Advanced Practice Providers Making a Difference on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
When Joe, a physician assistant from Tennessee, packed his bags for Pine Ridge, South Dakota he wasn’t sure what to expect. “I’d never worked on a reservation before, never worked for the government,” he said. “This was my first travel assignment.”
As far as travel physician assistant jobs go, Joe certainly could have chosen one that offered more in the way of convenience, but he couldn’t have found a physician assistant job where he would have made more of an impact. On the plains of South Dakota, Joe delivered much-needed healthcare services to an often forgotten group of people -- the residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Encompassing over 2 million acres, the Pine Ridge Reservation was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota. Pine Ridge is home to an estimated 40,000 residents -- most of whom are members of the Lakota Sioux tribe. The Lakota people have long endured the region’s harsh winters, but their survival now depends on how they overcome their current challenge -- as the community faces rampant unemployment (70-80%) and the associated poverty, alcoholism, chronic illness and suicides that often accompany such dire lack of opportunity.
Hidden America: The Children of the Plains
A recent 20/20 Special on ABC brought national attention to the people at Pine Ridge. The hour-long special, “Hidden America: The Children of the Plains,” introduced its audience to several children growing up in Pine Ridge -- one of the poorest communities in the U.S. Their heartbreaking stories personalized the bleak statistics revealed in the special. An estimated 70 percent of high school students drop out before graduation; 80 percent of adults battle alcoholism and as many as 50 percent are diabetic. The average life expectancies for men and women living on the reservation are approximately 20 years less than those of men and women living in the rest of the nation.
Beth, a nurse practitioner from Iowa, saw the 20/20 special and knew she had to take action. “I could not believe the poverty and violence depicted in the film…that it could occur in our country, the country most of us think of as the land of plenty,” she said. “I am certified in mental health, as well as family practice, so I was also moved by the statistics on depression and suicide.”
Beth found an opportunity to help through AdvancedPractice.com, a preferred physician assistant and nurse practitioner staffing company for the Indian Health System (IHS). Her nurse practitioner job in the family practice, outpatient clinic at Pine Ridge Hospital keeps her busy 40-50 hours a week. She finds the work both interesting and rewarding
Challenges within the IHS
AdvancedPractice.com continually assists the hospital with their advanced practice staffing needs, but other challenges aren’t so easily faced. As the cost of healthcare continues to rise, the resources allotted to the Indian Health Services (IHS) are stretched thinner and thinner -- meaning it can be difficult for patients to get the treatment they need.
Joe describes the 12 weeks he spent working in the outpatient clinic at Pine Ridge Hospital as an “eye-opening experience.” When asked about the challenges involved with working there, he immediately points to the limited resources available. “My heart breaks for these people,” he says. “They’ve been promised access to healthcare, but unless they’re dying, they can’t get it.”
The promise Joe refers to is the federal government’s commitment to provide healthcare services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The promise dates back to the late 1700’s, and over the years the obligation has been upheld by numerous treaties, laws, Supreme Court decisions, and Executive Orders. Approximately 1.9 million people receive care annually.
While having access to free healthcare may seem enviable, Joe explains that the healthcare services they receive are extremely limited. If a patient needed a service or test that they couldn’t perform there at the clinic, it was next to impossible for them to get it. “The money just isn’t there,” he says.
Beth echoes Joe’s frustration, but even with this challenge, she enjoys being able to focus on patient care minus the usual “healthcare politics.” She feels she is making a difference in people’s lives, which is ultimately, the primary benefit for those working temporary NP jobs and PA jobs in Pine Ridge.
Making a Difference
Advanced practice providers seeking temporary NP jobs or PA jobs in Pine Ridge won’t find much in the way of entertainment. Factor in the harsh weather and difficult commute and they certainly won’t face the easiest circumstances in which to live or work. So why would advanced practice providers seek temporary NP jobs or PA jobs in Pine Ridge?
“It’s kind of like going on a medical mission,” says Leigh, another NP working at Pine Ridge. “You need that same mentality. You have to go into it knowing that things may not go as planned, but you’re here to do something good.”
It seems that the advanced practice practitioners who most enjoy their time at Pine Ridge are those that go there hoping to make a difference rather than simply working for a paycheck. Of course it can be frustrating when patients don’t go to their follow up appointments or refuse to take their medications, Joe explains, but most of the patients are very grateful. “If I didn’t have ties back home, I’d probably go back,” he says. “They need good people, that’s for sure.”
Leigh agrees, which is part of the reason she has considered relocating to the region permanently. Of course, for most nurse practitioners and physician assistants, a 12-week assignment in Pine Ridge is just the right amount of time to feel they have made a difference to a community truly in need.
For more information about temporary NP jobs and PA jobs on the Pine Ridge Reservation, contact Michelle Jernigan at 678-690-8223.
