You no longer have to be afraid; Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) and the Black Nurses Task Force (BNTF) release a ground-breaking report

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“For years, Black nurses have been afraid to speak out about the micro-aggressions, discrimination and racism they face within academic and workplace settings for fear of reprisal and the suppressive behaviours of managers. During Black History Month, we’re proud to release a report that sheds a light on the challenges and barriers Black nurses face and the solutions that will help us eliminate anti-Black racism and discrimination within the nursing profession.” Dr Angela Cooper Brathwaite (BNTF co-chair and RNAO Past-President)

Any nurse of colour who is reading this article can probably recall times when they have faced discrimination and harassment in their jobs both from patients and from hospital administration. Whether it is a supervisor brushing off patient taunts, white counterparts doubting the accuracy of your patient charts, and straight out looking for mistakes, or being rudely bossed around by senior staff. I am sure that you can remember how hard it was to hold your tongue, wanting to say something, but knowing that you would be at risk of losing your job. Thankfully, there is a group of nurses who have said, “Enough is enough!”

Toronto
February 8^th, 2022
On February 8^th, 2022, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) and the Black Nurses Task Force (BNTF) released a ground-breaking report. They unveiled recommendations to tackle structural racism within nursing organizations, regulatory bodies, associations and the broader health system.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve.

The BNTF is made up of seventeen Black nurses and nursing students working in various sectors of the health system with a mandate to tackle systemic racism and discrimination within nursing.

In the report, “Acknowledging, Addressing and Tackling Anti-Black Racism and Discrimination Within the Nursing Profession,” It features nineteen recommendations along with information from a scoping review of the literature and results from an online survey of 205 Black nurses across Ontario.

The report’s recommendations are:

• Include racism and discrimination as a topic in nursing and inter-professional curriculums.
• Provide equitable and fair placements for Black nurses in all practice settings.
• Provide mentoring programs for nursing students to enhance academic achievements, reduce stress, anxiety and dropout rates and to empower Black students.
• Create educational and research grants/financial incentives/scholarships targeted specifically for Black applicants.
• Develop and implement anti-racism, anti-oppression, cultural safety, and diversity, equity and inclusion training and orientation for staff at all levels in all workplace and academic settings.
• Include diversity, equity and inclusion committees in all workplaces and academic settings to address racism and discrimination.
• Hold all staff (professors, managers, health-care providers) accountable for addressing racial discrimination and develop specific strategies to combat it.
• Acknowledge systemic racism and discrimination exists at individual, organization and policy levels. Non-Black nurses must self-identify and address their individual biases. They must be encouraged by their organization to continually engage in reflective practice and delve into their perceptions and experiences to assess inherent biases and values.
• Create safe spaces for Black nurses to open up about the discrimination and oppression they face in professional settings.
• Embed mentorship programs in workplaces for Black nurses to facilitate professional growth and development, and to improve retention and recruitment of Black employees.
• Provide tools and resources to support Black nurses as they navigate difficult challenges when dealing with residents, patients or families who display racism.
• Advocate for diversity in leadership, senior and/or administrative, education roles in the nursing profession as well as health sectors.
• Increase access to mental health supports in the workplace and academic settings to address traumas related to racism.
• Develop and enforce policies on anti-racism, such as zero tolerance of racism from staff, nursing leaders, patients and families.
• Collect and disseminate race-based data.
• Provide mandatory courses or workshops that include topics of cultural humility, anti-oppressive behaviors, anti-racism and trauma-informed care in orientation and continuing education programs.
• Stand in solidarity through partnership with health-care associations and organizations; advocate diversifying their senior team and providing equitable opportunities for Black individuals at the senior executive/management level.
• Advocate for the federal and provincial governments to address racism against Black Canadians and include Black History within the educational curriculum in Canada.
• Advocate for the establishment of a commission similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate and address racism against Black Canadians.

In addition to these nineteen recommendations, RNAO developed specific actions to grow allyship and solidarity with Black nurses within its own organization. This includes a plan to integrate anti-racism and discrimination training for all staff during the on-boarding process, develop a human resources framework that promotes equitable hiring practices, stand in solidarity with organizations that are instituting advisory committees for marginalized nurses and encourage organizations in Ontario to have such committees.

Nurses of colour, you are not alone. Know that there are people out there speaking out on your behalf.