From July 1 to 5, several College of Nursing faculty, staff and students attended the 29th ICN Congress in Montreal, hosted by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Canadian Nurses Association (CNA).
Among the presenters was Renée Boily, who graduated with her master of nursing on Oct. 17. She presented Reconcili-action Begins with Education: Graduate Nursing Students’ Perspectives of an Experiential Exercise about the History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, alongside current MN student Karamveer Kaur and advisor Dr. Donna Martin.
Their presentation looked at how intergenerational trauma and deep historical roots of racism continue to impact Indigenous People’s health and well-being in Canada.
The group also discussed their collaboration with the Turtle Island Project Collective, which works towards raising awareness, increasing understanding of Canada’s history, and engaging in reconciliation. In September 2022 they hosted two three-hour Turtle Island Project experiential exercises for twenty-one graduate nursing students, to give participants a deeper understanding of Indigenous People’s history to be better equipped to engage in reconciliation and culturally safe nursing practice.
Boily said the presentation was well-received, and that she and Kaur had the opportunity to discuss strategies for implementing Indigenous courses and education with nurse leaders from around the world.
“Overall, attending the ICN Congress in Montreal was an incredible experience. I had the privilege of learning, sharing, and networking with nurses from around the world to work towards building a better future for nursing and health care, while getting to embrace my French-Canadian culture and language in Montreal,” Boily said.
“I am very fortunate to have been able to attend the conference with the sponsorship of the Indigenous Research Chair, Dr. Wanda Philips-Beck, and the CNA.“