Integrated nursing access program: an approach to prepare aboriginal students for nursing careers

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Health
• Nursing Education
• Post-secondary Innovation

Background:

• Transferring Canadian Aboriginal healthcare to Aboriginal professionals necessitates educational reform.
• Innovative approaches in post-secondary education are crucial for this transition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Integrated Nursing Access Program (INAP) for Aboriginal students.
• To detail INAP's phenomenological curriculum design and progress.
• To highlight the integration of Indigenous knowledge in nursing education.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological approach to curriculum design.
• Embedding traditional Indigenous knowledge and methodologies.
• A blended learning model combining high school and first-year nursing courses.

Main Results:

• The INAP Bachelor of Nursing program spans six years.
• The initial three years integrate high school completion with foundational nursing coursework.
• Students have successfully completed the first half of the program.

Conclusions:

• The INAP program demonstrates a viable model for educating Aboriginal nursing students.
• Integrating Indigenous knowledge is key to culturally relevant healthcare education.
• The program shows promise in increasing the number of Aboriginal healthcare professionals.