This article is part of a series celebrating students, staff, faculty or alumni who demonstrate a commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on campus or in ways that meaningfully connect back to the Brock community. To read other EDI Changemaker features or learn more about the series, visit The Brock News or the Office of Human Rights and Equity website.

Change is not something that typically happens overnight. It is usually the result of a series of deliberate choices and consistent effort.

That’s certainly true for Brock University’s School of Nursing and its ongoing work to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization into its teaching and student experiences.

Over the past four years, Brock Nursing has worked to integrate inclusive practices and prioritize dedicated professional learning opportunities for students, faculty and staff.

“We need to learn more so that we can better teach the next generation of nurses,” says Karyn Taplay, Director and Associate Professor of the School of Nursing.

The School’s efforts started with mandatory training sessions for staff and faculty. In addition to the three-part Duty to Accommodate learning series, sessions focused on inclusive communication, accommodations and inclusive pedagogy, accessibility and understanding and responding to racial microaggressions.

“As we started to learn more, we started to do more,” says Taplay, pointing to the integration of Indigenous health-care practices into the curriculum and mandatory anti-Black racism in health care training for all Clinical Nursing Instructors.

In 2024, Brock Nursing organized a two-day Anti-Black Racism in Health Care conference attended by more than 200 nursing students, faculty, Brock employees and community members.

The School has also sought guidance and support from the Office of Human Rights and Equity (HRE) and Student Accessibility Services, particularly when reviewing and refining student-centred approaches to clinical placement scheduling, says Sandra Micsinszki, Manager, Clinical Operations.

“In terms of accommodations, we want to know how we can build those in, especially with clinical placements, and ensure we’re also building in fairness and equity so that we’re meeting standards that are out there and understanding them,” she says.

The team also worked closely with Indigenous colleagues on how to approach clinical placements during National Day for Truth Reconciliation and developed train-the-trainer sessions for Clinical Nursing Instructors to support them in facilitating conversations with students.

Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Chelsea Takalo says the School of Nursing’s commitment to EDI is not limited to individual training opportunities, but is reflected in an ongoing process of learning, reflection, collaboration, curriculum development and institutional practice.

“They are willing to engage openly and collaboratively with colleagues and community partners, respond to emerging issues and shared lived experiences, and translate EDID principles into meaningful and evolving changes in their practice,” she says.

Acknowledging the importance of the work, Taplay says it wasn’t just one or two people pushing for it to be incorporated. It was everybody.

“We want to know more, we want to learn more and we want to integrate EDI into the education of Brock Nurses. As nurses, we need the knowledge, skills and ability to practice that. As a School, we have worked to gain this insight, and we’re not done.”