Health care summit draws scores of American Indian youth to learn about medical careers
Dozens of American Indian youth donned lab coats embroidered with their names and tribal affiliations Saturday before touring Hennepin Healthcare in downtown Minneapolis to learn about careers in medicine.
At least 114 young people between ages 12 and 18 attended the American Indian Youth with Stethoscopes Summit, nearly twice as many as attended the program's launch last year. Some learned how to draw blood using faux arms, while other delivered babies through practice with a model. Most visited with students and professionals in healthcare, finding out about challenges in the field and collecting tips for success.
Organizers say that 23 tribes from Minnesota and Wisconsin were represented at Saturday's event. Such inclusion is crucial to Dr. Thomas Wyatt, Hennepin Healthcare's senior medical director, of the Shawnee and Quapaw tribes. Wyatt said many of the youth had never seen American Indians like him in the medical profession. They are not alone.
"There's between five and six million doctors in the U.S., and 4,000 of them are indigenous," said Wyatt —fewer than 1 percent.
"Because we're so underrepresented in this healthcare space, formalizing mentoring and showing these youth that they could use us as mentors, and talking about the importance of having a mentor, is really important," Wyatt said. "I think that is what this programming also offers to American Indian youth."
Aida Strom, Hennepin Healthcare's health equity community engagement program manager and a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Nation, said such disparities result in worse health outcomes to American Indian people. Strom added that Hennepin Healthcare serves the most Indian hospital patients in Minnesota, but that more work could be done.
Support from Strom and other organizers impressed the youth who participated Saturday. Elijah Denashahart, 15, and Richard Perez, 17, members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, enjoyed learning how to deliver babies and perform medical techniques. Perez said he will consider becoming a surgeon.
Michael Gates, 13 and a member of the Cherokee tribe, attended last year's summit and said it offers a chance to learn about medicine in an exciting way.
"This is really an experience that everyone should try at least once or twice," Gates said. "It's just fun to do."
"Building trust after hundreds of years of oppression — that's a big feat, and we're up for it," Strom said, adding that financial support is vital. "These kids get a peek behind the curtain and are like, 'This is what I want to do.' Now we've got to be ready to support them to do that."
