Indigenous Education
At the Faculty of Nursing, we take seriously our responsibility to answer Call # 24 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. It calls on nursing schools to teach about the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization on the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Four Elements Indigenous Framework for UCalgary Nursing
The Four Elements Indigenous Framework for UCalgary Nursing ties the elements of air, fire, earth and water to four curricular themes. It was developed by Dr. Michelle Scott Paul and Dr. Heather Bensler and artwork was created by Marlyn Bennett.
The framework builds on the conceptual model of ii’taa’poh’to’p, UCalgary’s Indigenous Strategy.
Air: Self-In-Relation
Fire: Service & Reciprocity
Earth: Relationships to Land
Water: Anti-Indigenous Racism
Pictured from left to right during the Four Elements Artwork unveiling, Dr. Marlyn Bennett, Elder Evelyn Goodstriker, Dr. Michelle Scott Paul, Dr. Heather Bensler and Grandmother Doreen Spence.
Vibrant artwork brings new UCalgary Nursing Indigenous Framework to life
A collaboration between UCalgary colleagues uses Indigenous-made artwork to illustrate the Four Elements Indigenous Framework. “It was always my intention to have an Indigenous artist breathe energy, life and spirit into the elements,” says Dr. Michelle Scott Paul, associate dean, Indigenous Education. Dr. Marlyn Bennett, PhD, an associate professor and Canada Research Chair Tier II in Indigenous Children's Wellbeing at the University of Calgary, in both the Faculty of Social Work and the Werklund School of Education.
Bennett is a member of the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation in Manitoba and comes from a family of prolific artists. Of creating the art for the framework, she says, “It offered me a chance to connect more deeply with my spirituality, with my ancestors and my inner way of knowing.”
New Indigenous health studies course co-created and co-taught with Elder at UCalgary Nursing
Last fall, the Faculty of Nursing launched a new Indigenous Health Studies course to help first-year UCalgary students better understand Indigenous Peoples’ health in Canada. They’re learning directly from an Indigenous Elder about the ongoing impacts and influences of colonial violence, structures and systems on health. It was the first time NRSG 202 was delivered as part of faculty's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) curriculum. It is co-created and co-taught by Scott Paul; Dr. Heather Bensler, BN'97, EdD'22, associate professor (teaching) and Lakota Dakota Elder Evelyn Good Striker. The course was later featured on CBC News in November 2024.
Pictured from left to right Dr. Michelle Scott Paul, Chyloe Healy, Elder Evelyn Good Striker, Dr. Heather Bensler.
Janine Olivier, Indigenous Academic Coach at UCalgary Nursing.
Indigenous Academic Coach provides academic support to students
Janine Olivier is a Registered Nurse (RN) from Siksika who is also in the Master of Nursing program and the Indigenous Academic Coach at UCalgary Nursing.
“I provide academic support to Indigenous nursing students such as strategies, resources and tutorials to succeed. I assist students in developing study habits such as organizing for the semester, time management strategies, and/or how to study effectively. I am a resource for students to prepare for upcoming tests, presentations, scholarly papers, nursing clinicals, and practice with NCLEX – RN questions.”
Class of 2025 Indigenous Grads
There were 14 Indigenous undergraduate students who convocated from the nursing program in June 2025. Read on for some features on some of those students.
Darcy Callihoo
Darcy Callihoo, a Métis mother-of-two, and three-time surrogate mother, hopes to become the kind of advocate she once needed in the delivery room.
Isaiah Bedard
Isaiah Bedard from the Piikani First Nation, spends his final clinical placement focused on Indigenous community health at the Tsuut’ina Health Centre.
Eva Haigh-Baptiste
Eva Haigh-Baptiste is from the Samson Cree Nation. She received the Royal Eagle Award at Indigenous Graduation.