HIROC Just Culture and Patient Safety Culture Award 2026

Application Package - HIROC Just Culture & Patient Safety Culture Award 2026

This award was established in 2019 with the generous support of the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC), the insurer for Ontario midwives. It recognizes the important contributions made by Indigenous, Black and racialized members to all aspects of midwifery care, and specifically to the promotion of “just culture” and “patient safety culture”. Just culture and patient safety culture are terms that refer to the culture of health-care organizations that support teamwork and the delivery of safe care, including anti-racist service provision which is essential to safe care. Recognizing the contributions of members who are Indigenous, Black, and persons of colour (IBPOC), particularly as they relate to providing a high standard of safe, quality care is vital as part of the Association of Ontario Midwives’ (AOM) commitment to Indigenous sovereignty and racial justice.

Here are some additional resources about “Just Culture”:

https://justculture.hqca.ca/what-is-a-just-culture/

https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/education-events/good-practices/the-healthcare-system/just-culture

h ttps://www.hiroc.com/resources/risk-notes/just-culture

Here are some additional resources about “Patient Safety Culture”:

https://www.healthcareexcellence.ca/en/resources/patient-safety-and-incident-management-toolkit/patient-safety-management/patient-safety-culture/

https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/indicators-measurement-and-reporting/patient-safety-culture/about-patient-safety-culture

Value: $7,500 to be divided amongst up to two students from the Midwifery Education Program.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, the applicant must:

Be a student with lived experience as an Indigenous, Black or racialized person, and have financial need.
Be enrolled as an undergraduate student in the Midwifery Education Program.
Have clear Academic Standing with no disciplinary notices on file.
Be a Canadian citizen, or a landed immigrant, or a protected person; and a resident of Ontario.
Have completed at least one placement in the Midwifery Education Program.
Have not received a HIROC Just Culture and Patient Safety Culture Award previously.
Receive a minimum score of 67% on your application materials (reference form and reflective essay). Note: If we do not receive two applications that meet these requirements, the full amount could be given to a single applicant.

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