https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2024/12/06/perturbation-positive
Two community health nurses share their practical advice on how to combat anti-Indigenous racism
By Lara Frederick & Randi Leanne Parsons
December 9, 2024
istockphoto.com/DisobeyArtPh
If you are in the early stages of your journey into cultural humility, that’s okay — jump in now! There’s no better time than now to make this important commitment to lifelong learning.
What is “positive disruption,” and why does it matter?
“Nurses have an obligation to respect and value each person’s individual culture and consider how culture may impact an individual’s experience of health care and the health-care system.” — Canadian Nurses Association position statement, 2018
More and more, nurses are deepening their understanding of the role the nursing profession plays in anti-Indigenous racism, truth and reconciliation, and culturally safe health care. As nurses embrace their own journey in this work, they can spark curiosity, commitment, and enthusiasm in others. We are two community health nurses from northern British Columbia (B.C.) who are embarking upon this learning and sharing with Canadian nurses the following:
- The importance of cultural humility in growing as a nurse, leader, and human being
- Simple ways you can champion change, both personally and professionally
- Tangible actions nurses can take to inspire others to get involved
It’s not just while we’re “on the clock”
We are White-settler Canadians and passionate community health nurses who want to strengthen our leadership role in our profession. We recognize that cultural humility is a lifelong commitment that transcends the workday and subsumes families, homes, and communities.
“We’re both mothers raising children with Indigenous roots, and we want our children to have the knowledge that we lacked as young people. We want them to do better than we were taught,” says Randi. As we grow our understanding of the impacts of colonization, we acknowledge that:
- Reconciliation is a process, not an outcome — truth needs to come first
- Growth takes place in discomfort and happens only when you step beyond your comfort zone
- Cultural humility requires daily action; it doesn’t stop when you leave your place of practice
During work hours, we strive to join a monthly community of practice focused on decolonization and elimination of anti-Indigenous racism in our health authority. Lara explains, “This is a space for caring professionals, including nurses and other disciplines, where we can engage in important and and sometimes uncomfortable conversations together.”
This community of practice is guided by the principles of:
- Respect
- Participation
- Learning
- Compassion
- Commitment to action
We also invest in new learning opportunities beyond the workplace. Randi reflects, “In the last year, we each had the opportunity to attend different conferences that focused on Indigenous traditional ways of knowing. These spaces encouraged us to practise deep listening. They opened our eyes to the importance of infusing cultural knowledge into our work and beyond.”
These experiences have caused us to wonder, “How can we share our learnings with others? How can we inspire our team to grow?” This curiosity has led us to develop a series of positive disruption presentations and group discussions within their population and public health team in Northern Health.
What is positive disruption?
Lara explains, “‘Positive disruption’ is a term we use to describe our opportunity to embrace cultural humility and challenge the status quo.” To understand it more deeply, ask yourself:
- Am I contributing to the problem, or to the solution?
- Do I understand my privilege, and how can I use it to elicit change around me?
- Am I making efforts to stop Indigenous racism?
- What else can I do to aid in reconciliation work — at work, at home, and in my community?
We strive to positively disrupt the health-care system by aligning our nursing practice with:
Reflection questions for readers:
- How can you urgently align your professional goals with regional, provincial, and national priorities around anti-Indigenous racism, truth and reconciliation, and cultural safety in nursing and health care?
- In what ways can you bring “home” this learning to your family and community?
Keeping the momentum alive
The Canadian nursing audience is a great means to inspire change and genuine action within the nursing profession. Randi acknowledges, “We know that the public has a significant level of trust and confidence in nurses. They’re looking to us to pave a new path in health care. Each of us needs to call out what we’re seeing in our profession that we’re not okay with.” Ask yourself: how do I want to be part of the change?
Perhaps you are in contact with nursing students and can influence their foundational learning early in their careers. Perhaps you lead a team of nurses and allied health professionals and can influence how they prioritize their own learning. If you have an opportunity to hold others up and support them in their growth, do so.
Challenge the status quo
All nurses need to embrace this work. Reconciliation can no longer be on the backs of Indigenous people in this country. It needs to be carried on the backs of nurses and settlers living on these traditional territories.
We invite you to be brave in addressing the negative views, biases, comments, and actions that you witness. Take small and big actions each day to educate people around you why this work is important to all of us. Consider how you can embrace cultural humility.
Practise lifelong learning
- Attend an Indigenous cultural event and enrol in an online course series focused on cultural safety. Look into your organization’s options for funding.
- Join a monthly community of practice — if one does not exist in your organization, start one! This can have a ripple effect on other departments and teams.
- Build, share, and maintain a resource list for you and your team to support your cultural humility.
Exercise self-reflection and critique
- Commit to genuine territorial acknowledgments during all formal team meetings. Affirm your commitment to caring for First Nations, Métis, Inuit, urban, and away-from-home Indigenous people in your region.
- Have gratitude for the territories upon which you live, work, learn, and provide care. Reflect on your privilege.
Recognize dynamics of power and privilege
- Wear a moose hide pin and take tangible action against gender-based violence toward women and children on Turtle Island (colonially known as Canada).
Be comfortable with not knowing
- Engage in uncomfortable conversations — grow together. This is challenging work that should not be attempted alone.
- Develop and deliver lunch and learn presentations in which you can share and inspire nurses around you.
Lara adds, “There are many more ways you can build your cultural humility and wholeheartedly support your own growth and that of your team.” As Maya Angelou says, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better” (n.d.). Nurses are accountable and responsible for this work and need to share the knowledge gained with others. Be role models for others — on and off the clock.
Step into the arena
If you are in the early stages of your journey into cultural humility, that’s okay — jump in now! There’s no better time than now to make this important commitment to lifelong learning. Your efforts can help you have a positive impact on your family, community, and workplace. The ripples start with you.
- Share reflections. Be brave to be human in this work. Think about the impact you can have on the network of people around you.
- Inspire action. This work cannot be done alone. We’re all responsible. We all have learning and growing to do, and we’re all on this journey in various stages. Be a beacon of hope for others and inspire them to take a step forward, whether small or big.
- Champion change. Step into the arena and lead by example. Read the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (focused on health and any other area that resonates for you).
As stated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), reconciliation “will take many heads, hands, and hearts, working together, at all levels of society to maintain momentum in the years ahead” (p. 4). Honestly ask yourself, “How can I positively disrupt my own practice, team, workplace, family, and community?” In your answer, we hope you accept the invitation to join us and many nurses across Canada in this important and urgent work.
References
Angelou, Maya (n.d.). Quotation from theysaidso.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://theysaidso.com/quote/maya-angelou-do-the-best-you-can-until-you-know- better-then-when-you-know-better
Canadian Nurses Association. 2018. Position statement: Promoting cultural competence in nursing. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://hl-prod-ca-oc- download.s3-ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/CNA/2f975e7e-4a40-45ca-863c- 5ebf0a138d5e/UploadedImages/documents/Promoting_Continuing_Competence_for_Registered_Nurses_position_statement.pdf
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. 2015. Canada’s Residential Schools: Reconciliation. The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Volume 6. Retrieved March 14, 2024, from https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/trc/IR4-9-6-2015-eng.pdf
Lara Frederick, MN, RN(C), BScN, is a regional manager for Northern Health’s public health practice team in northern B.C.
Randi Leanne Parsons, RN, BScN, is a regional nursing lead (maternal and infant health) with Northern Health’s public health practice team in northern B.C.
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