Dr. Margot Latimer: Integrating Indigenous worldviews into nursing practice, education, and training in Nova Scotia
One of the six research chairs supported through the Indigenous Research Chairs in Nursing initiative, Dr. Margot Latimer is a white settler in Nova Scotia working with First Nations to foster culturally safe care for Indigenous children, develop supportive pathways for Indigenous Peoples in nursing careers, and create a culture for non-Indigenous health students to understand Indigenous knowledges. As a non-Indigenous researcher, Dr. Latimer uses the Two-Eyed Seeing approach to integrate and recognize the strengths of both Indigenous and Western worldviews.
This initiative has enabled Indigenous communities to transform chronic pain research outcomes into practice. L'nu nurse Julie Francis, Dr. Latimer, community researcher John R Sylliboy, and other community partners co-designed and tested an application tool called Kids Hurt to help Indigenous kids and teens talk about pain with their health care providers. Dr. Latimer also worked with Julie and other community nurses to establish a tertiary-level ear, nose and throat clinic providing culturally safe, timely and appropriate care to children with chronic ear infections in three Mi'kmaw communities.
Furthermore, Dr. Latimer collaborated with several communities to develop a course aimed at making health care culturally safer for Indigenous Peoples. It is now part of Dalhousie University's core curriculum for all first-year students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry. With additional CIHR funding, the team is currently testing the curriculum as a post-licensure course for health clinicians in practice.
Dr. Latimer has shown leadership to support Indigenous Peoples pursuing nursing careers in Nova Scotia. In partnership with the provincial government and the Mi'kmaw-led health organization Tajikeimɨk, Dr. Latimer and L'nu (Mi'kmaw) Nurse Dawn Googoo established the Office of L'nu Nursing with the goal of recruiting and retaining Mi'kmaw nurses in Nova Scotia. "This CIHR research chair funding has been a catalyst to create opportunities for Indigenous Peoples to become nursing researchers and leaders who can facilitate change and impact the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples," she explains.
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