"As I arrived at the UND School of Nursing, I could hear the clatter of fixing and fussing that goes on when a new building is in the making. Pick-ups were backed up to the building, and men were carrying things in and out of the new part of the school.
The school is growing, and our communities will be the better for the growth.
Deb Wilson, director of the RAIN (Recruitment/retention of American Indians into Nursing) program, asked me to moderate a panel of four alumni who came to talk about their paths into nursing. I’ve always admired this dedicated program that has, almost single-handedly, staffed many of the Indian Health Service’s clinics and hospitals.
Ninety-five percent of the RAIN program’s graduates return to Indian country to help their communities.
It’s an admirable field and one that is extremely important to us when we’re in the hospital or in trouble with our health. As I mentioned in a recent column, I spent some time recently in the hospital. Nurses can make you feel better just by a kind word; but for a patient, the most important benefit is knowing the nurses are experts in their field."
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: The dreams that draw students into nursing (The Grand Forks Herald 4/19)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: Recovering from brain aneurysm surgery (4/17)
Yellow Bird: A fight for oil on the reservation (03/31)
Yellow Bird: Excitement in North Dakota's weather (3/26)
Yellow Bird: Thoughts on Sen. Obama and race (3/24)
Yellow Bird: Pray for rain in western North Dakota (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Grandchildren are the greatest gift (3/17)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow survives budget woes (3/10)
Yellow Bird: Stereotypes and Hillary Clinton (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Celebrating 125 years of UND history (3/3)
Yellow Bird: High hopes for Indian health bill (2/28)
Yellow Bird: More Plains foods that are good for you (2/25)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherries, the wonder fruit (2/20)
Yellow Bird: Sadness on a trip to Standing Rock (2/18)
Yellow Bird: It's time for a change in music (2/11)
Yellow Bird: 'Sioux' drives Indian students away (2/7)
Yellow Bird: Another cold January in North Dakota (1/30)
Yellow Bird: Tribal casinos should be alcohol free (1/28)
Yellow Bird: Race and gender in presidential race (1/23)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama is my choice for 2008 (1/16)
Yellow Bird: Artman right on off-reservation gaming (1/9)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama's big win in Iowa (1/7)
