One of the activities students will complete is a Blanket Exercise, which covers over 500 years of history in an hour and a half
In light of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's calls to action, the Faculty of Nursing has developed a new course, Indigenous Health in Canada, as another step in its initiatives towards culturally safe interaction and practice.
"This course represents steps toward reconciliation," said Dr. Tanya Park, an assistant dean of undergraduate programs who co-led the development of this course with the dean of Native Studies and a working group of representatives from all of health faculties. "The concepts of awareness, acknowledgement, atonement and action are pivotal in transforming learning, but also facilitating reconciliation."
Caroline Foster-Boucher, the Faculty's Indigenous nursing coordinator, notes that Indigenous Health in Canada is an exciting development and a much-needed course for nursing students.
"Our students need the appropriate knowledge and attitude to provide excellent and culturally safe care to Indigenous peoples, that is responsive to the multiple traumas that Indigenous people have lived through, and honouring of the resilience that they have shown in the face of colonial practices and policies that continue today," said Foster-Boucher.
Nurses are the most frequent point of contact into the health-care system for many Indigenous people and as such, are well positioned to provide opportunities for ongoing dialogue and solutions-oriented responses to positively influence the health and well-being.
First Peoples, Second Class Treatment, a study released by the Wellesley Institute in 2015, uncovered that racism against Indigenous people within Canada's health care system was 'pervasive' and contributed to Indigenous health outcome levels that are worse than any population in Canada.
This doesn't surprise health care practitioners Lyla Goin and Charlene Rattlesnake, co-instructors of Indigenous Health in Canada, who have both worked on First Nations reserves. They recognize the urgency and importance of understanding and addressing racism as a determinant of Indigenous health.
"When I first started working on reserve I learned about the history of residential schools," said Goin, "I was shocked, and wondered why I hadn't learned about First Nations history in school. I was also surprised at how little others in the community knew about the history of suffering, and the impact that intergenerational trauma has on Indigenous people today."
Throughout her nursing career, Goin has seen the tremendous resilience of the Indigenous people - in spite of the adversity they endure.
"I hope students enroled in Indigenous Health in Canada have similar experiences as my own and learn the impact of culture on health, and gain an awareness of their own cultural influence and the strength of Indigenous culture," said Goin.
Over six weeks, students will visit the Edmonton Native Healing Centre, attend a cultural camp at Blue Quills University and take a field trip to Maskwacis, a community south of Edmonton, comprised of four First Nations.
These firsthand experiences will introduce students to a variety of historical realities and contemporary issues relevant to Indigenous health in Canada by examining issues and contributions facing settler relations from a historical, contemporary and critical perspective, with a focus on health and well-being.
Park notes that the Faculty of Nursing views the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as an opportunity for nurses, health care professionals, educators, researchers and clinicians to translate their aspirations of client-centeredness, health care management, human and socially transformative practices into reality.
"We need to have a better understanding of the impact of culture on health beliefs and a respect for beliefs that are different from our own," said Goin. "We can then assist our patients to feel safe and to develop trusting relationships with professionals."
Students taking the course will be better equipped as graduate nurses with the foundational knowledge needed to offer more effective care to Indigenous populations in Canada.
"It's important for all Canadians and especially all health professionals to have an understanding of our shared history and our responsibility to move forward together toward healing," said Goin.
The course will be offered in the Winter and Spring semesters as a 12 week course which undergraduate students will be required to take.