YKHC employees and classmates who are currently enrolled in UAA’s Registered Nurse Bethel cohort that started on Tuesday, September 6, are already on the move and assisting the community. In late October, supported by friends and family, the students participated in a White Coat Ceremony to celebrate their decision to pursue a nursing career. Each student was gifted a lapel pin with the inscription, “Keeping Healthcare Human,” courtesy of the Arnold P. Golden Foundation as a reminder that compassion and empathy are fundamental qualities in the delivery of quality care to patients.

The students are excited to begin their first round of four-day clinicals on November 7, 8, 20 and 21, with students alternating between the long-term care facility and the outpatient clinic for a total of four days, two days at each clinical site.

The four YKHC employees in the current cohort are Danika Bailie (Research Assistant), Christina Laraux (Assistant Director of Safety and Security), Madeline Parsons (LPN-Outpatient Clinic), and Allan White (Medical Support Technician II). Venassa Yazzie (former YKHC employee) and Brooke Arnett, Office Manager at Arctic Chiropractic, Therapy & Rehab complete the cohort.

Christina Laraux shares about her experience, “I’ve always wanted to go into nursing for quite some time and it was always on the back burner – so I am beyond ecstatic to finally embark on this journey with the Bethel cohort! I come from a family of nurses so naturally I wanted to go into healthcare and help underserved populations, especially my community in Bethel. My background and prior work experience as the Office Manager for the State of Alaska’s Public Health Nursing has also inspired me to go into nursing – and my interest heightened even more so during the Covid-19 pandemic.“