aboriginal nursing students enrolled both in the NEPS, and in the practical nursing program at Wascana. As advisor, she will offer advice and tutoring, help them access the services they need, and will sometimes also advocate on their behalf.

"We will help them with tutoring, with mentoring, with problems that many might have in accessing funding, childcare services, all of those kinds of things. Any kinds of problems that might keep them from their studies, basically. And we don't do this on our own. This is in collaboration with various services within SIAST," McBeth said.

McBeth brings to the position of advisor a background in both nursing and education. She has graduated from a psychiatric nursing program and a diploma nursing program, and also has her bachelors degree in education, and is on her last class for her masters degree in education.

While providing tutoring and advice to Aboriginal students will be one of McBeth's roles as NAPN advisor, she will also be working to recruit more Aboriginal students into the nursing program in Regina, Wildeman said.

"SIAST has an equity target for Aboriginal people of 12.2 per cent.

We're close to that in the program, but we have not met that target. And we would like to even do better. But we certainly do need a person that is encouraging and recruiting individuals of Aboriginal ancestry into nursing," Wildeman said.

"We're hoping that she'll be able to spend some time in the high schools in the city. And depending how her schedule provides, that she will be able to also cover some of the main areas in the southern part of the province where we might be able to recruit some people into nursing."

McBeth only started work as NAPN advisor in mid-January, but Aboriginal nursing students at Wascana Campus have already begun to use the services she's providing.

"We have an Aboriginal centre right next to my office, and it's being increasingly used. And the students are coming down to the office for help with a number of problems, including tutoring, and accessing their bands for funds for their books. Making phone calls. To sort of make it easier for them to liaise with the university and the bands. Some of them are taking university classes as well as nursing classes. And just sort of keeping things straightened out and smooth, so that they're not frustrated," McBeth said.

"I think the biggest thing is recruitment and retention," McBeth said of her role as advisor. "And having these young people prepared so that they're able to go ack to their home communities and participate in primary health care programs, which will be a big impact on their communities."