Strategies to support recruitment and retention of First Nations youth in baccalaureate nursing programs in Saskatchewan, Canada

Aboriginal youth is one of the fastest growing of all populations in Saskatchewan today. This is a prime group to target for training in the health care professions. The need for strategies to support recruitment and retention in these programs is critical for maintaining our present standard and increasing demands of quality health care. Program initiatives and supports need to be implemented to encourage this population to enroll in and complete health care programs. Although only 5 years old, the University of Saskatchewan, First Nations University of Canada, and Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) have created a viable northern nursing program with a retention rate of Aboriginal postsecondary students 13% greater than the provincial norm. They graduated their first class of nursing students from and for the North, May 2006.