Why did you choose your specific health professional career?
This is my second professional career choice. Originally, I went to school for engineering and quickly realized that it was not for me. Shortly afterwards, I started working at a laboratory and that is when my interest in healthcare was sparked. Although I was interested, I was unsure which field in health care to pursue. It was during the time I was in the hospital having my children that I realized what I wanted do. I noticed how caring the nurses were and how hard they worked to make me comfortable. They took the time to answer my questions. I admired them because they took the time to explain things and calm me. I realized then that a career in nursing is what I wanted. My greatest inspiration came from one particular obstetric (OB) nurse who was my greatest inspiration to become a nurse.
Describe any obstacles or barriers to success that you encountered along your health professional career path and how did you overcome them?
I think the biggest obstacle was deciding to go back to school fulltime while being a mother to three children. I worked hard to make time to show them how much I loved them; finding the time to spend with them was a major heartache for me. I spent many hours studying late into the night because that was when they were asleep and the house was quiet.
What do you do in your current job?
Currently, I am a Diabetes Educator as well as a Program Coordinator for the D.E.P.T.H. Program which is the Diabetes Education Path To Health program at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center. My job is to help patients to live well with diabetes by teaching them how to manage the disease.
What advice do you have for American Indian/Alaska Native students who are interested in health careers?
You can do it. We all have obstacles in our lives and we all have reasons why we feel we cannot do it, but we can overcome these huge obstacles and barriers. Just being Native American is a plus because there are so many opportunities out there for us; there are scholarships, job offers, summer programs, etc. There is so much support out there, you just have to search for it. People are very “gung-ho” about helping Native Americans complete their higher education and we should take advantage of that.
What or who influenced you the most in regards to continuing your education?
My mother was and still is my biggest influence. She did not receive a formal education when she was younger, but this did not stop her. She loves to read self-help books and magazines on motivation. She has always been my cheerleader, supporting me by telling me what kind of person I am and that she believes in me. My mother has and continues to say supportive things even to this day.
How did being Native American help you in achieving your goal?
When I was in college, I was the only Native American in all my classes. Whenever I had an assignment, I found myself relating back to my cultural roots to help me to complete the assignment. In many ways, this allowed for my projects to be different from my classmates’ projects. My instructors liked this and loved reading my assignments. Being Native helped me in a financial way because I was a recipient of the Indian Health Service (IHS) scholarship. This scholarship relieved much of the financial burden of school.
What is your level of involvement with your tribe?
I‘m Navajo and live in Phoenix. The majority of people that come to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center (PIMC) are Navajo, so I believe that I am very much involved with my tribe even though I live off the reservation. I do believe that I am contributing to the health and well-being of the Navajo tribe by working in an Indian Health Service facility and by treating members of my own tribe when they come to this facility.
What would you like to see for your tribe’s future?
I would like to see the tribe take a stronger and more focused approach towards the social issues that affect the Navajo Nation. Right now, the rates of alcoholism, domestic abuse and child abuse are very high. This brings down the moral fiber of our tribal members. I think we need to focus more on teaching our young people and children right from wrong, as well as values and positive self-esteem, so that when they become adults they are able to withstand difficult issues and obstacles that come their way. I think it starts with the development of good social programs to support and help our young people.
Do you practice traditional medicine? If you do, then how does traditional medicine interact with conventional medicine?
I don’t practice traditional medicine. However, my parents are traditional and believe in the traditional healing practices. I do believe that traditional ceremonies do help a person. I don’t know how much it helps people physically, but mentally and spiritually I believe it is a very good healing practice. I have patients that still practice traditional medicine. Some patients are afraid to try western (conventional) medicine and prefer using the traditional healing route first before they try anything else.
What are your future goals personally and professionally?
Professionally, I decided to go back to school. Last year I started working to earn a master’s degree in education. However, while in graduate school my eyes were open to the many different fields in nursing, so now I have changed my major and will be pursuing a nurse practitioner degree. The program will be starting in spring 2010. Right now I’m on a little vacation until the program starts. Personally, I would like to relax and take a few vacations, possibly even travel out of the country.
What changes would you like to see pertaining to health care for Native Americans?
One change I would like to see is for patients to take a greater interest and responsibility for their own health care. I think Native Americans should not depend on health professionals to do everything for them. One thing I have noticed is that some Natives seem think that it is up to the government to take care of us. We are very fortunate to have the free healthcare services that we do. It is our job to behave responsibly by showing up for appointments, not losing our medication(s), knowing what medications we are on, and asking questions. I think we are becoming a nation that holds their hands out, as if to say, “Give me something.” I think we need to be more responsible for our own lives personally as well as how we care for our own health so that we are not so dependent on the government.