June is National Indigenous History Month 鈥� a time to reflect on the historic contributions of Indigenous peoples to the development of Canada as well as the realities of present-day Indigenous communities. We sat down with Faculty-Lecturer Lucie-Catherine Ouimet, R.N., BSc.N, MSc.N, who works at two of the Ingram School of Nursing鈥檚 nurse-led clinics - the Native Friendship Centre and the Native Women鈥檚 Shelter.
The daughter of an Anishinaabe mother who grew up in the Gatineau Valley and a French-Canadian father, Lucie-Catherine Ouimet was raised in the peaceful suburb of Beaconsfield, where she integrated easily into the French and English speaking communities. It was only years later, while working in public health and community nursing on the streets of Kelowna and community healthcare in Quebec City that she was exposed to the effects of systemic racism. Today, as a nurse at the Ingram School of Nursing鈥檚 nurse-led clinics at the Native Women鈥檚 Shelter and the Native Friendship Centre, Ms. Ouimet has come full circle. 鈥淎lthough I didn鈥檛 have the First Nations experience growing up, I feel that I鈥檝e found my place with my people. I love working here.鈥�
Comprised of six nurse-led clinics serving vulnerable populations in Montreal, the ISoN鈥檚 Community Nurse Clinic Network is a lifeline for people who have been completely disconnected from the healthcare system. Barriers to accessing proper care include homelessness, intergenerational trauma, sexual abuse, substance use and previous negative encounters with the health care system. Building trust takes patience and time. 鈥淚 try to create a safe space where my Inuit brothers and sisters can receive the care they need without being judged,鈥� Ms. Ouimet explains.
Lucie-Catherine Ouimet discovered nursing later in life, after a career in archeology and anthropology that took her to New York鈥檚 Cornell University, Syria and Greece. While working in Bulgaria for l鈥橝gence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) as the coordinator of an MBA program for doctors, she had the opportunity to work on joint projects with the Red Cross focusing on the experiences of the Roma. She felt an instant kinship with this nomadic Indo-Aryan ethnic group and decided she wanted to do more hands-on work. Back in Canada, she was hired by the Groupe de recherche en intervention psychosociale to work on a research project on cultural sensitivity and awareness at H么pital Ste. Justine. Encouraged by Universit茅 de Montr茅al Professor Dr. Bilkis Vissandjee to consider a career change, she took the plunge and earned a Bachelor鈥檚 in Nursing followed by a master鈥檚 in the Nurse Practitioner Program. 鈥淔rom the beginning, I was drawn to issues affecting women鈥檚 health and First Nations,鈥� she recalls.
Nursing is well suited to addressing frontline needs, says Ms. Ouimet. 鈥淲e are the missing link in the healthcare system.鈥� Equally important, the ISoN鈥檚 nurse-led clinics serve as an eye-opening training ground for 黑料不打烊 nursing students, who learn the importance of cultural humility, building trust and exercising clinical judgement. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big wake-up call for them and a big learning curve,鈥� notes Ms. Ouimet, who is impressed by how the students continue to rise to the challenge of examining their own unconscious biases. She believes students hold the key to creating a more equitable and responsive healthcare system. 鈥淐hange begins with awareness and a willingness to talk about these issues. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 optimistic about the future.鈥�
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