Established by the government of British Columbia in 1981, Kwantlen, now Kwantlen Polytechnic University, has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. KPU offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations in more than 140 programs. Almost 20,000 students annually attend courses at KPU campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Langley, Cloverdale, and Civic Plaza.

If you thrive on helping others and want to make your mark in the evolving healthcare field, the Faculty of Health has several unique and in-demand programs in health and wellness to prepare you for an exciting career. Our learning environment provides students with a combination of in-depth theory and exceptional hands-on education. Students have the opportunity to experience and engage via our programs in hospitals, clinics, community agencies and homes, graduating prepared for a career in health! 

The Faculty of Health offer six health care programs – three in nursing, the Health Care Assistant Program, Graduate Nurses Internationally Educated, and the Acupuncture Diploma program

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN)

The purpose of the program is to educate nurses to work with individuals, families, groups and communities from a health promotion perspective and with an ethic of caring.

The program will assist students to develop sensitivity to people’s experiences with health and healing across the lifespan in a variety of settings. Students will learn to work as partners with clients and with other health care providers. Through their understanding of and participation in the changing health care system, graduates will be active participants in creating health for all.

The Faculty of Health Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. 

The KPU Faculty of Health established an “Indigenization and Decolonization Community of Practice” in 2023 which provides faculty the opportunity to gather and discuss Indigenization of curriculum, share resources and identify opportunites to deepen our understanding of Indigenous specific needs and efforts to Decolonization.  

2022/23 Accountability Plan and Report

Report on TRC and UNDRIP

Nursing Programs

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Advanced Entry (BScN-AE) program has initiated the following initiatives and partnerships:

• Students integrate content related to Indigenous health, traditional knowledge and healing practices, cultural competence, safety and humility, ways of knowing, Elder roles and working with Indigenous individuals, groups, families and communities are included in all theory courses
• Students complete a coure called “Professional Role: Decolonizing Indigenous Health” which prepares them in meeting in the new BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) Professional Standard on Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility and Anti-Racism (2022). Students will strengthen their knowledge, awareness, and skills for working with and providing services to indigenous people and their communities. They will explore the importance of developing respectful, relationally engaged, culturally safe relationships with Indigenous clients. Students will acknowledge the historical and current impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples and the importance of decolonizing these impacts. They learn how Indigenous-specific racism, discrimination, stereotyping, and their impacts negatively affects Indigenous clients’ access to health care and health outcomes, and how they can actively apply anti-racism principles in their practice. Students explore how strength-based, trauma-informed, culturally safe and humble care can improve health care experiences for Indigenous clients and their families, and strengthen Indigenous cultural safety in relationships, practices, and services. They will recognize the importance of respecting a client’s use of traditional medicines, healers, ceremonies, and practices in their own self-care and healing practices. 

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program continues to integrate the new BCCNM practice standard, Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility, and Anti-Racism, which came into effect in February 2022, into the curriculum. Throughout the program, Indigenous health content is presented, discussed and examined. 

• Semester 1: includes a focus on Truth and Reconciliation.
• Semester 3, 4, and 6: Complex care courses and nursing applications courses include Indigenous Peoples case studies focusing on strengths, culture and resilience. 
• Semester 4 nursing applications courses also include the First Nations Wellness Model with an assignment where students examine a particular Indigenous community in the Lower Mainland, with focus on the community’s culture and the ways that this supports wellness. 
• Semester 5 students hear first-hand experiences from survivors of the Canadian residential school system, learn about different types of traumas, and consolidate learning on how to provide trauma-informed care. 

Students consider Indigenous ways of experiencing pain and engage in reflective learning activities on types of resilience in the Indigenous pediatric population. Students consolidate principles in final preceptorship orientation where a BSN faculty member and cultural safety consultant guides students through a review of BCCNM standards and materials on culturally safe practice. During the preceptorship, they host reflective discussions and encourage planning around culturally safe practice at site visits with the student and preceptor.

In addition, BSN faculty have conducted two projects using time release made possible from KPU’s Teaching Learning Innovation Fund (TLIF) Awards – Indigenous Foci:

• 2021-2023: Aligning the Fraser Health 48-6 Model of Care with isolated Indigenous Elders and the BSN curriculum
  • 2023-2024 KPU BSN Strengthening our Relations with Kwantlen First Nation (KFN) and Katzie FN (KaFN

2024 BSN – The purpose of this fund was to engage students across the various faculties such as Trades, Arts, Science and Horticulture.  The TLIF funds were indeed used to “expand Nation and Elder led programming with a focus on traditional healing gardens.” The project focused on re-cultivating the gardens and refurnishing the beds at North Otter School with traditional fruits and medicinal plants used by First Nations in the region, originated from an idea shared by the aboriginal support worker, Alicia Hiebert.  Alicia, has a vision that she would like to use the gardens as a teaching venue for all students to learn about the history and traditional ways of First Nations regarding health and healing practices. 

With the support from faculty, BSN nursing students, horticulture and trades students embarked on an “Indigenous project” focused on “Design Thinking” in an interdisciplinary, intersectoral, innovative, service learning hands on experience. The garden was completed and a celebration lead by Elder Karen Gabriel was held on April 10^th, 2024. 

For full details on the above click on the link above to the 2023 Accountability Plan and Report.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

2022/23 Accountability Plan and Report

The report describes how KPU addressed the Ministry’s priorities for 2022/23….In addition, it describes actions KPU is undertaking to support lasting and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous learners and communities, as well as work on equity and anti-racism.

Supporting Lasting and Meaningful Reconciliation with Indigenous People

The section highlights some of KPU’s initiatives in support of lasting reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. A compendium of KPU’s activities to address the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), as well as articles in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is provided in Appendix A.

• Capacity Building
• Strategy and Action Plan: – KPU Pathway to Systemic Transformation
  • Six Pathways with associated steps
• Indigenous Languages in Graduation Parchments
• Indigenous Artists and Writers in Residence Initiative

For full details on the above click on the 2022/23 Accountability Plan and Report.

Call to Action # 24

We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Indigenous teachings and practices. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

Mandatory Course: Yes. Multiple courses.

Throughout the three years, Indigenous health content is presented, discussed and examined. Semester 1 includes a focus on Truth and Reconciliation. Complex care courses and nursing applications courses in semester 3, 4 and 6 include Indigenous Peoples case studies focusing on strengths, culture and resilience. Semester 4 nursing applications courses also include the First Nations Wellness Model with an assignment where students examine a particular Indigenous community in the Lower Mainland, with focus on the community’s culture and the ways that this supports wellness.

The BSN program continues to integrate the new BCCNM practice standard, Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility, and Anti-Racism, which came into effect on February 2022….

Course descriptions: Found here

School of Nursing Commitment to Call to Action # 24: 3 out of 5 = 60%

1. Aboriginal health issues
Yes. See mandatory course description and Faculty of Health Commitment
2. The history and legacy of residential schools
Yes. See mandatory course description and Faculty of Health Commitment
3. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
No. No explicit reference.
4. Treaties and Aboriginal rights
No. No explicit reference.
5. Indigenous teachings and practice
Yes. See mandatory course description and Faculty of Health Commitment

Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing’s “Statement” of apology for colonial harms resulting from nursing education

Dec.11, 2023: CASN apologizes to Indigenous Peoples of Canada for Colonial harms resulting from nursing education…CASN is committed to a process of self-reflection, learning, and transformation. We will take the following steps to address the harms:

1. Anti-Racism, Cultural Safety, and Humility: Promote education, resources, and practices that address anti-Indigenous racism, supporting decolonization, cultural humility, and cultural safety for nursing faculty, staff, and students. Promote institutional policies and processes that address systemic racism to foster an inclusive and equitable learning environment.
2. Curriculum Revision: Promote a review of nursing education curricula to ensure a strengths-based focus and trauma-informed approach, the inclusion of content on the continued impact of colonialism and racism on Indigenous health, as well as Indigenous perspectives on health and well-being.
3. Community Engagement: Establish meaningful partnerships with Indigenous organizations and communities to ensure their voices are heard in shaping nursing education policies and practices.
4. Recruitment and Retention: Promote strategies that create culturally safe and supportive learning environments including pre-admission supports, in-program supports, and services that are developed in partnership with Indigenous communities.
5. Ongoing Accountability: In collaboration with Indigenous partners, establish mechanisms to monitor progress and address concerns raised by partners, Indigenous nursing students, and faculty.

Land Acknowledgement: 

Located on the Faculty of Health and Nursing Home Pages and the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Home Page:

We at Kwantlen Polytechnic University respectfully acknowledge that we live, work and study in a region that overlaps with the unceded traditional and ancestral First Nations territories of the xwməθkwəyə̓ (Musqueam), qi̓  cə̓  y̓ (Katzie), SEMYOME (Semiahmoo), scə̓  waθən (Tsawwassen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), and kwikwəƛ̓ə̓  m (Kwikwetlem); and with the lands of the qw̓  ɑ:nƛ̓ə̓  n̓ (Kwantlen First Nation), which gifted its name to this university.

Also located on university’s About webpage

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) takes its name from the Kwantlen First Nation.

We at Kwantlen Polytechnic University respectfully acknowledge that we live, work and study in a region that overlaps with the unceded traditional and ancestral First Nations territories of the Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem, and with the lands of the Kwantlen First Nation, which gifted its name to this university.

Proudly sharing the name of the Kwantlen First Nation, the word ‘Kwantlen’ means Tireless Runner, and is reflected in the university’s motto: “through tireless effort, knowledge, and understanding’. 

NOTE: All content has been submitted to the respective faculty for validation to ensure accuracy and currency as of the time of posting. The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Faculty of Health reviewed and approved the document. Managing Editor: Douglas Sinclair: Publisher, Indigenous Watchdog Research Assistant:  Timothy Maton