Black Nurses and Students Allied for Success strengthens representation, guidance and community
A new mentorship initiative at Western’s Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing aims to strengthen belonging and representation in nursing. The Black Nurses and Students Allied for Success (BNSAS) program is an initiative of the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance (CBNA) recently implemented at Western. The program pairs Black nursing students with nurses and other health professionals in the community, cultivating mentorship that is grounded in shared lived experiences.
Safeyyah Raji, nursing lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences and co-lead of the program, said the idea to bring it to Western emerged from ongoing conversations about how to meaningfully support Black nursing students as they progress through their education and into the workforce.
“Mentorship creates relationships where students have space to feel understood, validated, valued, encouraged and that support helps them reach their full potential,” said Raji.
By boosting confidence and building a sense of belonging and professional networks through BNSAS, the skills and knowledge the students gain will help them care for future patients, empower them to overcome obstacles and to succeed in the profession, Raji said.
The initiative is being spearheaded at Western in partnership with the the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Decolonization, Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression (DARAO) Committee and the CBNA Western student chapter.