Make-believe may become reality for K-12 students who will get a chance to learn about health care professions because of a new Sonoma State University program called "Kids Into Health."
The Kids Into Health Careers (KIHCs) program is part of a large federal grant of $750,000 over a three year period awarded to Dr. Wendy Smith, a SSU professor of nursing and Family Nurse Practitioner Program Director, to support the education of more family nurse practitioners in California.
A special initative of this grant is to increase the diversity in nursing by recruiting more men and minorities into the profession starting with school children, says initiative coordinator Sandra DeBella Bodley.
On a local level, Bodley is working with selected schools in the community to pair university nursing students with students interested in all types of heath careers in ages ranging from elementary school through high school.
Beginning this spring, SSU students will serve as mentors at Elsie Allen High School, Cook Junior High and Roseland Elementary School. These schools have been identified as the schools with the highest minority and under-represented enrollment in health careers in their area.
The program plans to implement a culturally-relevant career day and provide in-class speakers and motivators who represent various health careers to the K-12 students.
In addition to the local activities, nursing students from the SSU Student Nurses Association will be touring several Bay Area high schools to introduce students to health careers, demonstrate patient care skills and answer questions about career choices in the health sciences.
