HSU Encourages Students Who Study Medicine to Take ‘Pathway to Better Health Care for Native Americans’

This is a press release from Humboldt State University:

Humboldt State University HSU ThumbnailHumboldt State University has partnered with the University of Illinois to encourage and support students who study medicine to return to their rural communities and address the health care needs of Native Americans and their communities.

The Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program, located on the University of Illinois Rockford campus, identifies and recruits candidates from rural areas who intend to return to their home communities or serve similar communities. RMED students complete a Rural Health Professions curriculum along with the traditional medical curriculum. This prepares students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to be effective rural health professionals. The RMED program has a 70 percent success rate, the second highest success rate in the country for placing medical doctors in rural communities.

The Native American Pathways Program, the new partnership between HSU and University of Illinois, provides a clear pathway to the medical profession, including four years of education at HSU in preparation for medical school, four years of medical school at the University of Illinois RMED Program, and assistance in finding residency education positions in the Arcata/Eureka area. Up to two students will be selected to participate in the Pathway program each year.

Students recommended under Pathways programs have a 95 percent acceptance rate at RMED. Admitted students pay in-state tuition, and receive individual advising for pursuing grants and scholarships to support completion of the four-year medical degree.

Students at any stage in their college career can apply for the Pathways program. But in the first round of applications ending March 1, 2019, HSU’s College of Natural Resources & Sciences will be seeking third-year students on track to graduate in 2020.

The Native American Pathways Program seeks Native American and non-Native American students. If you are interested in learning more about HSU pre-medical programs, please contact HSU Pre-Medical Advisor and Professor Jianmin Zhong at [email protected]. To apply for the Native American Pathways Program, call the College of Natural Resources & Sciences Dean’s Office at 707.826.3256.

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tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago

wtf this is a racist thing to do. why dont you just help everyone in your community that needs it. this kinda thing is creating racism.

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

I understand the remarks that this is racist, but I disagree. They are not suggesting these doctors exclude other races.

I think that some of our less successful subcultures are primarily suffering from cultural sickness.

Messages urging those rare outliers who come from these subcultures to attempt to help the communities they came from are sorley needed.

I think the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” theory is flawed but we do need to encourage cultural change from within.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago
Reply to  hmm

support students who study medicine to return to their rural communities and address the health care needs of Native Americans and their communities.

that sounds racist to me. if it wasnt racist they could just say health care for rural communities

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

I don’t understand what is wrong with trying to get people who understand a culture to come treat a culture. Skill levels being equal, I would vastly prefer a doctor who grew up in my rural community and understands my community than one who has a different culture. Why wouldn’t that hold true for Native Americans?

White Rabbit
Guest
White Rabbit
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

It PERPETUATES racism.
You want to have a redheaded dr?
Pretty obtuse, even for you.

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  White Rabbit

I think having a woman doctor in many situations can make women more comfortable and vice versa. Why should Native Americans not want to have a medical professional from their own culture? If wanting to encourage a diversity of medical professionals is racist, then call me racist.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

It’s not the wanting it that’s the problem. But doctors are scare here for everyone. There are about seven or eight thousand Native American in Humboldt Co. There are about 120, 000 of everyone else. And I think there are about 6 general physicians in the United Indian Health Care system alone, or about 1300 patients per doctor. While for the general population, there are under 50 family doctors (and a whole lot of those are in the late 60s or 70s and working part time or listed and not working at all) for a ratio of 2400 patients per doctor.

Willie caos- mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

I agree. Even if they only come back for a short while.

Semper Fi
Guest
Semper Fi
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Why wouldn’t any reasonable person needing care simply want the best care for themselves in their situation regardless of whom it is coming from? I just want the best medical care. I don’t have a care in the world as to the sex, race, religion, culture or whatever other label you care to put on the medical professional treating me.

Are we supposed to be color blind and unbiased or not?

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

So, of course by that idea, no non American doctor should treat any American? Or that a very qualified non Native could lose placement in a very competitive field because he/she is not the right race? Is there a corresponding program to supply capable physicians for the non Indian culture too? And of course no human, no matter how they try can learn the ways of another culture ?

I prefer the most skilled and caring person as a physician. Culture, gender and race are pretty far down on that screening list. Heck, there aren’t enough doctors here that screening is an option anyway. In fact, a doctor, whose native culture was far different than mine, who even had trouble with English, saved my life through simply caring enough to try. He of course did not stay in Humboldt Co. That is an problem that HSU could spend a little time worrying about for the rest of us too.

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Wait…I think you are totally overthinking this. Of course, everyone wants the best doctor treating them, the best teacher teaching, the best journalist writing.

HOWEVER, the best is not some objective thing. To you, the best doctor may be someone totally up on the latest in how nutrition affects health, to another, the best may be someone that can get their 80-year-old mother to relax enough to talk about her symptoms.

Having good doctors, teachers, journalists etc of different backgrounds helps ensure that people can find one that fits their needs. There is rarely if ever, one right person for a job for every person who needs a job done.

expanding insignificance
Guest
expanding insignificance
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

I graduated EHS and left Humboldt to become a doctor. The only racism I was aware of until then were knuckleheads harassing the Hmong. It was when I arrived at college that I discovered racism. Every single form wanted to know my skin color. Surrounded by wealthy minorities, I didn’t have a dime. Yet I was responsible for all the world’s problems. Socioeconomics were irrelevant; ‘I had privilege.’ I had a genuinely color blind upbringing, so you can imagine how confusing this all was. That was my privilege. There are whole departments devoted to managing people based on ‘race’ which isn’t even definable. Part of my tuition was to pay for the ‘cross cultural center’ which I wasn’t even allowed to go into. Why would you go work for those who hate you?

Neverwrong
Guest
Neverwrong
5 years ago

Too bad shortsighted administration canceled nursing program. Dumbasses.

White Rabbit
Guest
White Rabbit
5 years ago

Ending the nursing program seems counterintuitive, eh?

CLAUDIA Johnson
Guest
CLAUDIA Johnson
5 years ago

I must comment on the nursing program also never heard of canceling a nursing program there is such a need for nurses everywhere not just here it’s another thing that I’m both did that was inappropriate I think it’s great they’re going to start a medical program for people in rule areas but it should be for all people not just one certain race that does seem kind of racist to me I want to see great healthcare for everyone it’s alright Healthcare here is very poor not the regular doctors but the specialist I go out of the area for all my health care other than my regular doctor who is great I go to Medford and I go to Redding their care and no cities is so much better and when you talk to people there they tell you how they used to live here you meet a lot of people in the healthcare business with gone out of this area they’re paid better their working conditions are better and they’re happy in their jobs that’s a very sad thing

Farce
Guest
Farce
5 years ago

This is the same university that erased their nursing program? i guess Native American health issues are so very different because they are a different form of human? No. That is racism. There are slightly different issues in their communities but it’s mostly that they have less health care services available nearby. So…wouldn’t it be cool to have a nursing program graduating more nurses? Oh- HSU keeps paying administrators close to a half-million dollars a year while they axe the nursing program. Now we can get help from….Illinois?!! What about this is not self-serving bullshit? Educate me, somebody!

Martin Stockel
Guest
Martin Stockel
5 years ago

Not all medical students want to follow that path, but if they do that is just fine with me. We need all the doctors and nurses that we can obtain for our area.

Adam Hall
Guest
Adam Hall
5 years ago

Whats racist is neglecting the healthcare of vulnerable populations.
I second Claudia! Why not start by training nurses to the BSN level in our area. I had to move to Portland to pursue a medical education. Would have stayed in Humboldt if they still had their Bachelors of Nursing.

Shel
Guest
Shel
5 years ago

I don’t believe this is a new program … people in medical (physical and mental health) field go to reservations to work and get a big reduction to their student loan debt.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago

My hat’s off to those who are able to follow their heart’s dreams of settling down in their own home town after college. Unfortunately, even with scholarships and other financial help, the college bills outweigh the desires for hometown living.
I’d love to see (NON GOVT) programs that help the professionals (regardless of zipcode) through their settling in periods & help them get their feet on the ground until their college bills are paid off.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

They exist for Federal programs anyway. https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/rural-monitor/loan-repayment-and-forgiveness/

Which is how we get some of our doctors and explains the length of time before they leave for less stressful places and better incomes.

Willie caos- mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

This is true.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

That’s a big step forward towards the goal. I hope some non govt programs without strings attached spring up too.
Even after the bills are paid, professionals become easily depressed when their clinic-hospital doesn’t have the money for the meds/equipment/staff needed.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

As an HSU student, I find that the college has moved to place all of it’s focus of righting the wrongs of
the white man, making there mission to help as many Blacks, Native Americans, an as many other nationalities as possible. I personally don’t see anything wrong with getting another college out of our area to help take students that will come back to our area. We need all the help we can get.

It is sad though that white students now sit back in silence in classes at HSU, for the fear of being characterized as against the establishment. And while college students go into deep debt, I would have to agree that the ones at the top running this college make way to much money. A good story to look into would be:
Why did the nursing program and football programs get cut, while the ones working at the top are
making an exorbitant income?

🤔
Guest
🤔
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Maybe instead of focusing on the dead end wall white argument, be more proud of your Polish, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, English, Danish, etc heritage.