Changing the narrative: Addressing American Indian/Alaska Native mental health needs through academic holistic support.

American Indian/Alaska Natives (AIAN) have some of the highest health disparities and poorest outcomes of all racial or ethnic minority groups in the United States. Across all age groups, suicide is 2.5 times higher in AIANs than the national average (National Indian Council on Aging, 2019). Cultural and institutional barriers prevent AIAN undergraduate and graduate college students from seeking mental health services, and many serious mental health problems remain untreated. While numerous barriers to mental health services exist for AIAN students, Indigenous faculty and support staff who share deep understanding of history, culture and traditional view of health and wellness can reduce the barriers and promote mental health and wellness for students. Shifting the focus to introduce a new narrative gives way to greater recognition of factors that create health and may help academic institutions provide holistic support for AIAN and other underrepresented students. The new narrative includes holistic strength-based support, social support, and fostering cultural identity and pride enhances mental health and success. Indigenization of the doctoral nursing curriculum supports faculty who are committed to decolonizing course content and institutionalized pedagogy. Improved health outcomes for Indigenous individuals and other underrepresented students will positively affect communities through increasing diversity of APRNs, nursing faculty, and nursing scholars.

Indigenous Model to Support Nursing Student Success, Cultural Identity and Workforce Diversity.

BACKGROUND: Indigenous nurses are underrepresented in the nursing workforce. Important strategies have been developed to increase the diversity of the future nursing workforce; however, unique cultural needs of Indigenous students must be addressed to provide holistic support while maintaining and strengthening cultural identity. METHOD: The Niganawenimaanaanig (We Take Care of Them) Indigenous Nursing Education Model was developed based on the Medicine Wheel and previous diverse nursing education models. This model supports the cultural, social, academic, and financial needs of Indigenous nursing students throughout recruitment, enrollment, retention, graduation, and licensure and specifies eight essential resources necessary for success. RESULTS: Lessons learned from implementing the Niganawenimaanaanig Model are shared. CONCLUSION: The Niganawenimaanaanig Model may be employed in nursing schools to guide educators and universities in promoting the success of Indigenous nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(9):523-527.].