Culturally Safe Care

Did you know…

The SALPN Council officially declared racism towards Indigenous people as a risk to the public in LPN practice and health care.

It is the SALPN’s responsibility to address risks to the public by regulating the LPN profession. Regulation occurs by setting official rules in bylaws or encouraging behaviour that will lead to the desired outcomes.

The SALPN strongly believes that the quality of healthcare in Saskatchewan will improve if we:

• Increase the Indigenous perspective in LPN practice and,
• Support the development of culturally safe care.

Culturally safe care recognizes and strives to address inherent power imbalances in the healthcare system. Culturally safe care helps a healthcare environment to be free of racism and discrimination.

Reportable Continuing Education Portfolio (CEP) Opportunities & Experiences

The SALPN encourages LPNs to seek learning opportunities and experiences to increase their Indigenous and other cultural perspectives and promote culturally safe care in Saskatchewan’s healthcare system.

The SALPN recognizes that this type of learning does not always occur in the formal methods required by the existing CEP program. This valuable learning often happens within a community setting during events or by attaining knowledge directly from individuals and knowledge keepers through storytelling and relationships. As a means of increasing Indigenous and other cultural perspectives in healthcare, the SALPN will recognize the following types of learning as “formal” CEP activities:

• Attendance at events that enhance your knowledge of other cultures
• Time spent learning from a culturally significant teacher or leader like an elder, knowledge keeper, or healer
• Learning a language other than English or your first learned language
• All learning related to Truth & Reconciliation, Indigenous History, Indigenous Communities, and Indigenous approaches to health and healing systems

Maintain a record of your cultural learning opportunities and experiences, and report them as formal CEP activity when you complete your future licensure renewal.

Watch for more information in the coming weeks about other vital steps the SALPN is taking to decolonize and Indigenize the organization and its regulatory processes.