RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota State University’s Native American Nursing Education Center will host a pre-nursing summit this month in Rapid City. The summit will give Native American youth interested in nursing the opportunity to learn more about the profession through hands-on experiences with health care professionals.
The event, which runs from Aug. 14-16, will also honor the late Beverly Warne. Warne passed away this past April and was instrumental in improving outcomes for Native American nursing students in the Black Hills and South Dakota.
Warne was asked by leadership in SDSU’s College of Nursing to start a program similar to one she had led in Arizona. This led to the formation of SDSU’s Native American Nursing Education Center, or “NANEC,” in 2015. Since its creation, NANEC has improved retention rates for Native American nursing students in the college’s Rapid City-based program.
The center’s mission is to provide a nurturing and collaborative environment where intentional mentoring inspires Native American nursing students to thrive and flourish. NANEC is a place where Native American students can achieve their dreams of entering professional nursing roles to promote the health and well-being of Native people.