Caring for Indigenous patients — context and practice
Lesson 2 of 4 in Cultural Safety, Indigenous Patients & Trauma-Informed Nursing · 22 minutes
Indigenous patients in Canadian healthcare carry historical and ongoing trauma. This lesson covers the context (TRC, Indian Act health impacts, residential schools, intergenerational trauma, Jordan's Principle, Joyce's Principle) and the practical adjustments nurses make.
What you'll learn
- Understand historical context of Indigenous health
- Apply trauma-informed care with Indigenous patients
- Recognize jurisdictional issues and apply Jordan's Principle correctly
- Explain Joyce Echaquan's case and Joyce's Principle
- Respect Indigenous health concepts and traditional medicine
From the lesson
Indigenous health in Canada is shaped by history that newcomers may not know. Without this context, nursing practice can inadvertently cause harm. With it, nurses can provide genuinely safer care. This lesson covers what IENs need to understand about caring for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit patients.
1. The historical context
Indigenous peoples in Canada: • First Nations (~600+ distinct nations). • Inuit (peoples of the Arctic and Northern Canada). • Métis — a distinct Indigenous people with their own nationhood, culture, language (Michif), and historic homeland centred on the Red River. Métis identity is NOT simply 'mixed Indigenous-European ancestry' — that reductive definition is…