KAREN:  You're of a generation, you're sort of in between, that you have had the opportunity to work with the older generation of health aides --

RITA:  Uh-hum (affirmative). 

KAREN:  -- and now you're becoming the next generation of health aides to this new young group. 

RITA:  Yeah. 

KAREN:  And what do you see in this -- the next generation coming up? 

RITA:  There's a lot of new technology.  Computers, Telemedicine, and they are all very good for work. 

I really appreciate the Telemedicine program.  You know how it was hard to describe skin problems over the phone to the doctor. 

Back then when they had the standby radio.  I have a story about my mom.  She was telling the doctor over the phone that this person had stomach flu or something, she was describing the baby's stool and it was the color of cornflakes.  And the doctor asked her, why do you describe it like food?  And she said, well, there's no other color of that color, you know, so that was how they describe it. 

But today, we can use the Telemedicine and the doctor can see it right away.  And it -- I think it prevents a lot of flying-ins to Nome, by seeing the picture.  Because there's so many skin problems nowadays that are hard to describe.  And you can look better at the ears. 

The new health aides now, the new generation, they are -- they are smart.  They can all use a computer.  And there's -- I think there's more advantages to going to school, they can learn more.  Just all the stuff they are learning in school. 

And I know there are a lot of young ladies out there that could probably go to PA school and do it very well.  But a lot of them just don't have the know-how to get the money or the scholarships. 

And this new generation, they are really smart.  And I think it's partly the schools, too, are having computers and teaching them how to use them. 

KAREN:  What about issues of the turnover in the job?  Is that -- is that a problem? 

RITA:  Yeah.  Turnover in some villages is really a big problem.  You know, they put a lot of money into training. 

And I think it's a lack of support from the community, possibly from their families.  I think White Mountain is one of the villages where they have the longest standing health aide without much turnover. 

KAREN:  Uh-hum. 

RITA:  And I honestly believe it was the support of the family and the community. 

And I can honestly say the White Mountain City Council that has the IHS lease for the clinic, I'm very thankful that they've always been supportive.  If there was a problem at the clinic, like with the building or anything they needed, you know, to help with the patient care, they would gladly provide it. 

We had telephones, if the phone kept breaking down, they would fix them.  We've had, like, the four-wheeler or snow machine, too, to, you know, haul patients back and forth or to meet the airplane, they always kept them running and in good condition. 

They always believe the health aide when we said we need this or that for something, for patient care.  And I think that partly is from the health aide, too, you know, their moral standards.