Everyone has the right to access health care that is free of stigma, racism, and discrimination and has the right to feel safe, and respected.

Everyone has a right to work in an environment that is free of stigma, racism, and discrimination and has the right to feel safe, and respected.

 Self Reflective Practice

Registrants need to engage in self-reflection to understand their personal and systemic biases and privileges.  One needs to engage in self-examination to understand one’s own values, assumptions, beliefs, and privileges in their own knowledge and practice and consider how this may impact the therapeutic relationships with clients and co-workers.

Building Cultural Competence

Registrants need to undertake ongoing education to build skills and behaviours that help provide quality care to diverse populations.  To assist in building upon self-awareness and to prevent limiting cultural competence to just a set of skills but building an awareness of cultural differences.

Registrants need to learn from the negative impacts of racism in the health care system and strive to action when observing others acting in a racist or discriminatory manner.

Registrants shall take reasonable steps to familiarize themselves with the current and historical injustices suffered by indigenous peoples prior to providing any psychiatric nursing services and ensure that all professional activities are performed in a culturally sensitive, safe, and competent practice.

Registrants shall respect the fundamental rights/dignity of all persons and peoples.  Registrants shall not engage in and/or promote unjust discrimination that is prejudicial, directly, or indirectly against persons or peoples because of their culture, nationality, ethnicity, colour, race, religion, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental abilities, age, socio-economic status, or any other status.

Registrants shall take into consideration the local and regional differences among multi-ethnic groups and recognize there are diverse patterns of values, religions, languages, and politics within these communities.

Registrants shall help colleagues to identify and eliminate racist attitudes, language, and behavior and support clients, colleagues, and others who experience and/or report acts of racism.

Registrants shall report acts of racism or discrimination through the appropriate channels and if necessary to the relevant health regulatory college.

Creating Safe Health Care Experiences 

Registrants shall facilitate a safe, culturally competent health/mental health care experience for all clients to ensure that the client’s physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, and cultural needs are met.

Registrants shall acknowledge and incorporate into the client’s plan of care cultural rights, values, and practices, including ceremonies and protocols related to illness, birth, and death, where able.

Registrants shall work collaboratively with clients to meet the client’s health and wellness goals by providing clear information about the healthcare options available and about what the client may experience during the healthcare encounter.

Registrants must understand and recognize the impacts and root causes of historical intergenerational trauma and provide care based on trauma and violence-informed care approaches.  Registrants need to focus on the resilience and strength each client brings to the healthcare encounter.