The Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing is an initiative funded in 2020 for five  years by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Research Manitoba, and the Canadian Nurses Foundation. The goal is to understand the social, economic and cultural determinants of health for Indigenous people toward improving the lives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Manitoba. Through this initiative and working through FNHSSM, the program of research further aims to translate knowledge to practice. An Advisory Circle, consisting of Indigenous Scholars, Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Keepers (with representation of the three distinct groups in Manitoba), Academic Scholars, and Indigenous nurses, guides the research questions and research process.

 

Currently, a study entitled “Learning where we are: evaluating clinical experiential learning experiences for nursing students in Indigenous communities” is underway.  This is  experiential learning study focused on supporting nursing students’ knowledge of Indigenous health through clinical placements to enhance their experiences in Indigenous health service delivery and in the provision of culturally safe care. This study is based on Knowledge Keepers and Elders advice that nursing students and nurses must be in Indigenous communities to learn firsthand about Indigenous people. The study was also informed by a scoping review that showed clinical placements had some success in increasing students’ critical awareness about inequities, poverty and marginalization, and renewed their commitment to social transformation. This can only be accomplished by experiences in the community and witnessing the impact of colonization on Indigenous people, including the harms of residential schools.