Five questions with Chloe Crosschild (Iitapii’tsaanskiaki), RN

Chloe Crosschild (Iitapii’tsaanskiaki), RN, graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) in 2014 and a Master of Nursing (MN) in 2020, and won the uLethbridge School of Graduate Studies Silver Medal of Merit – Master of Nursing. A talented Blackfoot nursing scholar, Chloe is committed to research and practice that supports Indigenous health and well-being. Her thesis included a unique Indigenous methodology based on Blackfoot Ways of Knowing, providing potential roadmap for future health research with Blackfoot peoples. Since completing her MN, Chloe has been working as an Indigenous advisor to the Nursing Education in Southwestern Alberta (NESA) BN programs and has started her Nursing PhD program at the University of British Columbia. 

What is your most memorable uLethbridge experience?
“Sitting on the Graduate Students’ Association Council as the Indigenous Representative was very important in making my graduate experience because I was able to learn from students, faculty and staff in other disciplines throughout uLethbridge community.”

Did anyone at uLethbridge help shape your uLethbridge journey?
“My mentor, role model and thesis supervisor, Dr. Peter Kellett was an important influence in my uLethbridge experience. I met Peter while completing my undergraduate degree and he has been there to support and guide me in my professional journey. Through his mentorship, I gained the confidence I needed to push past my own expectations. I am forever grateful for Dr. Kellett.”

What is the most important lesson you learned?
“The most important lesson I learned was to be true to myself in everything I do, including my research and academic work. Despite being an Indigenous woman, I was primarily trained and educated in a colonial system. It was in my graduate school journey that I was able to fully embrace the importance of my background and identity and draw on my Blackfoot values to guide me in my school work. I found myself in a unique position to explore how two worlds collide in health care, especially when Western and Indigenous ways of being clashed.”

What are your plans for the future?
“My plans are to complete my PhD in nursing. I hope to find opportunities throughout my career to work alongside Indigenous Peoples and communities toward health equity.”

What advice would you give to students about to begin their post-secondary education?
“My biggest piece of advice for students is to be open-minded to different worldviews and perspectives and try to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. We aren’t expected to know everything when we start our academic journeys, so it’s okay to be wrong or feel challenged because that is the only way we can grow as students and scholars.”