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ABSTRACT
Canada does not have enough aboriginal nurses and aboriginal nursing faculty. Consequently, there is an inadequate number of nurses to meet both on- and off-reserve and community health care staffing needs. In 2002, Health Canada asked the Canadian Association of University Schools of Nursing to facilitate a national task force that would examine aboriginal nursing in Canada. The task force engaged in an extensive literature review, conducted a national survey of nursing programs, and explored recruitment and retention strategies. In 2007, the association prepared an update on the current status. In this article, the authors review the progress made during the intervening five years in the recruitment, retention and education of aboriginal nursing students.
KEYWORDS
aboriginal nursing, education, nursing shortage, recruitment and retention, student recruitment
There are only 3,250 self-declared aboriginal nurses (registered, practical and psychiatric nurses) in Canada at this time (B. Thomas, Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada, personal communication, January 23, 2008). This number reflects a shortage that has led to staffing crises. This article reports on the findings of two studies that explored the state of aboriginal nursing in Canada. Particular emphasis is placed on the 2007 update of the original study.
In 2002, Health Canada approached the Canadian Association of University Schools of Nursing to establish a national task force charged with examining the recruitment, retention and education of aboriginal registered nurses in Canada. The task force engaged in an extensive literature review and conducted a national survey of nursing programs, with a focus on student enrolment and success in nursing programs, barriers faced by aboriginal people who wanted to pursue a nursing career, and supports and resources available to nursing students. Against the Odds, the task force's final report, identified the successes and challenges in recruiting aboriginal people into nursing education and retaining them as clinical practitioners with Health Canada's First Nations and lnuit Health Branch (FNIHB) and in band-transferred communities (Health Canada, 2002). The report included recommendations based on consultation with individuals, communities and organizations. These recommendations centred on six thematic areas: preparation; recruitment; admission, nursing access and bridging programs; student progression; and post-graduation recruitment and retention.
2007 REPORT
Five years later, the association (now known as the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing [CASN]) commissioned a...