In partnership with the Canadian Academy of Nursing, and as a part of their Global Changemakers Speaker Series, Dr. Laurie Gottlieb and the SBNH Partnership Grant were thrilled to hold the first Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare Global Check-Up on July 14th, 2021.
Over 200 people attended the Check-Up, representing 28 countries across six continents. Participants were clinicians, nursing and healthcare leaders, educators, researchers, and students.
Dr. Laurie Gottlieb presented on the history and development of SBNH and outlined its philosophy and practice, exploring the values that underpin it, the way of being that embodies it, and the approach that it engenders. Offering real-life stories and examples, she demonstrated how this approach benefits nurses, patients, families, and systems.
A panel of nursing leaders, educators, and researchers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines, and Switzerland, each gave a brief talk on the range of ways in which they have integrated SBNH into their richly varied work.
- From the University of Tasmania, Australia, Dr. Lindsay Smith spoke on his work in family nursing, creating a holistic Strengths-Based approach to child and youth well-being, including his development of the Australian Family Strengths Nursing Assessment conversation guide for healthcare providers. He also explained how he used the SBNH model to collaborate with his students to create an equitable online learning model to navigate learning during pandemic lockdowns.
- Dra. Elizabeth Bernardino, Head, Division of Care Management, Hospital de Cl铆nicas Complex, and professor of nursing at the Federal University of Paran谩, spoke from Brazil. She described integrating SBNH as the management strategy within the public hospital where she works, and how a Strengths-Based approach allowed them to meet the new demands of the pandemic by recognizing and directing the hospital鈥檚 existing strengths.
- Atty. Salex Espinosa Alibogha, Dean of Nursing, Central Philippine University, Philippines, described his work to integrate a Strengths-Based focus within the School of Nursing, with a foundation of enthusiastic support from committed alumni. He explained their focus on building the self-reliance of the community in which they are embedded through Community Health Nursing, building self-sustaining projects to support livelihood and generate income.
- Professor Val茅rie Grenier, Ma卯tre d鈥橢nseignement, Haute 脡cole de Sant茅 Vaud, Switzerland, described a unique, immersive retreat held for nursing students at the end of their first year. This experience integrated the SBNH pillars and philosophy to lead the students through a process of recognizing their own fears and limits and finding their own creativity, resources, and capacities; as well as discovering the power of the group and witnessing their own strengths through others鈥� eyes. This experience situated and embodied the SBNH philosophy and approach, allowing the students to reflect and find new perspectives.
- Dr. Judith Lapierre, Community Health nurse and professor of nursing science, at the Universit茅 Laval, QC, Canada, described her work at Mimosa du Quartier, a community housing project for single mothers. The project and associated community centre and clinic moved from a model of intervention to a model of accompaniment, using an SBNH lens to make decisions and share responsibilities. Supporting housing stability and health equity, this approach empowers mothers and supports their resiliency, in turn supporting better futures for their children.
The presentations were followed by a robust Q&A session first with the panel of presenters, and second with Dr. Gottlieb and other members of the Partnership Grant. Topics included benefits, best practices, and challenges of integrating SBNH in workplaces; ways of integrating the approach despite staffing shortages and overburdening of nurses; and how SBNH can be used to address structural racism in healthcare and support racially and culturally responsive nursing care.
We are deeply grateful to each of the panelists, as well as the many participants who joined from across the globe to learn and share on Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare. We are pleased to share the full recording of the event here.
If you are interested in learning more, integrating SBNH more fully into your practice, and engaging with a global community of practice, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing sbn.nursing [at] mcgill.ca.