Belonging in healthcare can feel like an abstract concept. But as Marilyn Oliver explains, WeRPN’s new cultural competence workbook offers practical steps nurses can take to make their workplaces more inclusive for both patients and colleagues.
Marilyn is an RPN with WeRPN’s Professional Practice department and one of the creative minds behind our newest practice resource, Belonging: A Shared Goal in Healthcare. Marilyn recently completed her master’s degree in education with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which helped shape her approach to nursing education and the development of this resource.
This latest resource serves as a complement to WeRPN’s broader DEI education. “While diversity is about who is present, belonging asks whether someone can genuinely say, if they see themselves here or more broadly feel as if they are part of a team,” says Marilyn. For patients, that extends to feeling a sense of trust and safety, and receiving care that responds to their individual needs, culture and experiences.
The workbook introduces five dimensions of belonging: Welcomed, Known, Included, Supported and Connected. Of the five, Marilyn says “Known” is a focus area that healthcare workplaces may struggle with. “Known” requires us to go beyond knowing someone’s name to find a deeper understanding their experiences, strengths and challenges. “It’s getting to know them as a person rather than simply seeing “the nurse” or “the patient”” according to Marilyn.
Reflective practice is already familiar to nurses, and Marilyn sees it as an important part of developing cultural competence and helping people feel they belong. “Through reflection, nurses can examine their own assumptions, consider how they interact with others and think about what they might do differently.”
Cultural humility builds on that process by encouraging nurses to recognize what they don’t know, remain curious and question their own assumptions and biases. “That can be uncomfortable at times,” says Marilyn however, “discomfort is often where growth happens!” Reflecting on her own learning journey, Marilyn recalls the importance of being able to sit in that discomfort. “You can only grow from it. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is the way we truly grow and understand each other.”
So how does this translate into practice? A workplace where people feel they belong is also one where nurses and patients can feel safer speaking up. For nurses, that might mean asking a colleague for guidance when they’re uncertain. For patients, it might mean feeling comfortable enough to voice a concern, ask a question or share something they’ve noticed about their care. In both cases, everyone benefits when people know their perspectives are valued and their voices will be heard.
Creating a sense of belonging is a shared responsibility with tremendous payoff. It is shaped by the everyday actions of nurses and colleagues, as well as the systems and practices supported by healthcare leaders. Marilyn’s hope is that the five dimensions of belonging can serve as a simple reminder to think about how we treat and support one another. “Are people welcomed, known, included, supported and connected? Asking those questions regularly can help make healthcare a place where both nurses and patients feel they belong.”
