recruitment and retention of alaska natives into nursing · recruitment and retention of alaska...

Kijik: Gathering Place

3211 Providence Drive

Anchorage, Alaska 99508

(907) 786-6944

http://nursing.uaa.alaska.edu/rrann

https://www.facebook.com/rrann.nwdp

Our newsletter is called, Kijik, or “Gathering Place.”

Kijik (or Qizhjeh) was a well-populated Dena’ina settlement. The

Dena’ina abandoned Kijik as a settlement in 1909 due to concern

over a measles outbreak, but still gather at the site to collect

subsistence foods necessary for a healthy life. This continues the

long tradition of Kijik being a gathering place where people care

for each other.

RRANN wishes to offer its deepest respect and gratitude to

James Hobson as well as his mother, Aggie, for their gift of this

name capturing the dream of its students and staff: Native people

joining in community to build a healthy future.

We invite you to join us in these pages as a community

celebrating the news and accomplishments of our people.

Inside this Issue:

8: RRANN Kijik Gatherings:

A Place to Share and Connect

9: RRANN Student Home Communities:

Gathering from Many Places

10-11: Meet the RRANN Staff!

12-13: Interested in Supporting RRANN?

2-5: Our Recent Graduates

6: Recruitment Update:

RRANN Staff Visits Fairbanks and Kotzebue

7: RRANN Student Profile:

Sharon Dull, Bethel, Alaska

Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing

Throughout this newsletter,

we invite you to see several

traditional values of Alaska

that inspire and support each

piece of our Kijik newsletter

content. We hope you enjoy

seeing traditional values

alongside our articles and

photos!

To the left: RRANN Bethel Summer

Nurse Camp students with their

stethoscopes and certificates.

The RRANN Bethel Summer Nurse

Camp is held for groups of students

interested in an introduction to nursing.

Students visit clinical settings, hear from

nurses serving in the healthcare

workforce, and learn to take blood

pressures for elders in their community.

We are proud of our future nurses!

http://nursing.uaa.alaska.edu/rrann/


K

ijik Fall 20

14

Graduates who earned their Bachelors of Science in Nursing:

Anchorage Campus:

Cheryl George

Bessareen Gonzalez

Amanda McKinney

My name is Amanda McKinney. I was born and raised

in Anchorage, but my family is originally from Little

Diomede and Wales. I am a December 2014 UAA

graduate with my BS degree in nursing.

I plan to work at ANMC after graduation. I really like

the Critical Care Unit so far.

I would like to say thank you to all those who helped

to support me through school: my family, The CIRI

Foundation, IHS Scholarship Program, ANMC Auxiliary

Scholarship Program, and the RRANN Program. The

support I received was so wonderful and it made my

college education a possibility.

My name is Cheryl George; my Yupik name is Arnarayuk. I am a December 2014 UAA

graduate with my BS degree in nursing.

I have known for years that I wanted to pursue a career in health care and chose nursing

because it is a rewarding profession that will enable me to work with those in need. A family

friend motivated me to pursue this profession and seeing the need for Native workers in

healthcare is what pushed me to finish my degree.

I thank the RRANN program not only for offering scholarships and tutors for classes but also

for providing me with a network of people who can and have helped me through difficult

times. The RRANN program is an integral part of my success. RRANN staff people are

charismatic and warm-hearted individuals who genuinely care for students.

My name is Bess Gonzalez, and I am from Minto, Alaska. I am a UAA graduate with my BS

degree in nursing.

I hope to gain employment at ANMC in the pediatric setting.

I thank GOD for the many blessings in my life including the ability to achieve this goal. In Him,

all things are possible.

Thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me throughout my schooling and a

special thanks to my husband without whom I could not have achieved my goal of becoming a

nurse. I LOVE YOU BABE!

Anchorage Campus:

Pollyanna Bingman

Tracy Frost

Jim Gayheart

Bethel Campus:

Alison Angaiak

Elizabeth Lee

Marissa Rankin

Dillingham Campus:

Natasha Nielson

Jocelyn Reamey

Nome Campus:

Jacqueline Ivanoff

Theresa Olanna

Sitka Campus:

Rebekah Clifton

Graduates who earned their Associates of Science in Nursing:

My name is Alison Angaiak and I was born & raised in

Bethel, Alaska. I started nursing school in Anchorage,

and then transferred to the Bethel cohort to pursue

my AAS degree in Nursing.

I plan in working in my community though I am still

undecided in which field.

I'd like to thank my parents for being supportive and

patient through my journey in academia. I thank

RRANN Success Facilitators for being there to listen,

be unbiased, to give endless encouragement and

support.

Lastly, I'd like to thank Mary Weiss for welcoming me

with open arms into the Bethel cohort after a rough

transition, organizing all the group study sessions, and

making weekend clinicals manageable.

My name is Jocelyn Reamey, and I am from Pilot Point, Alaska.

I am honored to be a graduate of the RRANN program with an

Associate of Applied Science degree from the UAA School of

Nursing in the Dillingham cohort.

I am so thankful to RRANN and all the staff. I thank my parents,

my son Justin, all of my family, friends, coworkers and the

community of Dillingham and surrounding villages. I thank all of

my sponsors for scholarships, their support and encouragement.

I look forward to serving my community as a nurse. Quyana!

My name is Natasha Nielsen, and I am a December 2014 graduate of the UAA Associate of

Nursing program in Dillingham, Alaska.

I plan to take my NCLEX early in the New Year and begin practicing as a registered nurse

here in Dillingham at Kanakanak Hospital.

I would like to thank RRANN for the support they have provided me with throughout my

time in school. Also, I would like to give a special thanks to Rebecca Dreier and Stephanie

Sanderlin, my RRANN contacts, for all their support and encouragement while earning my

degree.

We are

responsible

for each other

as well as for

ourselves.

K

ijik Fall 20

14

My name is Tracy Frost, and I am from Togiak, Alaska. I recently graduated from the

University of Alaska Anchorage with my AAS degree in Nursing. I plan to work in a

medical-surgical unit at the Alaska Native Medical Center.

I would like to thank RRANN and its facilitators for being so supportive and

generous. Without RRANN, it would have been more difficult to be able to obtain

this degree and become a registered nurse. Having the tutoring available, scholarships,

supplies, and just having meetings where we can come together, mingle, and support

each other. I would love to be able to work with RRANN in keeping the program

going and to give back the support they kindly shared with me.

I would also like to thank the School of Nursing staff for their support as well.

Lastly, my family support was key! Quyana.

Associates of Science in Nursing:

My name is Jim Gayheart. Born in Juneau and raised in Anchorage, I moved away for 13

years, I spent 10 of those years on active duty army on one tour to Iraq. I returned to

Anchorage in 2010 to pursue my AAS degree in Nursing.

I currently work at Alaska Native Medical Center and plan on staying there for my future

employment.

Special thank you to ANTHC for being so accommodating with my work schedule so I was

able to attend classes and clinical rotations.

My name is Marissa Rankin, and I am from Bethel, AK

I earned my AAS Nursing degree in Nursing in December 2014 as part of the Bethel cohort.

I plan to work at the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, in Bethel, AK

Special thank yous: Thank you to RRANN, ONC, Calista, BNC, VFW Ladies Auxiliary, UAA Scholarships &

YKHC for your support, and assistance.

Were you a RRANN graduate? Would you like to reconnect?

Greetings to all our RRANN

alumni! We’d like to hear

what you are doing now in

your careers and families, and

we’d love to feature that

information in an alumni

updates section we would

like to add to future RRANN

Kijik newsletters.

If you have news to share

with our Kijik newsletter

audience, please contact

Stephanie:

[email protected].

Associates of Science in Nursing:

Waqaa. Winga Anugut-augua. My name is Elizabeth Lee, and I am from Bethel, Alaska.

I am a Yupik graduate from the Bethel Nursing cohort obtaining an Associate of Applied Science

degree in Nursing.

As a registered nurse, I intend to continue to work for the people of rural/remote Alaska.

Special thank you for the tremendous support from immediate family, close friends and several

organizations, including the RRANN program, that made this dream possible.

Quyana caknek ircaqumnek! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

My name is Theresa Olanna. I am from Shishmaref, Alaska. I plan on working in acute care

at the Norton Sound Health Corporation. It serves the villages in the Bering Straits region,

including Shishmaref.

I will work in acute care, which includes pediatrics and adults, psychiatric patients, and

labor and delivery. I am very excited!

I'd like to thank my family and friends that encouraged me every step of the way through

out the past 5 years, my amazing instructors who inspired me to be the best nurse I can

be, and all of those who financially supported my education (Bering straits foundation,

Aleut foundation, Kawerak, Norton Sound Health Corporation, Norton Sound Economic

Development, RRANN, Shishmaref Native Corporation, and the UA foundation).

I look forward to giving back to my region in return for everything that they have done

for me! They allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse.

K

ijik Fall 20

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RRANN students from Interior Alaska at Fairbanks Kijik Gathering.

Recruitment News: RRANN Staff Visits Fairbanks and Kotzebue

Certified Nursing Assistants graduated in Fall

2014 in Kotzebue. They are now RRANN

pre-majors!

There have been many RRANN recruitment efforts this fall, including Alaska Federation

of Natives Youth and Elders Conference and trips to Fairbanks and Kotzebue. RRANN

Student Success Facilitator Rebecca Dreier has been busy traveling and talking!

Rebecca Dreier

Rebecca Dreier and Pam Bowers at Youth and

Elders Conference.

Above, November sunset in Kotzebue.

Right, entrance to Maniilaq Clinic.

The RRANN Facebook page is an

online gathering and sharing place.

You can find announcement and

updates for RRANN events as well as

articles, pictures, and news from the

healthcare field and from Native

communities.

The RRANN Facebook page is another

place we can connect!

Please visit: https://

www.facebook.com/rrann.nwdp

Have you visited the RRANN Facebook Page?

Remember what

you are taught

and told.

Never give up.

Sharon Dull: Walking the path to a degree in Nursing

Sharon Dull is a nursing student at the

University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim

Campus (KuC) in Bethel. She is pursuing her

AAS degree in Nursing and will graduate in

Fall 2016. Sharon says, “My cultural

background motivated me to pursue success

by encouraging me to give back to my

community and be a role model for others.

My family is also a big part of my

perseverance for success by supporting and

motivating me.”

KuC Vision:

Elitnauraput cikiumalartut

puqigmek wangkuta-llu

ellaitenek elitesqelluta.

Our students are given

wisdom to learn so that we

can also learn through them.

Listen with your

heart and mind.

K

ijik Fall 20

14

RRANN Kijik Gatherings: A Place to Share and Connect

Gather

knowledge

and wisdom

from your

elders.

Gatherings with food and sharing are a vital part of Alaska Native/American Indian culture. RRANN staff ensures

that culturally appropriate foods are served at most of our RRANN Kijik gatherings to celebrate tradition and

combat the homesickness, sadness, and isolation that Alaska Native/American Indian students often face.

RRANN Kijik gatherings occur monthly during Fall and Spring semesters. Each gathering provides a place for students to

connect with each other and guest speakers to encourage, inform, and enrich them. Here is what is scheduled* for

students in Spring 2015:

January: UAA Financial Aid Officer Carrie Burford—Financial Aid and Scholarships

February: Professor Elizabeth Driscoll, PhD, FNP, RN—Head Start Volunteer Opportunities in Nunapitchuk, Pilot

Station, Kwethluk, Grayling, and Holy Cross.

March: Veterans Affairs Equal Employment Officer James Kirkland—Veterans Affairs Learning Opportunity Residency

(VALOR) Program

April: Nurse Recruiter Gloria Rhodes—Employment at Alaska Native Medical Center *May change due to changes in guest speakers’ schedules.

Would you like to serve as a guest speaker?

If you are a RRANN supporter—and especially if you are a

RRANN alum—we would be honored to have you

volunteer as a guest speaker for one of our RRANN Kijik

gatherings. We are always looking for people to speak on

healthcare/nursing, Native traditions, customs, values, and

issues, volunteer opportunities, and community building.

Guest speakers are very welcome to eat with us!

To volunteer as a guest speaker, please contact Stephanie at

[email protected].

Fishing for salmon to nourish students at

RRANN Kijik Gatherings!

RRANN Students’ Home Communities: Gathering from Many Places

Share with

others

whenever

possible.

K

ijik Fall 20

14

Elementary Education from the

UAF. Her professional background

includes many years of work with at

-risk student populations and Alaska

Native students in elementary and

high schools. She has over 25 years

of experience in coaching/

mentoring in many different areas,

including sports, performing arts,

and community service groups.

Rebecca also has many years of

community involvement with the

many diverse cultural groups and

individuals in our state including her

membership in Pav’va Inupiaq

Dancers, a dance group based in

Fairbanks.

Rebecca works with RRANN

students all around Alaska. She

truly enjoys connecting with the

wide variety of communities and

cultures in our state.

Born in

Bethel, but

raised in

the

Fairbanks

area,

Rebecca

Dreier

comes from

a long line

of educators and holds a B.A. in

An itinerant public health

nurse in the Yukon

Kuskokwim region before

joining the University of

Alaska Anchorage faculty in

1979, Jackie Pflaum is now

the Associate Vice Provost

for Health Programs

Development. Her research

in nursing history includes a

biography of Elinor Gregg,

first Nursing Director of the

Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Rebecca Dreier UAA/UAF RRANN Student Success Facilitator

[email protected] 907-786-4714

Jackie Pflaum RRANN Project Coordinator


Joel Manalo was born and raised in the Philippines. He

moved to Ketchikan, Alaska in September 2000 at the age

of 11. Moving to the US at such a young age allowed Joel

to quickly adapt to American culture.

During high school, Joel took a Child Psychology class as

he was interested in pursuing a teaching degree. His

interest in health care as well led him to a medical

terminology class. Part of the medical terminology course

allowed students to shadow somebody in a hospital. Joel

was partnered with a nurse in a long-term care facility and

noticed that the nurse did patient teaching in regards to

their medications. This taught Joel that nursing involves

more than caring for the sick as nurses are also educators.

Nursing is a profession that will allow Joel to combine

both of his career interests!

In August 14, 2014, Joel graduated from the UAA with his

BS in Nursing. As the RRANN tutor coordinator, he tutors

nursing students from different trimesters. He also

connects pre-nursing students who seek tutoring for

nursing pre-requisite classes. He says, “This job allows me

to give back to students by tutoring them. It also helps me

develop effective teaching styles

while maintaining the knowledge I

have acquired in nursing school.”

Joel is very interested in becoming a

nursing educator in either the

university or clinical setting. He

recently passed the NCLEX and

attained his RN license and plans to

work in clinical settings before

pursuing a higher degree in nursing.

Joel Manalo Tutor Coordinator


With 25 years of

experience educating

the youth of Alaska,

Robert (Bob) Love

has served our state

as a principal,

teacher, and

counselor for Craig

City Schools and Mt. Edgecumbe High

School, located in Sitka, Alaska serving s

student body of mainly Alaska Natives and

students from rural Alaska.

Currently housed at the University of Alaska

Sitka campus, Bob works with the students of

Southeast Alaska in Sitka, Juneau, and

Ketchikan. He also works within the Career

Education Department as a Recruitment

Specialist.

Robert Love UAS Outreach Specialist


Stephanie Sanderlin is of

Yup’ik, Aleut, Russian, and

German heritage and is

originally from Dillingham,

Alaska. Her parents, Jim and

Jeanie Timmerman, raised

Stephanie along with her three

younger siblings in a

subsistence and commercial

fishing family.

After graduating from Dillingham High School, Stephanie

attended Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa

and received her B.A. in English Teaching. She spent 15

years in secondary education before moving to the UAA

School of Nursing to work for the Anchorage RRANN

program.

Since Stephanie's mother served as an Alaska public

health nurse for over 30 years and currently works for

the Head Start program as Wellness Content Manager,

Stephanie has been pretty well-acquainted with nursing

and nurses throughout her lifetime. Consequently, she

realizes the incredible role nurses play in healthcare and is

eager to help Alaska Native and American Indian

students as they pursue their nursing degrees.

Stephanie Sanderlin UAA RRANN Student Success Facilitator


Life is gifted

to you. What

you make of

it is your gift

in return.

Shannon Sumner UAF Recruiter/Advisor and RRANN Student Success Facilitator


Shannon Sumner started life in South Dakota, a land with

winter similar to her new hometown of Bethel, Alaska.

She is the youngest in a family of five, and moved to

Southern California in grade school. She graduated from

Arizona State University with a BA in Liberal Arts, which

is the degree many students who like multiple subjects

equally often complete!

She spent 10 years in the land of books and learning,

first as an Elementary Librarian, then as a Young Adult

Librarian in the Seattle area. She decided that she wanted

to help folks learn more about themselves, and went

back to school for a Master's degree in Marriage and

Family Therapy. Her Internship

was at Olympic College in WA,

and she stayed on there as a

Counselor and Career Advisor,

helping nursing and pre-nursing

students reach their goals to

become R.N's.

This Fall, she made her way north to the off the road

system to the tundra town of Bethel. As the RRANN

Student Success Facilitator on the Kuskokwim Campus in

Bethel, she is continuing to serve students who look to

contribute to their communities as nurses.

Kijik Sp

ring/Sum

mer 20

14

For more information about making a gift,

contact Anecia Tretikoff O’Carroll at

(907)-786-1944 or

[email protected].

The goal of Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives in Nursing (RRANN) is

to increase the percentage of Alaska Native and American Indians in nursing to

equal their percentage of Alaska’s population (16%).

Through recruiting Alaska Native students into nursing and providing both group

and individual support through their studies, the program has helped over 120

Alaska Native and American Indian students graduate from UAA’s nursing

programs.

RRANN is one of UAA’s most successful initiatives with a 96% graduation rate.

Interested in supporting RRANN?

“Providing culturally relevant health care is not a matter of political correctness; it is often a matter of

life and death. When cultural competency is missing from health care, important information is not

communicated, symptoms of illness are overlooked or misinterpreted and patient outcome suffers.”

—RRANN Founder, Tina DeLapp, EdD, R.N.

RRANN helped me a lot when I was going through the nursing program. Now I have the income to

give back, and I feel that’s important because I believe in RRANN with all my heart.

—RRANN Graduate and Donor, Flora Sapp, R.N.

RRANN matters!

Respect and

obey the

traditions of

your elders.

3211 Providence Drive

Anchorage, Alaska 99508

(907) 786-6944

http://nursing.uaa.alaska.edu/rrann


Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Permit #107

Anchorage, AK

Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing is vital,

enriching, and valuable to both the University of Alaska system and

Alaska’s diverse and varied communities. RRANN began in 1998 with

federal grant funds to recruit and mentor Alaska Native and American

Indian students in the pursuit of nursing degrees. In 2006, UAA ranked 7th

in the nation for Alaska Native and American Indian students earning

Bachelor degrees in various health-related programs. Sixty percent of these

graduates were RRANN students.

RRANN employs student success facilitators around the state to support

students in the day-to-day challenges of school and life. The program also

helps students connect with on-campus housing, career and academic

advising, job placement, and academic and financial aid resources,

including a scholarship program open only to RRANN students. RRANN

students have access to the free loan of tools like lab coats, stethoscopes,

SmartPens, and scrubs. RRANN, in partnership with community and other

UAA agencies, also works to provide enriching gatherings and guest

speakers who offer guidance and wisdom to students as they continue in

their pathways to nursing careers.

Since 1998, RRANN has proudly seen 217 Alaska Native and American

Indian students graduate from the School of Nursing. Approximately

eighty percent of RRANN graduates remain in Alaska to serve our

population with excellent and culturally relevant health care.

http://nursing.uaa.alaska.edu/rrann/


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