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 the Faculty of Nursing’s new course 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 Lyla, “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, Lyla has seen the tremendous resilience of the Indigenous people — in spite of the adversity they endure.
As Tanya Park (Assistant Dean, Faculty of Nursing) explains, “the concepts of awareness, acknowledgement, atonement and action are pivotal in transforming learning, but also facilitating reconciliation.” The development of Indigenous Health in Canada, which Tanya co-led with Chris Andersen (Dean, Faculty of Native Studies) and a working group of representatives from all of health faculties, is another step in its initiatives towards culturally safe interaction and practice.
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.
Tanya 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,” Lyla explains. “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.
As Lyla puts is, “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. 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.”
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Yolanda Poffenroth — Communications Coordinator, Faculty of Nursing
Yolanda is the communications coordinator with the faculty of nursing. When she’s not writing articles she enjoys playing squash, reading a good book, and living dangerously by putting bowties on her perpetually unimpressed cat.