Robyn Sunday-Allen
Robyn
Sunday-Allen, Cherokee, RN, MPH, is the Chief Operating
Officer of the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. When the
following interview was published, she was the clinic's
director of nursing.
Front Line Nurse
JW:
What kinds of opportunities are available for American
Indian nurses?
RS: If you are
an Indian nurse, you will never be unemployed because there
is so much need among Indian people for nurses. The
preference is to hire Indian nurses to take care of Indian
people. You can work in a rural area, an urban area or for
IHS in any of their sites, including places in Alaska. If
you get tired of one kind of nursing, such as ambulatory
nursing, you can go into other kinds of nursing, such as
emergency room, intensive care, and home health nursing.
JW:
How did you get involved in nursing?
RS: I had
always known that I wanted to do something in the health
professions. Both of my grandparents are diabetic. As a
little girl I would spend all day with them at the
Claremore Indian Hospital. As I’d sit there, I’d think,
“Some day I’m going to do something for Indian people.”
When I was taking a course in allied health at the
University of Oklahoma, a guest speaker talked about all of
the opportunities that are available for nurses, so I
started taking classes that were prerequisites for nursing.
Then I applied and got into the nursing program. In 1993 I
finished a bachelors in psychology. (I had already taken a
lot of psychology courses because they were interesting.)
In 1995 I got my bachelors in nursing.
My first job, right out of college, was as an ambulatory
nurse here at the clinic. Within 6 months, I was the
director of nursing. I only had one course that prepared us
for management positions. I could have used a lot more. Now
with the nature of health care and with managed care, I
would definitely recommend that students take courses in
business as part of their electives.
JW:
Do any Indian student nurses have clinical learning
experiences here at your clinic?
RS: Yes. Every
semester I’ve had a student over here. If they are LPN
[licensed practical nurse] students, they follow the LPN.
If they are an RN [registered nurse] student, they follow
the RN. By the time they leave they may be doing what the
nurse they were following is doing.
JW:
For readers who aren’t familiar with the different levels
of nursing, could you please briefly describe the levels.
RS: A license
practical nurse is degreed out of a vocational school.
Those programs are usually 18 months long, post high
school. An associate degree nurse goes to a junior college
for two years and is considered an RN after being licensed.
For a bachelors of science in nursing, you need two years
of prerequisite college-level work and two years of nursing
school.
Master’s-prepared nurses include nurse practitioners. In
some states nurse practitioners are so autonomous that they
write prescriptions and run their own clinics. Depending at
the university, you can also get a master’s level education
in pediatrics, women’s health administration, research etc.
As an advanced level nurse, you can take avenues other than
patient care.
JW:
As a director of nursing, what qualities do you look
for in candidates for nursing positions?
RS: First I
look for someone who is culturally sensitive and receptive
to learning about other people’s cultures. I give
preference to Native Americans. I look for people who are
good communicators, both written and oral, and work well on
teams. Of course, I want nurses who are caring and
compassionate. I don’t want people who are just in it for
the money.
JW: What about men in nursing?
RS: The last
two positions that I’ve filled here have been with men.
Nursing is no longer considered a female profession.
JW:
Is there anything else you’d like to say to readers who
are considering nursing as a career?
RS: Nursing
school is not hard. It’s time consuming. It’s an endurance
test. And you’ll make it!
This
article was originally published in the Winter 2000
issue of
Winds of Change. (The cover
artist is Ben Shorty, Navajo.)