Resources
The mission of
the
American Indian Science and Engineering
Society (AISES) is to
increase substantially the representation of American
Indian and Alaskan Natives in engineering, science and
other related technology disciplines. Through a
variety of educational programs, AISES offers financial,
academic and cultural support to American Indians and
Alaska Natives from middle school through graduate
school. AISES chapters are on many campuses
The 10-week summer internship program provides qualified
AISES students with opportunities to explore careers in
such federal agencies as the National Science Foundation
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The
American Medical Association (AMA)
website has
a section entitled "Becoming an MD" that includes 1) How
do you become a physician?; 2) Preparing for medical
school; 3) Applying to medical school; 4) Paying for
medical school and 5) Choosing a specialty.
The mission of
the
Association of American Indian Physicians
(AAIP)
is “to pursue excellence in Native American health care by
promoting education in the medical disciplines, honoring
traditional healing principles and restoring balance in
mind, body, and spirit.”
On the Health Careers for Native Students
page,
students can sign up for the listserv that provides
information and updates about programs and opportunities
for Native students. This same page leads to information
about high school programs; college level programs; and
medical school/allied health programs.
One of the well-regarded programs for high school students
is the Patty Iron Cloud National Native American
Youth Initiative. This
intense, academic enrichment and reinforcement program
is designed to prepare Native students to remain in the
academic pipeline and pursue a career in the health
professions and/or biomedical research.
The College Student Programs
include
pre-admission workshops that focuses on strategies for
successfully applying to a health professions school. In
addition there is a physician shadowing program. Also,
students are invited to the AAIP’s Cross Cultural
Medicine Workshop.
Medical students and other health professions students can
join the Association of Native American Medical
Students.
For a little of the history of AAIP, which was founded in
1971 by Dr. Everett Rhoades and 13 other American Indian
physicians, see the profile of Everett
Rhoades.
Margaret
Knight and Dr. Everett Rhoades
The
Association of American Medical Colleges
{AAMC) is a
nonprofit association of medical schools, teaching
hospitals and academic societies. One of its major
missions is educating physicians and medical scientists.
The
Tomorrow’s Doctors section of
their website provides very useful information for 1)
students who are considering a medical career; 2)
students who want to know how to apply to medical
school; 3) medical students and 4) residents.
AspiringDocs.org is
a campaign and a website that grew out of the
recognition that minority people, including American
Indians and Alaska Natives, are underrepresented in
medicine. The website offers the tools, information and
support needed for exploring a career in medicine and
preparing an application that presents you at your best.
AspiringDocs.org includes a podcast interview of
David Baines, M.D, a member
of the Tsimshain and Tlingit Tribes of Alaska, who
discusses the importance of incorporating his culture
and traditional beliefs into the practice of modern
medicine. Dr. Baines currently works at the Iliuliuk
Family and Health Services Clinic in Unalaska, Alaska
and has previously been the president of the Association
of American Indian Physicians.
There is also a podcast of LeeAnna Muzquiz, M.D., a member
of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation in Montana, discusses her experience as a
family medicine physician and the importance of clinical
research to the Native American community. Dr. Muzquiz
is a family medicine physician with the Tribal Health
Systems on the Flathead Reservation.
The website
of the
American Association of Colleges of
Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) provides a
description of osteopathic medicine and links to the
websites of the colleges of osteopathic medicine and the
branch campuses that offer the DO degree.
The
Changing the face of Medicine
website
features the stories of women physicians who have helped
change the face of medicine. The 29 American Indian and
Alaska Native women physicians on the website include
the first two American Indian women physicians
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte
(1865-1915)
and Dr. Lillie Rosa Minoka-Hill
(1876-1952).
ExploreHEALTHCareers.org
is a
multi-disciplinary website that provides career
information on a broad array of health professions. The
website is a joint initiative involving national
foundations, professional associations, health career
advisors, educational institutions and college students.
The website addresses the under-representation of
minorities in the workforce and the lack of health
professionals in medically underserved communities.
The
Indian Health Service: Medicine
website
provides information about career paths, student
opportunities, benefits and more. There is contact
information for medical students who want to do a
clerkship. Scholarship information is at the
IHS Scholarship page.
Lifeworks: Explore Health and Medical Science
Careers,
which is
sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Office
of Science Education, includes descriptions of over 100
careers. For each career there is information about
education, income, job outlook and needed skills and
abilities. One or more interviews with a health
professional are featured.
Research and Training Opportunities at the
National Institutes of Health include a
wealth of NIH summer internships, scholarship programs
and other opportunities for students in (1) high school;
(2) college/university; (3) post-baccalaureate; (4)
graduate school; and (5) medical/dental school.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the Federal
Government's primary agency for the support of medical and
behavioral research. Within its 27 institutes and
centers, the NIH employs approximately 14,800 people,
including 900 tenured faculty and nearly 3,000 postdoctoral
fellows with either medical, dental, or graduate
degrees.
The website of
the
Society for Advancement of Chicanos and
Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
is good
source of information for students interested in careers
in the biomedical and other sciences. SACNAS’ mission is
to encourage Native American and Chicano/Latino students
to pursue graduate education and obtain the advanced
degrees necessary for careers in scientific research and
teaching. For more than 30 years SACNAS has taken a
leadership role in expanding and enhancing opportunities
for minorities in academia and the scientific workforce.
The
Summer Medical and Dental Education
Program free summer
academic enrichment program offers freshman and
sophomore college students intensive and personalized
medical and dental school preparation at one of 12
universities.
The
“Physicians and Surgeons” section of the
U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor
Statistics website
includes the nature of the work, needed training,
employment, job outlook, projects, earnings, and wages.
Winds of Change is an
American Indian-published magazine focusing on careers
and educational advancement for Native people. The
magazine is published quarterly by AISES Publishing Inc.
In addition, the
Annual College Guide for American Indians & Native
Alaskans/Hawaiians is published
yearly.