Increasing AI/AN representation in health professions

Increasing AI/AN representation in health professions

Mentoring, support programs, and culturally appropriate recruitment efforts are needed to increase American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) representation in health professions. According to the most recent data available from the Campaign for Action, the number of new AI/AN registered nurses declined between 2013 and 2017. And there was no significant growth in the number of AI/AN people applying to or entering medical school from 2006–2018, according to the comprehensive report, Reshaping the Journey: American Indians and Alaska Natives in Medicine (PDF, 4.8 MB, 78 pp) from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIC).

Through the report, the AAMC and AAIC recommend strategies to create a health care workforce that is more inclusive of Native voices and that is better prepared to address health disparities. The report urges medical schools and teaching hospitals to step up their efforts to recruit, retain, and graduate qualified AI/AN students. It also showcases medical schools that have successfully increased their AI/AN student populations and integrated AI/AN-focused programs.