MayKao Hang, the dean of the Morrison Family College of Health, spoke with reporter Fred Melo of the Pioneer Press about plans to have 30% of the inaugural class of the university's new School of Nursing be people who are from rural and disadvantaged communities or have a heritage that is of Black, Indigenous or people of color with the goal of having graduates work in the communities that are familiar to them.
From the article:
MayKao Hang plans to send nursing students into the St. Paul Public Libraries to guide patrons through blood pressure checks, health assessments or other direct care. She’s almost ready to embed students in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on St. Paul’s West Side, the Wilder Foundation and Catholic Charities. At the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, they’ll join teams of social workers for street outreach to the homeless.
To graduate the University of St. Thomas’ new school of nursing, students will have to show they’re ready to treat the whole person, even if that means referrals to social services, and meet the vulnerable where they’re located — both literally and figuratively.
“We want our students to be the equity that we see in the world,” said Hang, the founding dean of the university’s new Morrison Family College of Health.
