Co-Creating Collaborative Pathways: Advancing Indigenous Clinical Nurse Specialist Roles

Health organizations in BC are creating Clinical Nurse Specialist, Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety (CNS IH;ICS) roles. This collaborative partnership intends to convene expert knowledge holders to ensure the CNS IH;ICS leaders are leading an impactful, nurtured, and sustainable workforce. The BC Indigenous Health Nursing Research Chair has generated knowledge into the practice of Indigenous health nursing and the Providence Health Care and BC Cancer research team conducted a study examining the CNS roles. Our research activities include hosting a two-day Symposium to bridge these two parallel pathways of knowledge to generate share and mobilize research findings that will inform, nurture, and sustain the CNS IH;ICS roles in BC. Formalizing this partnership and collaboration will address the health human resources crisis by identifying pathways for a collaborative research inquiry to increase structural frameworks that inform Indigenous health policy and program development. Indigenous health systems require a distinct approach that recognizes the authentic voices and experiences of Indigenous nurses in health leadership and provides opportunities for intergenerational research mentorship and training.