| Most studies on racism in Canadian nursing show that nurses of colour, particularly Blacks, encounter patterns of race-based discrimination in varying degrees within their healthcare workplaces (Calliste, 1996, 2000; Collins, 2004; Das Gupta, 1996, 2002; Hagey, Choudhry, Guruge, Turrittin, Collins, and Lee, 2001; Head, 1985; Turrittin, Hagey, Guruge, Collins, and Mitchell, 2002). These studies suggest further that the discriminatory practices and attitudes entrenched within Canada's healthcare organizations operate in myriad ways, and can create significant problems for racialized Canadian nurses.;This study employs a theoretical framework that combines integrative antiracism and black feminism to examine the effects of race on the day-to-day experiences of a cohort of 16 African Canadian female nurses in formal leadership positions. The participants in the study were recruited from various healthcare facilities and settings within the metropolitan Toronto area in Canada. In the course of in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews, the participants were asked to share their perspectives and experiences as nurse leaders. Qualitative data analysis for the study showed that they face unique challenges as nurse leaders because of institutional racism as a practice existing in their workplaces. The findings of this study—consistent with previous studies done in Canada and Britain—are that themes of racial discrimination in healthcare settings and institutions negatively affect experiences in the workplace for Black female nurses.;The few previously existing Canadian studies on racialized nurses' experiences of racism in healthcare workplaces do not pay adequate attention to the perspectives of Black female nurses in leadership positions. To address this dearth of information on Canadian Black female nurse leaders, this study examines the impact of race on the workplace experiences of Black women in nursing leadership positions. |
