Serpent, Staff, & Drum Indians Into Medicine Newsletter Newsletter--Quentin N. Burdick Indian Health Programs January 2012
Inside this issue: Special Points of Interest
Redesigned Webpage
Find INMED on Facebook
40 Year INMED Reunion
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INMED Program Applications Deadlines
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New Permanent Staff Hired at INMED
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IHS Externship Experience
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Allen J. Allery Health Research Awards Presented to INMED Students
The Department of Physical Therapy offers the clinically oriented, entry level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. The first three years of the curriculum are considered to be pre-physical therapy (pre-professional curriculum). The professional component of the DPT requires three academic years and two summer sessions following completion of the 90 credit pre-physical therapy entrance requirement. The Indians Into Medicine Program at UND has two placements available for fully qualified students desiring to pursue an education in Physical Therapy. Occupational Therapy (OT) practitioners are skilled professionals whose education includes the study of human growth and development with specific emphasis on the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury. OT students will complete a five year entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree after two years of pre-professional coursework and three years of professional OT curriculum. The Indians Into Medicine Program at UND has two placements available for fully qualified students desiring to pursue an education in Occupational Therapy.
Special Points of Interest: The INMED Program has redesigned the program’s website. Check it out at: http://www.med.und.edu/indians-into-medicine/
The program has also extended its advertising and services to Facebook. Check out the Indians Into Medicine Program’s Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indians-Into-MedicineUniversity-of-North-Dakota/257298360958923
Dates to Remember: Physical Therapy Applications are Due February 1, 2012
Summer Programs (Summer Institute, Med-Prep, and Pathway) Applications are Due March 31, 2012
40 Year INMED Reunion The Indians Into Medicine Program is planning a 40 year INMED Reunion for all INMED alumni. These festivities will take place April, 2013. The INMED office staff are in the process of updating all alumni information. More information will follow closer to the date of the event. Please contact our department to update the staff with your current contact information if you have not already been contacted.
The “Serpent, Staff and Drum” is a newsletter of the Indians Into Medicine Program, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences. INMED is part of the Quentin N. Burdick Indian Health Programs. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University or the School of Medicine & Health Sciences. INMED welcomes further distribution of information contained in this newsletter. We do request the INMED receive acknowledgement for articles reprinted. Submit articles for publication and address corrections to INMED Program-INMED address is located on back.
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SERPENT, STAFF & DRUM
January 2012
New Staff Member with the INMED Program Bridget Hoffman, the new Summer Institute Program Coordinator/Student Services Representative for the INMED Program, was hired fulltime as of June 29, 2011. Her duties include, but are not limited to, overseeing and coordinating INMED’s Summer Institute Program
activities and advising those students enrolled in INMED’s Allied Health Programs. The Indians Into Medicine program is delighted to have Bridget be a part of the program and Bridget is very excited about the opportunity to serve those students enrolled in the Indians Into Medicine Program.
Student’s Externship Experience Will Longhurst, a current second year INMED medical student at the University of North Dakota, participated in an IHS externship at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center beginning June 6 and continuing on through July 1, 2011. The externship proved to be a challenge, struggle, and frustrating experience in the beginning but in the end, became to be a beneficial and rewarding experience. Will would like to challenge the IHS facility to create an even more rewarding externship experience for future externs who participate in the externship program. He would recommend the following:
Notification of acceptance for the externship be done in a timely manner to provide adequate time for the extern to prepare housing and travel Will Longhurst and Dr. Nirmul during his IHS externship
arrangements. More efficient communication between the area office and extern site would prevent confusion regarding the externship for both staff and extern. Supervisors contacting their externs well before their arrival to describe expectations, duties, and objectives would create an easy transition for both the extern and the staff. Match the externship assignments to the students’ levels of education and experience. Provide an evaluation for externs to complete after their assignment is complete.
The eventual success of the externship was largely due to Dr. Camlesh Nirmul’s willingness to go over and above her job requirements and create a learning environment with scheduled shadowing experiences, as well as off campus visits to remote primary care clinics for Will that would give him additional experience needed to benefit his future medical career. In the end, Will was very satisfied with his externship experience. Will stated, “I cannot give enough thanks to all the providers and staff that were willing to work with me and teach me as much as they could during the short stay to make this a fulfilling externship. [Furthermore], I truly cannot express enough gratitude for everything Dr. Nirmul has done for me in making the past 4 weeks a valuable, educational, worthwhile experience; IHS is very lucky to have her.”
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SERPENT, STAFF & DRUM
January 2012
Allan J. Allery Health Research Awards Presented to INMED Students The University of North Dakota held the Ninth Annual American Indian Health Research Conference and the 2011 North Dakota INBRE Annual Symposium on October 27th-29th. Three INMED undergraduate students, Sarita Eastman of the SissetonWahpeton Oyate, Melissa Wheeler of the Navajo Nation, and Bethany Davis of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa received the prestigious Alan J. Allery Undergraduate American Indian Health Researcher of Promise Awards. According to the call for nominations write up distributed by Jacque Gray, “The American Indian Health Research Conference Awards Committee requests nominations of promising American Indian student health researchers. The award will be presented to one graduate student and one undergraduate student. Each winner will receive an individual award for display. The award will be announced at the 2011 American Indian Health Research Conference in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on October 28, and the winners’ names will be engraved on the
permanent award displayed at the UND American Indian Center. Alan J. Allery, M.Ed., MHA, Ph.D. is a fallen member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Prior to his passing, he was an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the Center for Rural Health, the Principal Investigator and Director of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging, and the Director of Student Health Services at the University of North Dakota. His experience included 30 years of work with American Indian people (15 years with the Indian Health Service in various capacities and 15 years with UND developing numerous projects).”
Bethany Davis is presented with the prestigious Alan J. Allery Undergraduate American Indian Health Researcher of Promise Award
Melissa Wheeler is presented with the prestigious Alan J. Allery Undergraduate American Indian Health Researcher of Promise Award
Instead of one undergraduate being recognized this year there were three who were presented the award. These students worked diligently, Sarita Eastman is presented committed to their with the prestigious Alan J. Allery Undergraduate American research, and deserve this Indian Health Researcher of Promise Award honor. The Indians Into Medicine Program congratulates these students for their research done within the Native American population.
INMED PROGRAM UNDSMHS Room 2101 501 N Columbia Road, Stop 9037 Grand Forks ND 58202-9037
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Indians Into Medicine INMED Program UNDSMHS Room 2101 501 N Columbia Road Stop 9037 Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037 Phone: (701)-777-3037 Fax: (701)-777-3277 Website: http://www.med.und.edu/indians-into-medicine/
Indians Into Medicine is a comprehensive education program assisting Indian students who are preparing for health careers. Located at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Grand Forks, INMED support services include academic and personal counseling for students, assistance with financial aid application, and summer enrichment sessions at the junior high through professional school levels.