Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Careers for … · Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Careers for Aboriginal Peoples Silvia Wilson, RN, BSN, ... as to how they may impede student

March 2009 1AHHRI Gathering

Psychiatric/Mental Health

Nursing Careers for

Aboriginal PeoplesSilvia Wilson, RN, BSN, MSN, Ed Doc (c)

Anna Helewka, RPN, RN, BSN, MSNDouglas College Faculty of Health Sciences

Department of Psychiatric Nursing

BSPN and Diploma Programs

March 2009 AHHRI Gathering 2

Introduction

• Description of participatory action research

project proposed by Douglas College

Psychiatric Nursing Department

• Project is a response to the Aboriginal

Health Human Resources Initiative call for

proposals aimed at increasing the

numbers of certified First Nations health

care professionals.


Purpose of Project

• Increase the numbers of Aboriginal individuals in the psychiatric nursing profession

• Restructure curricula to be culturally sensitive and respectful

• Support the development of cultural competencies so that all graduates can practice in culturally appropriate ways

• Respond to the unique mental health needs of First Nations groups advancing a health care system that is responsive to Aboriginal needs


Process

• Evaluate existing curricular structures/processes

as to how they may impede student success

• Environmental scan to identify gaps in meeting

the needs of aboriginal students

• Literature Review to develop an understanding

of first nations paradigms of learning

• Restructure curricula incorporating these

paradigms into psychiatric nursing curricula.


Phase I of Project

• Literature review (aboriginal paradigms

and pedagogy), environmental scan

• Developing community partnerships

• Set up advisory committee (elders,

aboriginal nurses, consumers)

• Review and redesign curricula

• Faculty professional development

• Funded (Dec 2007 to March 2010)


Phase II of Project

• Recruit cohort of interested individuals through hands on/interactive institutes providing information about psychiatric nursing as a career

• Set up support/scaffolding systems

• Aboriginal Practitioner (RPN) in residence

• Aboriginal students will be key informants to the project and to the curriculum revision process


Assumptions

• Nursing education programs must be responsive to needs of individuals, communities and populations

• Nurses in all contexts of practice must be able to provide culturally sensitive and competent care

• Nursing education programs are committed to providing quality education to students from diverse backgrounds.


Literature Review

Aboriginal/first nations peoples:

• face many mental health issues

• continue to encounter barriers to success

in post secondary programs in spite of

institutional support programs

• are not well represented in the health care

professions


Environmental Scan

• Psychiatric Nursing programs at DC not

attracting or retaining Aboriginal/First

Nation individuals

• Institutional support systems in place

(Aboriginal Student Services, Counseling,

Financial Assistance etc)

• No aboriginal representation in faculty


What are we doing wrong?

Preliminary ideas from the literature review

and environmental scan:

• retention strategies need reviewing but

this often only a “band-aid” solution

• more comprehensive approach would be

to conduct a critical examination of

program pedagogical and curricular

structures


Western Educational Perspectives

• Evidence based

practice

• Knowledge/theory

• Time orientation to

learning

• Holistic

• Professionalism

• Safety to practice

• Communication

models

• Evaluation processes

• Critical thinking

• Competencies

• Individual focus


Aboriginal Pedagogy

• Affective/spiritual components key to learning

• Learning environment and harmony among all

elements in one’s life is critical to learning

• Learning is transformative and begins with the

heart which dictates what is done with

knowledge

• Heart is seen as the basis of life processes

(including cognitive processes) and gives energy

• Learning is shared, social and lifelong


Aboriginal Pedagogy

• Thinking and feeling is connected

• Emotions play major role in the function of

memory/mind

• Learners’ feelings and emotions are

integral to knowledge acquisition

• Underlying premise to “story telling”

method of learning


Psychiatric Nursing Education

Traditional western educational paradigms

are discordant with aboriginal pedagogy

• Emotions and feelings are not rational

• Emotional aspect less important than

cognitive aspects of learning and therefore

often ignored in curricula

• Reason is often independent of emotion


Educational Transitions

Transformative Questions:

Could it be that how one feels is more

important than what one knows?

Can nurse educators accept that the

spiritual/affective domains are more

important than the cognitive/pyschomotor

domains?


Holistic Learning Paradigms?

Literature tell us that:

• affective component controls behaviour

• and what one knows is used in behaviour

• and the way knowledge is used depends

upon positive or negative feelings

experienced during learning

• NEED Holistic Learning Perspectives

(aboriginal perspective)


Application to Psychiatric Nursing

Education

Educating the mind without the heart does

NOT guarantee ethical caring professional

Examples:

• Examples of ethical and professional

issues between nurses and clients

• When an “A” student goes on killing spree

(mind taught well but not the heart)



• Aboriginal learning paradigms have potential to transform psychiatric nursing education

• Teach/learning strategies based in the affective component rather than the knowledge/skill dimension

• Education of heart (spiritual affective component) first then the brain will result in a kind, caring, useful individuals



• Aboriginal learning paradigms fit well with psychiatric nursing practice (considering that we deal with the affective, emotional and mental well being of individuals)

• Aboriginal paradigms are rooted in holistic perspectives

• Emotional competency of learners will ensure that knowledge is used with care and compassion



Traditional western perspectives result in

students learning to “play the game” and

suppress own core values and well being

True for many students from diverse

backgrounds but somehow they learn to

play the game better than many aboriginal

individuals



Incorporating aboriginal learning paradigms

into psychiatric nursing education will:

• benefit aboriginal/first nation individuals by

decreasing barriers to success

• BUT also will serve to enrich the learning

experience of all students and

• Will create practitioners that are culturally

and emotionally competent.


Beginning Strategies

• As educators we are responsible and

accountable for the outcomes of our

teaching

• Need to examine curriculum structures

and processes

• Professional development of faculty

• NOT a “Letting go” but rather an

enhancement of paradigms


Conclusion

Success of the project:

• Increased number of aboriginal individuals

choosing psychiatric nursing as a career

• Aboriginal communities will benefit by

receiving culturally appropriate and

respectful care

• All students will benefit by being educated

within a holistic circle of learning


Thank you

• Silvia Wilson,

Associate Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences,

Douglas College [email protected]

• Anna Helewka,

Project Lead and Curriculum Coordinator,

Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of

Psychiatric Nursing

• [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Careers for … · Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Careers for Aboriginal Peoples Silvia Wilson, RN, BSN, ... as to how they may impede student