Indian Reservation Nursing

Euskadi1946 · May 17, 2009

Check out the Indian Health Services website. I worked in Gallup, NM for 12 weeks at the USPH Gallup Indian Medical Center as an agency nurse which is right in the heart of the Navajo Nation and really loved it.

exnavygirl-RN · May 17, 2009

My application is in process with IHS in Fort Defiance, AZ. I currently work for the V.A. I'll let you know how everything goes. As with anything government it'll take awhile. :-)

exnavygirl-RN · May 17, 2009

I've heard the facility in Gallup is a great place to work. The recruiter there called me after I started the application process to Fort Defiance. I was really surprised to hear from them.

Definitely go to the IHS.gov sight. I got in touch with the district recruiter for the Navajo area and she disbursed my resume' to the area facilities.

Check out the Indian Health Services website. I worked in Gallup, NM for 12 weeks at the USPH Gallup Indian Medical Center as an agency nurse which is right in the heart of the Navajo Nation and really loved it.

bagladyrn, RN · May 17, 2009

I've heard the facility in Gallup is a great place to work. The recruiter there called me after I started the application process to Fort Defiance. I was really surprised to hear from them.
Definitely go to the IHS.gov sight. I got in touch with the district recruiter for the Navajo area and she disbursed my resume' to the area facilities.

Drop me a pm (or post here) if you decide to come to Gallup. I'm currently on contract at the other hospital in Gallup, have also done a contract at the IHS facility in Gallup as well as having worked at the IHS facilities in Chinle and Shiprock for 9 yrs. before traveling.

If you haven't been to the area before it can be a bit of a culture shock, but there are many things to do in the general area (within a days drive) and for some of us the area kind of "clicks" and we find ourselves returning over and over.

I'll be here at least until August.

am382406 · May 17, 2009

I will be graduating in August and I know everyone pushes medsurg, medsurg, and more medsurg. What is your personal opinion about a new grad going right into working with the IHS?

Thanks very much for your input and if I need more info.past the website is it cool if I just drop you a message?

am382406 · May 17, 2009

Thanks! yes if you could definitely know how you like it and what it actually entails. I would appreciate your insight.

bagladyrn, RN · May 17, 2009

I will be graduating in August and I know everyone pushes medsurg, medsurg, and more medsurg. What is your personal opinion about a new grad going right into working with the IHS?
Thanks very much for your input and if I need more info.past the website is it cool if I just drop you a message?

I think you have to have a certain number of posts (Think it's only something like 10) before you can pm someone, but let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer and I'll be glad to.

IHS work is very different than other parts of the country, but you can get some good experience very quickly there. (Not always a pleasant experience, but you'll learn lots!)

3dogs1cat · Jun 2, 2009

My advice to you as a new grad coming into IHS is to come in with an open mind and flexibility. I can't speak for all of the facilities but it is not the same as the private sector. If you are lucky, you will get an awesome preceptor if not...You will be looking things up and figuring it out on your own. They are trying to facilitate the Vermont Nursing Internship Program (VNIP) or whatever is called but it is not going so well in some places. I have a friend who started in the ED at Fort Defiance as a pretty inexperienced nurse. She loves it. Give it a try, it really makes you grow as a person and as nurse to work out here!

P.S. Who ever said that GIMC is in the heart of the Navajo Reservation missed the whole other side of the rez to the west! Gallup is a border town. It is not on the reservation.

elkpark · Jun 2, 2009

I haven't known any nurses, but I did know a physician a number of years ago (she married a friend of mine) who went to work on an IHS facility in order to work off her med school loans. They both enjoyed it so much that they have stayed in the area (and she has stayed at the same facility) even though she finished her "required" time many years ago.

PedsRN82 · Jun 9, 2009

Try it, I traveled to Chinle and Tuba City as a nurse on 13 wk assignments. I loved it there. Very different type of living. But IHS has good benefits and pay.

LuRN · Jun 24, 2009

I think you have to have a certain number of posts (Think it's only something like 10) before you can pm someone, but let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer and I'll be glad to.
IHS work is very different than other parts of the country, but you can get some good experience very quickly there. (Not always a pleasant experience, but you'll learn lots!)

I'm thinking of moving out to Gallup to work at the IHS hospital as a new grad and it sounds like you're a great person to ask this burning question...

What am I getting myself into?? I'm excited about the possibility of moving and doing something brand new, but it's so hard to get an idea of what it's really like. I'm moving from NC and I've never been to that area of the country. I'm up for a challenge and I've lived abroad more than once, but it feels like I'm diving into this blindly. Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated!