Black History Month 📚️ 

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February is Black History Month, a time to honour the pivotal accomplishments of Black people in Canada and their communities. Their past and present efforts lay the foundation of Canada’s diverse society.

Although they have championed and advocated for equity in society, many systemic challenges in healthcare still exist, which leads to marginalization, discrimination and exclusion.

There has been a shift in nursing curricula in recent years to acknowledge and promote anti-racist approaches; however, there still remains significant gaps:

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1 - Acknowledging BIPOC Figures, Experiences and Knowledge in Nursing 🩺 

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Historically, BIPOC have played essential roles in healthcare - from extensive knowledge of traditional medicines, to hygiene practices, to care delivery. Unfortunately, much of the nursing sphere is seen through a predominantly White lens which has very limited recognition of the experiences and knowledge of the BIPOC community, which has devastating effects on both future healthcare workers and the diverse patients that they care for.

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🏆️ Accomplishments by Black Nurses!

2 - Dealing with racism in clinical settings 💪 

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There is a lack of discussion around self-compassion and how to report racism encountered in the clinical, academic and personal setting. Racism is extremely multifaceted, ranging from everyday interpersonal interactions to institutional policies, attitudes and ideologies.

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😨 Dealing with aggressive patients

• Black nurses in Canada are subjected to microaggressions and overt racism from patients, colleagues and superiors. Yet, there is an expectation that you must simply keep calm and carry on with your care as if nothing happened.

• Akindele, an RN in Ottawa (on a CBC article):

  • "You have patients say the N-word, and make ignorant comments. I've had patients touch my hair many, many times. I've had patients speak to me in ways that are obviously not appropriate. I've had people say, 'Oh, I don't want a coloured nurse,'"

  • “I had a coworker, one day she just pulled me to the side and said, 'I just want to let you know that you're not alone in this. I even had to stop wearing my hijab to work,'“

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📔 But, know that ill health is not an excuse for racist behaviours. No one deserves to be treated that way.

• Warn the patient in a firm and respectful manner that their behaviour towards you, or your colleagues, is unacceptable. State that you will end the professional relationship if they don’t change their behaviour.

• Note down what is being said or done, and report behaviours to clinical instructor, nursing educators, unit manager, etc. ‎

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👨‍⚕️ But, talk with your clinical instructor or primary nurse. If the patient refuses to correct their behaviour, do not brush it aside.

• The cumulative effects of microaggressions and overt racism are devastating and can lead to internalized racism.

• As a nursing student, don’t hesitate to ask your clinical instructor; and as a nurse, don’t hesitate to notify the charge nurse about swapping out of an assignment where the patient harasses you based on your background.

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💗 But, reach out to designated black support staff to talk to and debrief your experiences

• Join the Black Nurses Leading Change interest group (BNLC) from RNAO - they advocate for anti-black racism, offer mentorship and provide continuous education. It’s membership is also free for undergraduate students! (learn more)

• Join the Black, Indigenous, and People or Colour Support Group at uOttawa - a bilingual drop-in group offered every last Thursday of the month at FTX 102. They provide a safe place for students to reflect on how their identities and experiences impact their mental health (themes: belonging, macro/microaggressions, cultural stigma, intergenerational trauma, racial profiling, empowerment, resilience) (learn more)

3 - How Nursing Students Can Advocate for Changes ❣️ 

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There is an expectation that nursing students should just follow the curriculum as is - to see what is taught as fact, and not cause trouble. However, curricula reflects dominant discourses in society, and as nursing students going through the program, we have the ground-level view on how the school can broaden the discussion surrounding racism and EDI.

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Dealing with the White Lens of Healthcare

• Canadian nursing curricula have been criticized for relying too heavily on Eurocentric ideological foundations that reinforces prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination towards marginalized groups. There exists a disregard for personal and ethnic rituals, and unquestioned deference toward medical and scientific procedures. (learn more)

  • Many nursing assessment textbooks show essential medical conditions on predominantly white patients (images and diagrams of key signs and symptoms are shown on pale skin individuals). This content does not cover what is essential for future nurses who must learn to give safe care to marginalized populations.

  • There is also a lack of acknowledgement and value attributed to diverse cultural treatments and practices (nutritional, herbal, natural medicines) that diverge from existing Western pharmaceutical interventions.

  • As one members of the Anti-Racism in Nursing Education Working Group said: “There’s a close connection between whiteness and being European and being a good nurse,” so rather than being themselves, they try to become an idealized White nurse”

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📚️ But, promote educational materials that include diversity - Mind the Gap — Black & brown skin is a clinical handbook created by Malone Mukwende, a medical student, to highlight the lack of diversity in medical literature and education.

• We can notify class professors to include more resources and images to support clinical diversity.

• If you are uncomfortable with a professor’s practices, you may also provide tips and feedback towards UNSA.
  

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🏵️ But, you can learn about cultural differences while examining current power dynamics. - Although awareness of diverse cultural practices is important, making assumptions about people based on their appearances can be harmful and can suggest that culture is that of the “other”, or the non-white.

• Many studies in nursing regarding cultural differences (cultural competency) are not designed to focus on how the production of knowledge takes place within unequal terrains of power, nor are they designed to resist disempowering cultural messages.

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🎓️ But, you can pursue broader systemic changes - Until recently, many nursing curricula omitted content that incorporated the experiences, contributions or basic existence of Black nurses in Canada.

• Joining clubs with a mission to address BIPOC gaps and increase EDI. There are countless student associations that you may find at the uOttawa Clubs List.

• Understanding who is in the chain of command is crucial to starting systems level changes, whether in uOttawa or TOH - you can contact who is exactly is in charge with ongoing issues and suggested solutions.

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• Going for higher education can help you enact change in nursing curricula through critical race theories, integration of traditional medicines and non-pharmacotherapy-related interventions from diverse cultures, and much more. Some hospitals will subsidize higher education for existing nurses, and the university also offers some scholarships and bursaries (ie. OGS - Ontario Graduate Scholarship)

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Inclusion in nursing school 🙌 

How schools can improve inclusion:

• Include more education on how students can respond compassionately to someone who is hurt by racism

• Ensure that clinical learning environments are diverse and include diverse demographics of patients

• Alleviate financial barriers endured by minority groups

• Expose diverse youth to nursing experiences

• Provide social support and mentoring for diverse students to encourage success

• Challenge stereotypes by increasing the visibility of underrepresented groups in front-line and leadership positions

• Consider options that are flexible and convenient, such as offering courses online and in the evening, thus accommodating a broader student population

• Remove outdated admission and recruitment policies that might facilitate further homogeneity in nursing

^Resources 💭 

🧠 Low-Fee Psychotherapy

If you are interested in diving into your core wounds with a psychotherapist, there’s no better time than now. We partnered with Julie Clarke Therapy to offer low-fee psychotherapy to nursing students at the University of Ottawa. Each session is at a rate of 100$/session, and with the Greenshield Student insurance, it can be as low as 20$/session. Send a message to [email protected] if you are interested in learning more!

😆 Fun Flowsheet

Self-Care

Although reading week is over, try your best to carry forwards your self-care activities!

• Enjoy your time by relaxing and doing an activity you like such as reading, yoga, crocheting, or visiting with friends. 

• Do something that makes you happy. 

• If you have exams coming remember to take a break for yourself like go for a walk, read a few chapters of a book, or stretch.