Attracting and retaining Indigenous school students to university for nursing education

Abstract

Objective: Including Indigenous students in health related courses can potentially significantly improve health in Indigenous communities. Griffith University Logan campus piloted a program to encourage Indigenous High School students from its immediate community, which is predominantly a low socioeconomic area, to enrol in university. Methods: Internal University funding provided bus transport and food. Indigenous academics outlined the benefits of university education and provided examples of their successes. Practical nursing related activities and access to Indigenous role models were popular, and students were given a show bag of university information. A range of strategies implemented by the School of Nursing aim to increase student's sense of belonging and reduce alienation. Results: Enquires from the promotional event resulted in 2 students enrolling mid year. Conclusions and implications: Multimodal strategies assist recruitment and retention of Indigenous students. This successful model could be used to increase Indigenous student's participation in a range of university courses.