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How Whiteness shapes nursing in Canada – what does the literature say? A rapid review

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This rapid review of the literature aims to understand how Whiteness shapes the Canadian nursing profession. Public health nurses represent one of the largest professions within the public health sector, and while nursing is the focus of this review, its implications are relevant for leaders across the health sector to consider in their work to advance equity and justice.

This review initially started as a practicum project by two Master of Public Health students at the NCCDH — Mandy Walker and Hannah Klassen — in partnership with the Canadian Nurses Association. Supported by an advisory team and using the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools’ rapid review methodology, the authors critically examined the literature to better understand systemic racism and its impacts within the Canadian nursing profession.

Building on the NCCDH resources Let’s Talk: Racism and health equity and Let’s Talk: Whiteness and health equity, this resource explores the concept of Whiteness and seeks to advance work to disrupt Whiteness.

Understanding Whiteness and systemic racism

Leaning into the call to move beyond individual conceptions of racism, this review encourages reflection and dialogue on racism to expose and problematize Whiteness and how it operates at a structural level, harming health and well-being.

Globally and nationally, there has been growing understanding and acknowledgement of systemic racism and its impacts as a structural determinant of health.  Whiteness is at the centre of systemic racism and relates to “Eurocentric practices, policies and perspectives that enable dominance and power of White people and norms” (p. 32). It also has been described in this way: “If systemic racism is the symptom, then Whiteness is the disease” (p. 32).

Rapid review findings and implications for public health

This resource synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 2017 and 2023 to understand how Whiteness is upheld within the Canadian nursing profession through[JL1] :

• policies (hiring, recruitment and retention, grievances, support and funding)
• practices (mentorship, leadership, research and education, harm)
• perspectives and ideas (lack of accountability, assimilation)

Examples of how leaders can disrupt Whiteness are grouped into five themes:

1. accountability (through acknowledgement and commitment)
2. policy and procedures
3. education
4. leadership and mentorship
5. partnerships

Tags: White supremacy/Whiteness, Assess and report, Modify and orient interventions, Document, Journal Article