Welcome! Tanisi! Edlanet’e! Doken ya un! Token ya un! Anin Sikwa!

The College of Nursing, with sites in Treaties 4, 6 and 10, and the Métis homeland, is working with Saskatchewan’s Indigenous communities to build local nursing capacity and generate knowledge through research. We are striving to lead change in the way health care is currently delivered to contribute to the improved health and well-being of Indigenous families in our province.

We are proud of our University of Saskatchewan Community of Indigenous Nursing (UCIN) program, an Indigenous student support service formerly known as the Native Access Program to Nursing (NAPN), that has helped the College graduate more Indigenous nurses since its inception in 1984 than any other program in Canada. Currently, our UCIN advisors provide support to just over 200 Indigenous nursing students across the province. They also help anyone considering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to successfully navigate a Pathway into the College and out into the workforce, to start their career as a Registered Nurse.

The College of Nursing continues to prioritize its efforts to engage with Indigenous students, health professionals, stakeholders and communities to build a culturally safe educational environment and a culturally competent nursing workforce for the province of Saskatchewan.

 

The College of Nursing plays a central and strategic role in Saskatchewan's health care system. This requires the College to be a leader in shaping the province's health workforce, responding to demographic, social and economic challenges and supporting efforts for continual improvement.

The most important thing the College of Nursing can do in improving Indigenous health is to educate Indigenous health professionals, so they can respond to the needs of their own communities. This means supporting their success through accessible education and a range of student services. At the same time, we need to ensure all of our graduates are able to provide culturally competent care and are cognizant of the particular cultural and socio-economic contexts influencing Indigenous health; and foster research that improves Indigenous primary health care and health policy at local, provincial, national and international levels.

The University of Saskatchewan has recognized its role and responsibility in contributing to improvements in quality of life for Indigenous peoples through research, community engagement and post-secondary education. Like the broader University of Saskatchewan, the College of Nursing has recognized its responsibilities in leading positive change and has prioritized Indigenous engagement in our 2025 College of Nursing Strategic Plan.