Program encourages Native Americans to enter medicine, and bring those skills back home

A new program is designed to encourage Native Americans and Alaska natives to pursue careers in healthcare so they can bring their skills home to practice in areas that have a dire need for medical professionals, Lynette Mullen reports for the Daily Yonder. (Yonder photo: Sammi Jo Goodwin wants to pursue a medical degree and use her skills to return home to the Karuk tribe in Northern California)

The program, Native Pathways, is offered through the National Center for Rural Health Professions. "For the last 20 years, the NCRHP has been recruiting future healthcare professionals from rural areas with the goal of returning graduates to their communities of origin to practice," Mullen writes. "Now they are expanding the program to target tribal communities."

Nearly 33 percent of Native Americans "live below the poverty line, compared to 13 percent of all Americans, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services," Mullen notes. "Native Americans also suffer high death rates from alcoholism, diabetes, accidents, suicides, homicide and other causes, resulting in a life expectancy that is six years lower than the U.S. average."

Getting Native Americans interested in moving away to college, and spending years away from home, won't be easy, Mullen reports. Terry Supahan, a rural advocate and member of the Karuk tribe in Northern California, told her, “These kids are coming from a strong Native American community and have no experience outside of that, which creates a significant cultural divide. Home is comfortable and where they are with people that have shared experiences with since birth. Leaving can be lonely. Fortunately this program creates cohorts of Native students that receive the support and encouragement of their peers, which can make all the difference. . . . I’ve heard local youth say it feels like you need a passport to travel outside Indian Country. It is very difficult to understand and appreciate the challenges inherent in living in such an isolated area: the sheer size and distances between different tribal communities; the hours-long drive to the airport. Those feelings of isolation make it much less likely that tribal students will consider an education elsewhere.” (Read more)