McGill University is one of Canada’s best-known institutions of higher learning and one of the leading universities in the world. International students from more than 150 countries make up nearly 30% of McGill’s student body ‒ the highest proportion of any Canadian research university.

McGill University’s Ingram School of Nursing creates an environment for students to excel, to innovate, and to be proud ambassadors of the nursing profession as they prepare for their careers on the frontlines of public and global health.  An education or career at the Ingram School of Nursing is one that will engage and inspire you to develop the strengths that nurses, patients and families are encouraged to recognize and foster in themselves and others to promote health and facilitate healing.

We are committed to the highest standards of academic excellence, research and innovation, and to fostering dynamic collaborations at the local, national and global levels. We espouse a Strengths-Based approach to nursing and healthcare, a philosophy and value-driven approach to guide clinicians, leaders, and educators. The School offers students the chance to explore, discover and learn about the many rewarding opportunities the nursing profession has to offer in the 21st century.” The Bachelor Program offers a BScN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and BNI (Bachelor of Nursing Integrated) program and can be taken online or on campus.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The BScN is a 3-4-year program (including summer sessions) that focuses on complex and contemporary nursing issues. As a preparation for a nursing career, the program includes innovative courses on fundamental nursing expertise, skills and critical thinking. Completion of this program entitles successful graduates to sit licensure examinations in Quebec, Canada, and other countries. 

Mission

Through academic excellence and Strengths-based Nursing and Healthcare, we will prepare nurses for lifelong learning and generate, share, and transmit new knowledge that contributes to the advancement of nursing practice and to improved health for all.  

School of Nursing Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation Position Statement:

As nurses within Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN), we welcome the foundational recommendations on justice, health and education in the landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada: Calls to Action report and we strongly support McGill’s Provost’s Task Force on Indigenous Studies & Indigenous Education launched in September 2016.

Our practice is strongly grounded in Strengths-Based Nursing Care. As such, social justice, equity, health promotion, collaboration, and accessibility are our underlying values. We strongly support the two core themes of the Provost’s Task force:

1. recognition of Indigenous history (Indigenous refers to First Nations, Inuit and Métis), contemporary presence and ways of knowing and learning; and
2. reconciliation through education and institutional efforts aimed at redressing historical legacies of injustice and repairing relationships with Indigenous peoples.
   

We commend the courage and strength of the survivors of residential schools and their families as they contribute their experiences and expertise to educate the Canadian population and are part of a process of collaborative national reconciliation.

We acknowledge the health impact of historical and political policies on the current gap in health indicators for Indigenous communities across Canada.

We value the important opportunities for wide-reaching, positive system change and commit to address identified health inequities through the development of sustainable multilevel diverse partnerships.
As the largest group of healthcare providers within the Canadian healthcare system, we acknowledge nursing’s historical and ongoing role in perpetuating injustice and health inequities experienced by Indigenous peoples. We believe it is our professional and ethical responsibility to respond, collaborate and advocate for equitable access to health for all Indigenous persons and communities.

In response to the Provost’s Task Force findings and TRC Calls to Action, the Ingram School of Nursing commits to the following actions:

Recruitment Policy
We will build a plan to improve and promote equitable access to nursing education opportunities and enhance the presence and success of Indigenous students at the ISoN. We aim to recruit Indigenous faculty and staff members into the ISoN.

Educational Development
We commit to ethically consult with Indigenous populations to refine the development of our curricula, so that our curricula will optimally address recommendations identified within the TRC Report – namely cultural humility and cultural safety. In collaboration with our Indigenous Partners we will use the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety in Nursing Education: A framework for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nursing to inform our curriculum. 

We commit to the integration of these competencies throughout our curricula. Students will be introduced to the history and legacy of the residential schools, key documents related to Indigenous health, an introduction to Indigenous healing practices, cultural humility and culturally safe practice standards and guidelines. Students will be given opportunities to apply, and be evaluated on, their knowledge and application throughout their educational experiences.

Learning Environments
We will pro-actively develop partnerships with Indigenous communities to support the development of intercultural competencies that foster leadership among our students and our graduates in the delivery of culturally safe care for Indigenous peoples.”

The 2022-2027 Strategic Plan states that it will take action to “Facilitate accessibility and support learning”…“Pathways to remove barriers within our academic systems, including for Indigenous, Black, and other underrepresented communities.”

McGill University

Provost’s Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education: Final Report 2017

Calls to Action

1. Student Recruitment and Retention
2. Physical Representation and Symbolic Recognition
3. Academic Programs and Curriculum

• Research and the Academic Complement
• Building Capacity and Human Resources

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: No. Indigenous content integrated in multiple courses. 

Currently, McGill does not have a mandatory Indigenous Health course. However, a course is under discussion with the undergraduate program directors. While there is no mandatory course, Indigenous health content is woven through our curriculums through assigned readings, class discussions, assignments, inquiry-based learning scenarios, workshops, and placements in Indigenous communities.

A current project maps out where and to what extent this content is covered to give a better idea of content gaps and where to support faculty members with resources. Josée Lavallée, Director of the Office of Social Accountability in Nursing, an Indigenous Nursing Scholar and a Faculty Lecturer-Indigenous Health gives guest lectures and workshops at both undergraduate and graduate courses on Residentials Schools, 60’s scoop, Indian Act, Joyce’s Principle, UNDRIP, Indigenous research methodologies, and cultural humility/safety. The School also invites Indigenous nurses and community members to guest lecture or to advise on content such as children’s health, palliative care, and planetary health. 

The following courses include the indicated content. These are mostly undergraduate courses (except for NUR2*).

Aboriginal Health Issues:

• NUR1 326 Acute Chronic and Palliative Health
• NUR1 221Introduction to Professional Practice and SBNH
• NUR1 424 Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice Issues
• NUR1 335 Illness Management

History and Legacy of Residential Schools 

• NUR1 225 Individual and Family Development

UNDRIP

• NUR1 221 Introduction to Professional Practice and SBNH

Treaties and Aboriginal Rights

• NUR1 221Introduction to Professional Practice and SBNH
• NUR1 424 Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice Issues

Indigenous Teachings and practice

• NUR1 431Community Health Nursing
• NUR1 424 Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice Issues

Course description: Courses are found here.

School of Nursing Commitment to Call to Action # 24: 2.5 out of 5 = 50%

1. Aboriginal Health issues

Yes, but limited. Content delivered primarily via guest lectures.

2. The history and legacy of residential schools

Yes, but limited. Content delivered primarily via guest lectures.

3. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Yes, but limited. Content delivered primarily via guest lectures.

4. Treaties and Aboriginal rights

Yes, but limited. Content delivered primarily via guest lectures.

5. Indigenous teachings and practice

Yes, but limited. Content delivered primarily via guest lectures.

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 “Equity at McGill”:

McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

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