Students Are Our Future is a programme developed by Pasifika Medical Association as a response to the urgent need to increase the level and mix of Pacific health professionals participating in the New Zealand health sector workforce. The programme has been developed over the period of February-November 2010. It has been very successful so far with excellent support from all stakeholders.
The AIM of the programme is to:
"Improve the completion rates for students in health science priority programmes through supporting students in reaching their career goals by targeting these health workforce priority areas: Medicine, Nursing, Dietetics, Podiatry, Speech language therapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy and Medical laboratory technology and Midwifery"
The Students Are Our Future mentoring programme will:
Support Pacific tertiary students to successfully navigate systems within tertiary institutions such as Universities
Provide adequate pastoral care and referral onto appropriate agencies where required
Support students to manage a productive academic career
Develop students understanding of the formal (and informal/implicit) values, rules and operating procedures in health sciences
Develop a sustaining network of professional colleagues