Ihs

Congrats to you.....and big hugs. I am so happy to hear that another member of ours has taken the necessary steps to live out their dreams...to assist in the care of their native peoples. I am so proud of you. You will see first hand the need of our people...our first nation. There will be good times and bad...you will witness the realities, their realities...if not your own. Have courage...you will do well...as you come to find your place amongst them.

My peace and admiration to you,

Mitakuye Oyasin

(We are all relatives)

Thunderwolf

Thunderwolf.......thank you for your words. I am very excited as I start this new road in my life. I currently work at the hospital that does all the cardiac work-ups for the Native Americans in this area. It is astonishing to see the amount of untreated/undertreated diabetes, and the effect it has on our people. I am very interested in doing some volunteer work in this area. I will be working ER as my job, and occasionally ICU. I see a great need in education, and am not sure how that is done at the Indian Hospital, but hope to learn the process quickly.

I just got the final piece of information needed to go to work for IHS. It was a letter from my Tribe. I live in the Cherokee Nation, but am Choctaw myself, so had to have a letter from them. Anyway, I am very excited about the prospect of working at the Indian Hospital, but have had several people tell me I won't like it. I prefer to find that out for myself and intend to go into the job with a positive attitude. I have already interviewed for the job and spoke with the Director about my needs and desires in the role I will play at the hospital, as well as the institutes expectations of me. So, any positive feedback would be really appreciated.

TY

One of my instructors worked for IHS for 10 years and she loved every minute of it. She worked mostly with the Dine (Navajos).

I think it's good you'll get to work with the people and be up close. I think some of the older folks will love that you are Ndn and didn't fall into some stereotype and that you are professional.

Theres drama in all hospitals just stay out of the politics of it all and do your thing. I think you're going to like it personally. People get all negative because IHS had a bad reputation back in the 70's so some of the attitude is old issues, and a good portion is tribal politics that extend far beyond IHS.

I got to hang out with about 45 IHS nurses several years ago when they came to Florida as guests of a nursing school here. Those ladies had seen it all. They also were pretty good with federal law they knew all kinds of nursing and tribal laws. They were various tribes Lakota, Crow, Cherokee, Choctaw, so many were represented. One of my best memories will be them.

Well working in a hostpital is fun you get to meet all kinds of people just keep your head up and be yourself no matter what people think of you i am also a native american but i live in Dilcon, AZ

I am still waiting to hear from IHS, but continue to be positive.

I accepted the job with IHS yesterday. I am so excited and plan to go into this job with the best attitude, to make the most of the experience.

Thank you all for your support.

As you can tell by the date, it has been awhile since I started this post.

I have been busy with orientation and getting used to the job. I absolutely love this job. It has been an interesting change from my previous jobs. The most exciting thing.........the tribe is taking charge of the facility in October.....many changes and alot of things staying the same. Its an interesting time to work at this facility. I also enjoy the amount of teaching we can do in the ER. So many patients are unaware of what is available to them. Anyway, just wanted to update everyone on how it was going.

I'm interested in working with native americans at the IHS. How is the interveiwing process. What kind of experience ome would need? Do you need to be RN or LPN? What extra credentials are they looking for? Feedback appreciated. Thanks,