Nurses save lives when they practice cultural humility and safety.

| 13 May 2021

We know nursing care is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also know that nurses save lives when they practice cultural humility and safety. Racism and discrimination is harmful to everyone, and health care needs Cultural Safety and humility just as it needs that defibrillator or dialysis machine. Nurses, together with all health care professionals, need to work together to further equity, diversity, and inclusion for everyone.

As originally inspired by the Maori nurse, Dr. Irihapeti Ramsden, Cultural Safety was developed to change and address harmful colonizing practices and enduring racism. Cultural Safety should be capitalized according to Ramsden, as it emphasizes the recipient of care and their own self-determination in choosing and directing their care.

The First Nation Health Authority in Canada speaks to the understanding that you cannot have Cultural Safety that addresses eliminating racism without cultural humility. Cultural humility requires looking at oneself and reflecting on your assumptions and privileges.

Another important concept for all nurses to learn more about is intersectionality. Intersectionality considers how multiple circumstances intersect to create inequities that ultimately impact upon health. The pandemic is revealing much about how intersecting factors influence health. For example, not everyone receives adequate sick pay, and this leads to going to work to be able to pay for basic necessities such as food and accommodations. Having to support family or oneself often compels working when there are no provisions for paid time off. This is just one scenario in which it is helpful to think beyond just a few determinants of health and examine how other factors intersect to impact on health and wellness overall. It is a part of the reason why historically nurses and nursing associations, alongside public health organizations, have been speaking out loudly to address issues such as food security, poverty, and labour laws regarding sick time.

Nurses can be proud of how they have worked together to address disparities and poverty that lead to poorer health and susceptibility to infection. Additionally, everyone is realizing how the pandemic is increasing stress and impacting upon our mental health. As nursing students and nurses, we need to remember to prioritize our own mental health and well-being. We know that without nurses, our health care system will crumble. Ongoing stress leads to poor health that ultimately impacts one’s ability to work and cope.

How can nursing students and nurses stay healthy? Prioritizing PPE and following all public health recommendations, bonding together through our nursing associations and with our fellow colleagues is critical. If you can, do something every day that is healthy just for yourself. This could be taking a walk or Zoom-ing with someone you can debrief and vent with, focusing on more rest periods and improving sleep. Taking the time to respectfully listen to what others are saying around you is a great approach too. I am happy to discuss further with anyone.

Dr. Mary Smith is an Assistant Professor is a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner and EDI lead for the School of Nursing at Queen's University. Her interests and research areas include Indigenous health, mental health, and chronic kidney disease.

This article has been published as part of our Nursing Week 2021 campaign, which seeks to celebrate and amplify the voices and opinions of our nursing faculty, students, alumni and colleagues. Please note that this is an op-ed style essay, and all content shared belongs to the authors.

Blog

Nurses save lives when they practice cultural humility and safety.

Recent Posts