A Journey Towards Cultural Competence and Cultural

Safety in Nursing Education

Langara College BSN ProgramPresented by Michelle Su (Métis) RN,

MSN March 1, 2010

   Goals for Today's Presentation  

 •  Langara College BSN Program 

oA bit about us oOur Starting Point

• Current Work and Ongoing EndeavorsoCulturally Safe Decision Making

Framework for Nursing PracticeoNew Curriculum ThemeoBuilding Connections

Langara College  100, West 49th ave.

Vancouver BC  Add picture of college. I have one....that would be cool to add if you have one :)

Demographics and our Nursing Program's Starting Point

• Langara Nursing Department Demographics

• Situated on and also near Traditional Musqueam, Squamish, and Burrard Territories

• Lack of Aboriginal health and Cultural Safety Content in the Curriculum

Strengths that Support Change

• Supportive Nursing Administration team• In process of Curriculum Revision • Large Nursing Faculty• Increasing level of awareness among faculty

of issues• Student population eager to learn about

Aboriginal health and cultural safety

Challenges and Solutions  • Takes time for Faculty to recognize significance

and importance of cultural safety and Aboriginal health.   o Continue to identify importance by way of meetings,

emails, presentations. o Provide for learning opportunities by way of guest

speakers •  Faculty resources on E Repository not being utilized  

o   Increase awareness and makes resources more                  accessible.

o    Create learning activities with resources that can be used  

              for each term.                        

Our Current Work and Ongoing Endeavors CURRICULUM

• The Marriage of our Nursing Decision Making Framework with the Cultural Competence Cultural Safety Framework

• Cultural Safety/Aboriginal Health thread throughout the curriculum

• Post Colonialism as a theory that informs our nursing philosophies

 FACULTY:  • Faculty workshop• Ongoing educational sessions. • Faculty resources

 STUDENTS: • Recruitment(SFU Aboriginal pre health program)• Retainment    

(Original) COMING TO KNOW THE CLIENT

The nurse comes to know the client by learning of the client’s lived experience of health and healing

through in depth caring interactions.

Questions the student will ask:

• What is the client’s story? •  What is the client telling me? •  What do I know? •  How do I know it? •  How will I learn more? •  What are my resources? 

STUDENT The student will:

• Respect the client’s culture, age, and beliefs 

• Recognize that he or she brings his or her own culture and attitudes to the relationship

•  Communicate competently with the client in that person’s social, political, linguistic, economic, and spiritual real

•  Pay close attention to and not negatively judge verbal and non-verbal information that clients provide

•  Be aware of the needs the client may have and the issues he or she may face

  Questions the student will ask:

• What is happening in your life?• What is the most important thing

right now? • What are the client behaviors that

can add to my assessment? • Besides my client, what are my

resources?

FACULTY The Educator will:  

• role model culturally safe practice for the student, to the patient

• support the student to come to know the client through respecting both the client and the student's culture and attitudes brought into the helping relationship.

• support the student to identify the client's unique health needs. 

• must have awareness of the issues themselves and then can provide the student with knowledge pertaining to the core competencies

 Educator questions: Questioned the student about:  - reviewing what is the client's story. - identifying the plan of care? - identifying student learning  needs? -reviewing resources identified by the client and student.   

CURRICULUM The curriculum: Will include concepts and content related to:

• cultural safety• a critical understanding of culture• post colonial understanding -

respecting culture• Communication - relational and

caring practice• Respect - relational and caring

practice• Inclusivity - developing trusting

relationship• Indigenous knowledge• Mentoring and supporting

students for success 

(Revised) Coming to Know the Client

The student with Faculty support within a culturally safe curriculum comes to know the client by learning of the client’s lived experience of health and

healing through in-depth, culturally safe, caring interactions.

Cultural Safety and Aboriginal Health Curriculum Theme

 Aboriginal Health and Cultural Safety as a Thread

Year Learning Outcomes

Concepts/ Content

Resources Assignments

    Year 1

Term 1 (Wellness)

Examine the process of cultural safety.  Explain how cultural safety can be achieved. Describe how this process relates to a population’s health

Differentiate between the concepts of: race, ethnicity and culture.Begin to understand: cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, cultural competence, cultural safety

Browne, A. J., & Varcoe, C.

(2006). Critical cultural

perspectives and health care

involving Aboriginal peoples.

Contemporary Nurse, 22(2),

155-167.(more but did

not fit on slide)

Case story approach, reading circle approach

The Importance of Building Connections

  • Aboriginal Advisory Committee• Aboriginal Student Services   • Aboriginal nursing students/past students • Simon Fraser University Aboriginal Pre-

health Health program  • Vancouver Coastal Health Aboriginal Patient

Navigator Program      

Faculty Development for Cultural Safety and Aboriginal

Health   • Spring Faculty workshop presentation - Colleen

Varcoe• Interactive workshop on dealing with racism •  Faculty development committee - Elder from

Residential school survivor society. •  Aboriginal Patient Navigator Vancouver Coastal

Health Speaker           

  References

• Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada (2009). Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Nursing Education, A framework for First Nations, Inuit and Metis Nursing. 

• Decision Making for Nursing practice. Collaborative Curriculum Guide (May 2004 Revised) Collaborative Nursing Program in BC: Summary of the Collaborative Nursing Program in BC. 

• The Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ( 2009).  Cultural Safety in Practice; A Curriculum for Family Medicine Residents and Physicians, Winnipeg & Ottawa, IPAC-RCPSC Family Medicine Curriculum Development Working Group