The importance and promise of integrating Indigenous knowledges in nursing education

Abstract

This paper explores the relevance of Indigenous perspectives within the nursing profession, and the importance of weaving these perspectives into nursing education. We suggest that Indigenous perspectives can support nursing’s core ethical values of relationality and holism and may hold representational and transformational possibilities for students and educators alike. Guided by principles of Indigenous learning, we provide several exemplars from Canadian schools of nursing that have already begun the process of decolonizing their programs. We conclude by describing some of the challenges and considerations that may arise when Indigenous perspectives and approaches are considered for inclusion into nursing education programs.

Integration of Indigenous Knowledge into Adult Learning Material Development and the Facilitation Methodology

“…IK and education can build and nurture intercultural and interpersonal respect, responsibilities, and relationships in a holistic manner [32]. Furthermore, other scholars such as Hodson [31] and Mawere [33] suggested three issues that need to be targeted when developing IK-based adult learning materials.…”

“…One of the most significant reasons for intertwining indigenous perspectives within adult learning and pedagogy is to increase indigenous representation in the profession [32]. Hence, the direction and quality of integrating IK into the AE require investment in professional development and selection of appropriate knowledge-building instructional tools [26,36].…”

“…Indigenous-based AE facilitation practices are not only the process of interaction between facilitators and learners but also affected by pressures from their social environment which may result in adjusting their standards for types of learners [26]. Teaching indigenous perspectives in AE requires a range of capabilities, dispositions, and knowledge that are often underappreciated, including cross-cultural facilitation skills and indigenous content-specific knowledge [26,32]. As to the work of Austin and Hickey [3], facilitators must demonstrate the characteristics of both hermeneuts (structure, work, and teaching around an effort to help students and other individuals to make sense of the world around them) and epistemologists (seek to expose how accepted knowledge came to be validated).…”

“…rough direct engagement with indigenous perspectives, adult educators and learners can evolve from cognitive understanding and sympathy to empathy and unified consciousness. As a result, IK systems can expose possibilities for contestation, transformation, and reconciliation within one's self and beyond the scope of education or practice [32].…”

Why Reconciliation should be an urgent priority for the Nursing profession

“…al., 2020). Further, nursing education should include various perspectives on health and medicine, including Indigenous knowledge and teachings, to foster appreciation for knowledge that is not biomedical (Van Brewer et. al., 2020).…”