Learning from the Long Point First Nation

Satya Cobos (MSc(A) Nursing Candidate)

My decision to focus on Indigenous health during my master’s degree stemmed from my previous experience in global health while completing my Bachelor’s in Nursing degree. During the Fall 2019 semester, I was lucky to spend three months with the Long Point First Nation (LPFN), as part of the MScN Global Health program. During my first weeks in LPFN, I focused on getting to know the community and completing the clinical hours required by my program. LPFN welcomed me to the community very warmly. The Anishinabe people that I met were open to share knowledge about their culture and ways of life when I asked. I learned that respectful curiosity is a big part of global health and by not asking, one can miss some valuable learning opportunities. 

After I established relationships with some community members, I began my project on exploring professional practices with young Anishinabe people (i.e., children and youth). This project was motivated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action to address the legacy of residential schools along with an international scoping review that highlighted how Indigenous Pedagogy is rarely included in curricular development for child-focused professional education programs (Carnevale et al., 2017). During my stay at LPFN, I was able to speak to young and adult Anishinabeg leaders, as well as professionals working in the community (including community workers, nurses, and teachers among other child-focused professionals) to look at current professional practices and how they can be improved. I hope that the findings of my clinical project can successfully contribute to reconciliation with Indigenous people while building effective and culturally safe relationships between young Indigenous peoples and child-focused professionals. One challenge I faced during my time at LPFN was finding time to meet my academic requirements while taking time to participate in community events. I realized that finding this balance is extremely important and necessary to have a fulfilling experience in a global health placement.

 My experience in LPFN has confirmed my interest global and Indigenous health. I have enriched my knowledge about Anishinabe culture and ways of life; which will help me take care of Anishinabe patients in the future. Lastly, I was able to shadow nurses with an expanded scope of practice and I witnessed a number of clinical cases that I would not have been exposed to otherwise. The three months that I spent in LPFN went by really fast and I am really happy to have had this opportunity. I know that there is so much more I need to learn, and I hope I have more opportunities like this in the future.

About the author

Satya Cobos is a candidate in the MSc(A) in Nursing – Global Health Concentration at McGill University and an oncology nurse at the MUHC. Through her master’s project she has focused on improving the practices of child-focused professionals in working with Indigenous children.

Reference:

Carnevale, F., Collin-Vezina, D., Macdonald, M. E., Morris, M., Talwar, V., & Van Praagh, S. (2017). Advancing Indigenous Pedagogy on Childhood: Identifying priorities for professional education. Retrieved from https://www.mcgill.ca/voice/files/voice/ indigenouspedagogyonchildhood_final_report_carnevale_etal_with_prisma.pdf