Must be a member or descendant of a federally recognized, state recognized, or terminated American Indian Tribe or Alaska Native village
Be a high school graduate or equivalent
Have a minimum 2.0 GPA
Be capable of completing a health profession degree program
Intend to serve Indian people as a health professional in your chose discipline
More Details
The Indian Health Service (IHS) offers three scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native students in order to educate and train health professionals to staff Indian health programs.
Employment Policies
Indian health professionals are required to follow program employment policies in order to successfully complete their service commitment.
Position Start Date
Your Indian health career must begin within 90 days of graduation or completion of your post-graduate clinical training.
If you are a high school senior who is soon headed to college or university, eligible participants will be considered based on the following factors:
Grades
Volunteer and leadership history
Recommendations from teachers and/or school counselors
If you are currently enrolled in an educational program that is in a traditional collegiate medical field, you must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for this scholarship:
Must possess a cumulative collegiate GPA of 2.5 or higher
Must be enrolled full-time in a health profession school, complementary, and/or alternative medicine program
If you’re currently striving towards a licensure via non-collegiate training program, you must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this scholarship:
Must have completed and been accepted for your Application for Official Licensure
Must be a Native American student who can provide documentation of enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, member of a state recognized tribe in WA,OR, ID, or MT, or descendancy of a federally or state recognized tribe in WA, OR, ID, or MT.
Must be an undergraduate, graduate, or professional students enrolled in the health sciences including Pharmacy, Pre-Pharmacy, Medicine, all Pre-Med disciplines (e.g. biochemistry, neuroscience), and/or Nursing. Students may be enrolled at any of the WSU campuses.
Priority may be given to students from tribes who have signed the MOU for creation of the WSU Native America Advisory Board to the President.
Nez Perce Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Yakama Indian Nation, Colville Confederated Tribes, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Kootenai Tribe of Indians, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Spokane Tribe of Indians, Quinault Indian Nation, and any Tribes that join this MOU in the future.
Priority may be given to students from tribes who are founding partners for this scholarship:
Chehalis Confederated Tribes, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Mohegan Tribe, Swinomish Tribe, and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
When needed, the pool of applicants may be refined by prioritizing students with the highest level of unmet financial need.
When needed, the pool of applicants may be further refined by giving first priority to a member of the Nez Perce Tribe.
Application Process:
Application Packet:
Completed application (put link in here to the electronic application page)
One recommendation letter that speaks to the applicant’s leadership skills, community involvement, and commitment to health equity. The letter may come from a faculty or staff member or supervisor.
Documentation of enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, member of a state recognized tribe in WA, OR, ID, or MT, or descendancy of a federally recognized or state recognized tribe in WA, OR, ID, or MT
It is recommended that you provide a list of campus and community volunteer activities. Please note if you held a leadership role.
To be considered for the scholarship, applicants need to submit written responses to three questions.
Please describe what influenced your decision to pursue a career as a health professional.
How do you intend to serve American Indian/Alaska Native communities in your chosen health profession?
Briefly explain your thoughts about health equity and your commitment to health equity as a student and as a professional?
Have total family income (adjusted gross income plus all untaxed income) that does not exceed 125% of Washington state family median income based on family size, as described in this chart.
ACADEMIC RECORD
A cumulative grade point average (GPA) as of application date of at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale), demonstrated on either a current college or high school transcript; OR
A passing GED score, demonstrated on an official score report.
ENROLLMENT PLAN
Plan to pursue an eligible science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) or health care major as defined on the eligible majors list.
Plan to enroll at least half-time (six or more credits) every term. Scholars are not expected to enroll in nor does WSOS fund summer term.
PREVIOUS EDUCATION EXPERIENCE
Do not yet have a bachelor’s degree.
Applicant must currently be a:
High school senior or graduate (high school equivalency)
College freshman or college sophomore. If the applicant has completed any college terms or college credits post high-school, they must meet either the maximum term OR maximum credit requirement stated below:
Maximum Terms Completed: The applicant must have completed no more than six quarters or four semesters of college at the end of the current academic year; OR
Maximum Credits Earned: The applicant must have earned no more than 90 quarter or 60 semester credits at the end of the current academic year
Interested applicants must complete the entire application process. Applicants must:
Complete all application sections via the Scholarship Application Portal and click “Submit” by the application deadline.
Mail a copy of your transcript or GED scores to WSOS c/o Baccalaureate Scholarship at this address: 1414 31st Ave S., Suite 302, Seattle, WA 98144.
Submit the FAFSA or WASFA for the relevant academic year by the deadline on the application timeline.
The application will require approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete. Applicants may start the application, save progress and return to complete it later up until the application deadline. Applicants should know what college they expect to attend and what major they intend to complete before beginning their application.
Further submission guidelines can be found on the scholarship’s website.
Any undergraduate or graduate college student currently enrolled in a “healthcare degree” program may apply
This includes, but is not limited to, degree programs and courseware supporting the following professions: Athletic Trainer, Cardiac Sonographer, Cardiovascular Technologist, Dental Assistant, Dentist, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, Electrocardiographic Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Exercise Scientist/Specialist, Mammographer, Medical Assistant, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Assistant, Paramedic, Pharmacist, Phlebotomist, Physical Therapist, Physician Assistant, Physician, Practical Nurse, Registered Nurse, Respiratory Therapist
Pre-professional programs such as pre-nursing and pre-medicine students are qualified as well. Students begin their coursework but ultimately transfer to another institution to complete their degree.
Employees and Pacific Medical Training, and their family members, are not eligible to participate in this program.
All entries become the sole property of Pacific Medical Training.
Proof of enrollment in a qualifying degree program may be required for eligibility.
Payment will be made as a stipend to the winner, funds are unrestricted.
More Details
Your submission will be a 750 to 1,000 word essay discussing emergency medical care from the perspective of a medical student. Basic life support is a critical skill for all healthcare providers and advanced and pediatric life support are also practiced by certain nurses and physicians depending on where they are working.
Please explain how you will prepare mentally and physically before performing life saving techniques on patients in your career. Working as a healthcare provider can be a stressful and rewarding career. And we are looking for your insight and advice for other students entering the field.