Barriers to adopting mandatory Aboriginal nursing courses

It has been well documented that Aboriginal communities across Canada suffer from some of the greatest health disparities in the country. Even though Aboriginal people have experienced health inequities for generations, very few nursing programs in Ontario require their students to complete a mandatory Aboriginal health course. Implementing mandatory Aboriginal health courses into nursing curriculum has been offered as part of a solution to educate and produce more culturally competent nurses. However, there are certain obstacles that must be addressed before Aboriginal courses become mandatory in nursing programs.

Barriers:

1.     In Ontario, the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is responsible for implementing change to the nursing curriculum. In order to promote mandatory Aboriginal health courses in nursing curriculum, it would be important to target and work with the CNO. 

2.     A significant barrier is a lack of Aboriginal faculty members in nursing education. Aboriginal faculty would help to educate students in cultural competence as well as speak to their own lived experiences which could help further students’ understanding of Aboriginal health care. Additionally, increasing the number of Aboriginal faculty may also attract more Aboriginal students into the nursing profession. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of policy and financial support to recruit Aboriginal faculty. Nursing programs across the province may need to increase their funding and support towards promoting and retaining Aboriginal faculty members.

3.     Awareness! It is important to continue to raise awareness and fight for health equity for Aboriginal communities. As nurses, we are taught the importance of advocating for vulnerable populations and therefore, we must continue to advocate for Aboriginal communities across the country.

References

Canadian Nurses Association. (2014, July). Aboriginal health nursing and Aboriginal health: Charting policy direction for nursing in Canada. Canadian Nurses Association, Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.cna-aiic.ca/~/media/cna/page-content/pdf-en/aboriginal-health-nursing-and-aboriginal-health_charting-policy-direction-for-nursing-in-canada.pdf?la=en

College of Nurses of Ontario. (2018). Nursing Education Program Approval. Retrieved from http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/nursing-education-program-approval/

Rammohan, I. (2019, September 16). Why do Canada’s Indigenous people face worse health outcomes than non Indigenous people? The Varsity. Retrieved from https://thevarsity.ca/2019/09/15/why-do-canadas-indigenous-people-face-worse-health-outcomes-than-non-indigenous-people/