Intertribal Life Newspaper -

BOZEMAN, Mont.-American Indian and Alaska Native students in the Montana State University College of Nursing will have more opportunities to earn scholarships thanks to a new $2.5 million grant.

The funding will be used for Montana Advantage Nursing Scholarships, which aim to keep American Indian and Alaska Native students in school and increase their graduation rates. The grant, from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be distributed over five years.

Laura Larsson, professor in the College of Nursing and director of a program called Caring For Our Own that supports American Indian and Alaska Native nursing students, said the funds will be put to good use.

"The Caring for Our Own Program has a 20-year track record demonstrating that the nursing shortage in rural and tribal areas of Montana can be solved," Larsson said. "This funding will accelerate our progress."

Larsson said the funds will support 175 American Indian and Alaska Native nursing students between this fall and 2025. The scholarships are expected to support 24 students this year and will increase each year to a high of 37 students supported in the grant's final year.

All American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate nursing students are eligible for the scholarships, which are "full-ride," Larsson said.

"MSU College of Nursing is committed to increasing the number and quality of American Indian and Alaska Native nurses and primary care providers who are educated to deliver culturally sensitive health care services to American Indian and Alaska Native people living in remote, rural settings and, to a lesser degree, urban areas," Larsson said. "We know from years of research that having a health care workforce that mirrors the racial or ethnic identities of patients is critical for achieving good health outcomes. Better access to culturally competent, clinically excellent American Indian and Alaska Native nurses will help to meet the health care needs of Montana's tribal community members."

Started in 1999, the Caring for Our Own Program, or CO-OP, aims to recruit and graduate Native American nurses, particularly those who will work in Indian Health Service facilities on reservations or in urban settings. Forty-two students are currently enrolled in the program.

By offering resources and support to students, Larsson said the goal is to recruit more American Indian and Alaska Native students to nursing so nurses in the state will reflect the 6.5% of Montana's population who identify as Native American. Another goal is to retain American Indian and Alaska Native students across all College of Nursing programs at equivalent rates to their white counterparts.

"The Montana Advantage Nursing Scholarships will allow MSU College of Nursing to double our impact in this important area," said dean of the College of Nursing, Sarah Shannon. "We want to help Montana do a better job of providing health care for the Native American people who were its first citizens."