Multiculturalism and our acceptance of each other’s diverse backgrounds are important parts of the wonderful mosaic that we call Canada, and this holds true for HOOPP as well. HOOPP’s message of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is reinforced by our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) which help connect, support and educate staff members on experiences related to race, gender and sexual orientation. To highlight diverse experiences, we sat down with Sarmila, a nurse at St. Michael’s Hospital and a proud HOOPP member, for a candid discussion about her experience in Canada and her perspective on EDI in the workplace as a Sri Lankan-born Canadian.
Tell us more about yourself, your profession and your experiences in this country leading up to today.
I come from a Sri Lankan Tamil family. When I was five years old, I moved to Canada with my parents and two siblings. I grew up in Etobicoke, where, at the time, we were probably the only Sri Lankan people around for nearly 10 years. Being an immigrant, I’ve had to really work hard to stand out from the crowd, prove my worth and fight for my place. But my experiences have also taught me resilience and empathy, and I carry those lessons with me in all spheres of life.
Ever since I was 14, my heart was set on nursing; so, after school, I joined Ryerson University for a nursing program. I have over 13 years of experience as a nurse in different hospitals in Canada, including one year of experience in Australia, in Emergency Care, Pediatrics and Surgery. Currently, I work with surgical teams for pre-admission to surgery in a hospital in Toronto and hope to go back to Paediatrics in the future.
Do you think there’s awareness and acceptance of multiculturalism here, in Canada’s workplaces?
I think so, although we do have a long way to go in seeing diversity in the workplace. Even though I’ve worked in a few hospitals, my current workplace is where I’ve seen the most diverse workforce in my career. It is here that I felt more accepted by the management, my colleagues and patients, and saw more people from my background, including my manager who is Sri Lankan Tamil. The positive impact I felt by seeing people like me in my workplace, especially at the management level, really put into perspective for me how teams need to be more diverse in hospitals.
From your experiences, what is the advantage of having a multicultural team at a hospital?
Having a multicultural team benefits employees because we get to learn from each other. But more importantly, it benefits our patients. Whether someone’s a newcomer or has lived in Canada for a while, they may face difficulties in asking for help or accessing certain things, more so if they’ve been through traumatic events. A hospital especially needs to be a safe place where people can be comfortable expressing their needs and one factor that contributes to this comfort is having diverse staff. I’ve seen patients feel comfortable in my presence, even if I’m not from their particular background, just because they don’t feel alienated or out of place. My own background helps me understand what barriers they may be facing and, hence, assist them better.
I’ve also noticed that having a diverse team is encouraging to students of healthcare-related disciplines, especially when they see people from their backgrounds happy and thriving in their jobs. As compared to a few years ago, students nowadays get to see a lot more diversity in the workplace and it can be inspiring for them, knowing that they’ll be able to get to the position they want in their career, no matter their ethnicity or background.
How do you think Canadians can take diversity to the next level?
We still have so much to do to ensure everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from, have equal access to opportunities to move up in their career and life. One thing that can help is people getting out of their comfort zone and become allies with those who aren’t from their background. This will help them find common ground with different people and become more knowledgeable and welcoming of other cultures. Similarly, creating awareness about multiculturalism at a granular level, especially in schoolchildren and their guardians, can help facilitate an understanding of diversity and inclusion within society and also help new Canadians fit into their new surroundings more easily. While we can’t expect overnight changes, these might be good starting steps in the right direction.