It’s rewarding and exciting working to increase the number of Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nurses in Nova Scotia and helping to create pathways for them into the health system, says Emily Peter-Paul, who started in a new position of Mi’kmaq Indigenous Nurse Educator Specialist (MINES), based at StFX this fall.
It’s a role created through the Office of L’nu Nursing with Tajikeimɨk, in partnership with the Nova Scotia Government, to help strengthen pathways for Mi’maw and Indigenous students to be successful in nursing and to bring community formed understanding into nursing programs.
Ms. Peter-Paul works with Indigenous nursing students at StFX and at Nova Scotia Community Colleges campuses in Port Hawkesbury and Pictou. She is one of three MINES across the province, with counterparts based at Dalhousie and Cape Breton universities.
“My goal is to support both current and future Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nursing students in every way possible, offering guidance that is culturally and academically tailored to their unique needs. Success in a demanding field like nursing requires strong support and I aim to provide it, whether it’s helping students navigate their courses, prepare for the RN licensing exam and building meaningful connections,” she says.
Additionally, Ms. Peter-Paul serves as a role model and resource for Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nursing students who may be new to a university setting. She also serves as their advocate, with a cultural perspective and understanding of the importance of community connection.
“To be really heard and really seen, and being able to have someone in those spaces is exciting,” she says.
“I know this type of support would have helped me thrive,” says Ms. Peter-Paul, who is a 2017 StFX nursing graduate and a 2023 Master of Education graduate. She understands firsthand how important it is to have a guiding hand. While this role didn’t exist when she was a nursing student, an upper class student, Dawn Googoo (now L’nu Nurse Initiative Lead, CIHR Chair for Indigenous Health Nursing) was pivotal in providing guidance and mentorship during their student days.
PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE
“The MINES role is to provide leadership and to amplify the recruitment and retention of nursing students. They play a critical role in not only supporting current students but also potential students, making sure they have a clear pathway,” says Julie Francis, Director, Office of L’nu Nursing at Tajikeimik, and a 2010 StFX nursing graduate.
“What excites me is the opportunity for Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nursing students to thrive,” Ms. Francis says. “To go beyond survival mode and to thrive in the program.”
Having a safe space, having someone to believe in you, mentor you, and cheer you on is critical to success, she says.
Ms. Francis says one of the program’s goals is to increase the number of Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nurses in Nova Scotia. She says research shows that Mi’kmaw people make up about five per cent of the provincial population, but only 1.5 per cent of the nursing population.
“We need for at least the nursing population to reflect the actual population. We need more nurses because Mi’kmaw people have unique challenges when it comes to health. We’re working towards closing that gap.”
The program is also intended to help students overcome some of the barriers that exist and address systemic barriers that exist in the province and in the schools.
CREATING SPACE
In her role, Ms. Peter-Paul is making connections, fostering relationships, and creating events and space for Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nursing students. Her role ranges from providing mental and spiritual help to helping students find bursary or scholarship information, from writing reference letters to connecting students with the people and resources they need.
She also works in recruitment and retention, going into community and into schools to talk with potential students on what the nurse role looks like, what courses they’d need for admission, and about the admission process itself. She stays connected throughout a student’s degree, making sure they feel supported in the workspace and helping with resources if they want to pursue graduate degrees and go on to become leaders, researchers, educators, practitioners and policymakers in the nursing profession in Nova Scotia.
“I’m really excited I get to support them, and that I get to help them achieve their goals,” Ms. Peter-Paul says.
HEALTH TRANSFORMATION
Ms. Francis says the MINES roles builds on an initiative that began when Dr. Margo Latimer, a nurse and faculty member at Dalhousie University and at IWK Health, was awarded the CIHR Chair for Indigenous Health Nursing. Part of her work was to support Mi’kmaw and Indigenous peoples of Nova Scotia. Dawn Googoo, a registered nurse and a StFX nursing graduate, joined this team in 2021 as L’nu Nurse Initiative Lead. Though based at Dalhousie, she supported all nursing schools.
“We saw the impact in Dawn’s role, and the number of students who thanked Dawn for her support,” Ms. Francis says.
Wanting to continue this and to make this work more sustainable beyond the scope of the grant, funding was secured from the province in 2023 to establish the Office of L’nu Nursing at Tajikeimɨk to support present and future L’nu nurses to flourish and thrive, which in turn should significantly contribute to improving the health and wellness of Mi’kmaq communities and people.
At StFX, Ms. Peter-Paul, can be reached by phone at 902-317-4143 or by email at @email
