USask College of Nursing alumna Cara Arcand (BSN’12)

Video Series Highlights Indigenous Nursing Alumni

Video series featuring USask Indigenous alumni telling their stories about becoming registered nurses is now available.

Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing Dr. Holly Graham (PhD), in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing, has launched a series of video interviews with Indigenous alumni exploring the reasons why each became a nurse.

“Not everyone who becomes a registered nurse knows that nursing was for them,” said Dr. Graham. “Some students take a little longer to find their path and their passion.”

Often when nursing alumni are asked why they became a nurse, they reply because their mother or their grandmother or an aunt was a nurse. However, this is not always the case with Indigenous nursing alumni.

“Many USask nursing Indigenous graduates are the first members in their family to take post-secondary school and their reasons for selecting nursing as a career are diverse.”

Alumni featured in the short videos are from Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan. They are practicing registered nurses and nurse practitioners who completed their nursing programs between 1990 and 2020.

The series of 11 videos will launch on June 21st as part of National Indigenous Peoples Day, with a new monthly release until mid-December.

“USask Indigenous nursing alumni are doing wonderful work in their communities across this province and this country,” adds Graham.

“Putting together these videos was emotional, yet so inspirational. Every alumnus had a different story, but the passion they have for nursing, for helping their families, and for being role models within their communities really shines through. I hope these videos inspire more Indigenous people to consider nursing as a profession, as the career opportunities are truly endless.”

 

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