A four-year, $1.9 million research and evaluation grant has been awarded to the NDSU Department of Nursing in partnership with Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Mount Sinai Medical School, University of North Dakota College of Nursing Recruitment/Retention of American Indians into Nursing (RAIN), North Dakota Area Health Education Center (ND AHEC), North Dakota Center for Nursing, and North Dakota Department of Labor.   The purpose of the project called Sustaining Career Pathways for American Indian Health Professionals in ND:  Building Apprenticeship and Workforce Options with the Next Steps Health Professions Opportunities Grant (HPOG) Project will be to enhance future employment options and sustainability of employment for Administration for Children & Families (ACF) Next Steps program participants.

The ultimate outcome of this grant is to build a workforce that is culturally diverse and responsive to the significant health care needs of the American Indian population in North Dakota.  Loretta Heuer, professor and principle investigator, indicated this grant will help build a sustainable career path for American Indian people to enter the professional health care workforce in North Dakota.

Molly Secor-Turner, assistant professor, has been hired as a co-investigator for the grant.  According to Secor-Turner this is a very exciting opportunity for the Department of Nursing.  “We are looking forward to working in partnership with our state-wide partners and tribal community college partners to better understand how to support a successful and culturally appropriate entry into nursing professions for Native American students,” she said.