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Aseil Elaskari is considering working in the mental health field after graduation, and the nursing student says that’s a direct result of taking part in a five-week pilot program with the IWK’s Reproductive Mental Health team.
“I really enjoyed that kind of side of nursing as well, and it really opened my eyes to mental health because I previously wasn’t really looking into that,” she said.
The initiative is part of an effort by IWK Health in Halifax, in partnership with Dalhousie University, to get more Black nursing students and people of African descent into the health-care system early in their careers.
The program started in September, and Elaskari wrapped up her placement in mid-October.
Elaskari, who is one semester away from graduating, said she has seen throughout her different placements how patients react to having another person who looks like them in the room.
“Not necessarily directly telling me that they’re seeing that they’re represented, but more of like a sense of comfort and that they’re being understood,” she said.
Angela Johnson, director of health equity, safety and wellness for the hospital, said representation helps build trust and drives meaningful, long-term change in patient care.
“I think having individuals in a variety of positions, not only leadership but on the front lines and in clinical care, who understand and have lived experiences and can translate that into what service and care looks like, will make a system change over the long term,” said Johnson.
She added that this can also improve health care for some patients. There has been research that shows that Black patients who receive care from Black providers report better health outcomes.
Johnson said two more students will participate in the project in the coming weeks, with room to take on more depending on demand. The IWK has seats for five to seven students this semester, according to Johnson.
The project will run for a year, and Johnson said she hopes to one day expand it.
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