NIC nursing students are hosting an expert in trans-inclusion at a public lecture aimed at raising awareness of how the health care sector can better serve a diverse range of patients.
The event, set to take place Nov. 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Stan Hagen Theatre, will feature visiting scholar A. J. Lowik, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia.
Lowik’s lecture will focus on the trans people community and provide an overview of trans people’s health care needs.
It will also highlight the health inequities experienced by this population and provide an intersectional analysis of the systematic differences in the health status of different segments of this population.
NIC students Laura Airth, Zoë Bourke and Karli Buchanan – all in their final year of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program – are organizing the public event as part of their fourth-year nursing practice course NUR-404 Engaging in Leadership.
Airth said the event will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the trans population, who have professional or personal experiences working with this community or who occupy a role where they work with diverse populations.
“There’s room for improvement in the health care sector and the rest of the community in how we interact with patients across a broad spectrum,” said Airth.
“Many patients have needs that have not traditionally been accommodated when seeking medical care, so this lecture is about filling in those knowledge gaps so we can better serve people.”
It’s about building better practices and ultimately establishing trust within the system, added Airth.
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and there will be an opportunity for comments and questions following the presentation.
For more information, contact Karli Buchanan or NIC nursing instructor Lynne Oberik, Nursing Instructor at kbuchanan@northislandcollege.ca or lynne.oberik@nic.bc.ca, or call 250-334-5061.