Hello everyone! Today is Indigenous Nurses Day! This day is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions and role Indigenous nurses have had in shaping health and wellness, as well as advocating for increased cultural safety in healthcare. First celebrated last year in 2022, this date was chosen to honour Edith Monture, the first Indigenous nurse in Canada. Edith Monture was born on April 10, 1890, on the Six Nations Reserve. After receiving her nursing education in the States, as the Indian Act created barriers to her acceptance into Canadian schools, Edith served as a nurse in France during the First World War. Because of the Military Service Act, Edith also became the first female Status Indian and registered band member to gain the right to vote. Working alongside 14 other Canadian nurses in the United States Army Nurse Corps, Edith earned the title of being the first Indigenous registered nurse in Canada. For more information on Edith Monture, see here!
In honour of this day, we at ITMP are announcing our new blog post series on Indigenous Health. As a student nurse at UBC, my class and I have been diving deep into the health disparities and systemic oppression Indigenous peoples face in our current healthcare system. Over the coming weeks and months, ITMP will be sharing posts by myself and my classmates regarding what we have been learning in the program and experiencing while on unit. These posts will all be tagged “Indigenous Health” so that readers can easily identify new posts in the series. Stay tuned for our first post of the series! Coming soon!
Author: Jessica, ITMP Vice Chief, Logistics and Operations
Image credits: Shelby Peterson via Northern Health Stories