MSU receives $2.1 million grant to help Native Americans succeed in nursing

BOZEMAN — A program at Montana State University that is designed to help Native Americans succeed in nursing has received a grant worth $2.1 million that will be used to support nursing students.

MSU’s Caring for Our Own Program in the College of Nursing, or CO-OP, received the grant renewal from the Indian Health Service. The five-year grant will support 10 American Indian nursing students per year with funds for tuition, books and other educational expenses.

“We’re really thrilled to receive this grant from the Indian Health Service,” said Laura Larsson, interim associate director of CO-OP. “It will make a huge difference to numerous American Indian nursing students here at MSU now and for years to come, and, ultimately, we know it will also help enable culturally sensitive health care for American Indian communities.”

Started in 1999, CO-OP aims to recruit and graduate Native American nurses who will work in Indian Health Service facilities on Native American reservations or in urban settings. CO-OP supports both undergraduate and graduate students with advising, and, if needed, tutoring, and through the program students receive financial assistance with tuition, books, fees and supplies. Many students and graduates also say the informal support from CO-OP peers and administrators was crucial to their success in achieving their dream to become a nurse or nurse practitioner.

This year, Larsson said, two of the 10 students who are supported by the IHS grant are pursuing doctoral degrees; the other eight students are undergraduates. Students who are financially supported while in school will then pay back that support by serving in an Indian Health Service facility for two years.

Having more Native American nurses is important, Larsson said, because evidence shows it results in better outcomes for Native American patients.

“The literature shows us over and over again that this is important,” she said. “There are better outcomes when patients are taken care of by someone from their background.”

However, Larsson noted that American Indians comprise only about 0.4% of the nursing workforce nationally, while American Indians comprise 1.7% of the U.S. population, according to the federal Office of Minority Health.

“American Indians are terribly underrepresented in nursing,” she said. “This needs to change. We are proud that the CO-OP program has been successful in creating that change, thanks, in large part, to the IHS grant funding.”

After graduation, many of MSU’s Native American nursing students return to their home communities to work in hospitals and other health care facilities, according to Monti Pavatea, program manager for CO-OP. She said that being attuned to cultural traditions and cultural sensitivities helps the nurses relate to community members who are patients in those facilities and provide excellent care.

“They can relate culturally to the traditions and languages of the community,” she said.

College of Nursing Dean Sarah Shannon noted that a goal of the Caring for Our Own program has been to have the percentage of College of Nursing students who are Native American roughly equal the percentage of Montana’s population who are Native American: 6.5%.

“American Indians are 6.5% of our state’s population. We’d like our students to reflect all Montanans by having 6% or more of our students be Native American,” Shannon said. “Our goal is to improve the health of Montana’s rural and underserved communities. The CO-OP program is key to ensuring that MSU College of Nursing serves the tribal communities within Montana by producing Native American bachelor’s prepared nurses and DNP-prepared nurse practitioners.”

CO-OP celebrated its 20th anniversary this fall. Since its founding, more than 100 undergraduate students in the program have completed their bachelor’s nursing degrees, Larsson said. She added that those students have represented every tribal nation in Montana. Students from tribal communities in many other states, such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, California, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, have also completed their nursing degrees at MSU.

There are currently 35 students in the Caring for Our Own Program, including 29 undergraduates who will earn bachelor’s degrees and six Doctor of Nursing Practice students who will become family nurse practitioners or psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners. More information about CO-OP is available at montana.edu/coop/.