Indian Reservations South Dakota,New Mexico

gayl01 · Jun 23, 2014

I am interested in working with Native Americans also. I have since before I ever became a nurse a long time ago. Please PM me if you find anything out. I can give you the suggestion to get on the Indian Health Service website and look for "Nursing Recruiting," and they can answer your questions. I think it is the Aberdeen area. I was told to be careful up in that area due to safety issues and racism. I was also told it would be good to know someone (Native) for an easier entry into the scene up there due to trust issues, which I cannot blame them. Source: Facebook Native friends. Please keep me updated!

gayl01 · Jun 23, 2014

Also when it comes to travel nursing, one agency told me that their agency did not contract with reservations due to safety issues in Rapid City area in SD.

gayl01 · Jun 23, 2014

I meant to add with the travel nursing agency, they should take care of the lodging or finding it for you. From what I understand, I think that some reservations have housing for medical staff due to the remote areas.

NedRN · Jun 23, 2014

Anytime an agency says they don't staff x hospital for y reason, it is almost invariably a lie.

trixie333, ASN · Jul 9, 2014

Only certain agencies staff the reservations. There is a government bidding process and they qualify every 3 years to staff these facilities.

You can work on a reservation through the Right Solutions ( I have successfully x 14 yrs.), also I think through Supplemental.

Also, you want your own wheels on the reservation.

gayl01 · Jul 12, 2014

The travel nursing agency said that they did not service any reservations in that area due to a safety issue. Anywhere else that may be different. It could be that the recruiter was just not aware of other areas.

gayl01 · Jul 12, 2014

Thank you both for your input!

bagladyrn, RN · Jul 14, 2014

While some reservation hospitals may have limited housing on the hospital compound I really wouldn't try to do a contract at the ones I'm familiar with (Navajo area, AZ and NM - multiple facilities) without a vehicle. First of all, you would have difficulty obtaining many of the basic amenities of life without one. I've been in places where the nearest bank was 80 miles away in the next state and it was 110 miles to the nearest Walmart. It would be hard to shop or even get your mail (no, it's not delivered to your address). You would not even be able to get to some of these contracts without a car as the nearest airport, train station, etc. is hours away.

In addition to the practical aspects, being without a vehicle means you would miss out on the best part of traveling to such locations - sightseeing the incredible country in those areas!

gayl01 · Jul 14, 2014

Thank you for your input!

Ann.E · Sep 18, 2014

My husband and I lived in Fort Defiance AZ for two years. He was a PA in the family practice clinic and I went to nursing school in Gallup NM. The hospital in Fort Defiance hires quite a few travel nurses and so does the hospital in Gallup NM. Either place you would want to have a car. For us we lived 45 minutes from a grocery store. There were some stores on the reservation in Fort Defiance, but they had just a few staple items like milk. We did know of people who came to work on reservation for a contract period (maybe like 3 or 4 months) without a car, but they had to rely on other people to get even basic stuff such as food. The nice thing about Fort Defiance is that the housing is pretty nice and is located right behind the hospital. There are buses that go to some places on the reservation and into bigger towns, but these can sometimes be unreliable. The area offers so much as far as outdoor activities that you might be a little disappointed you didn't have a car just so you can go on weekend trips.