Citation for developing retention and support strategies that enable Indigenous nursing students to realise their university dreaming journeys

Abstract

[Overview] Since 2007, the 'Helping Hands' team from the Department of Nursing and Midwifery in the Faculty of Sciences at USQ, lead by Lynne Stuart, has developed and implemented a package of retention and support strategies, called 'Helping Hands for Indigenous Nursing Students'. Each team member provided cultural knowledge which the team leader, Lynne Stuart, synthesised to create an Indigenised nursing support package called 'Helping Hands'. This has now been translated into a written Indigenous nursing support model. Since it was implemented in 2007, Helping Hands, has contributed to a large growth in enrolments and graduations, with the annual graduation rate over the period 2007-2011 being nearly six times that for the previous 17 years. Key industry stake holders at Queensland Health advised the Head of Department, Professor Cath Rogers – Clark, that 'USQ is now a leader in the educational preparation of Indigenous nurses and midwives in Australia' USQ acknowledged these outcomes by awarding the Helping Hands team a USQ Citation in 2010 for outstanding contributions to student learning