Making a difference: the early impact of an Aboriginal health undergraduate medical curriculum

Abstract

Objective: To describe the implementation of an integrated Aboriginal health curriculum into the medical course at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the early effect on students’ perceptions of their knowledge and ability in the area of Aboriginal health. Design, setting and participants: Final‐year medical students at UWA in 2003 (first cohort) and 2004 (second cohort) were surveyed by questionnaire (with answers on a five‐point Likert scale) to assess their attitudes to various aspects of Aboriginal health. A subset of students provided open‐ended comments on key priorities in Aboriginal health, cultural security and suggestions for Aboriginal health policy. Interventions: Integrated learning experiences were implemented within each year of the medical course, based on specific learning outcomes in Aboriginal health. Main outcome measures: Changes in students’ self‐perceptions of their preparedness for and future commitment to working for change in Aboriginal health. Results: Response rates were 76% and 85% in the 2003 and 2004 cohorts, respectively. Compared with first‐cohort students, second‐cohort students were more likely to agree with items relating to their preparedness and ability to work with and care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (P < 0.05); second‐cohort students also reported greater preparedness to advocate and improve the health of Aboriginal people (P < 0.05); 65% of respondents in the second cohort (versus 34% in the first) agreed they had a social responsibility to work for change in Aboriginal health (P < 0.05). Conclusion: With a relatively small amount of targeted and structured teaching and learning in Aboriginal health, significant shifts in students’ self‐perceived levels of knowledge, skills and attitudes are possible.

Understanding an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child’s journey through paediatric care in Western Australia

“…Cultural awareness training has changed the way many health professionals view Aboriginal families and our findings support the notion that this is helping make hospital visits more beneficial 23,24 . Training contributes substantially to health service providers understanding Aboriginal culture and can break down barriers not only in the health system but within the wider community 25 .…”

“…Cultural awareness training has changed the way many health professionals view Aboriginal families and our findings support the notion that this is helping make hospital visits more beneficial. 23,24 Training contributes substantially to health service providers understanding Aboriginal culture and can break down barriers not only in the health system but within the wider community. 25 Continuous quality improvement, using tools such as the Organisational Cultural Competence Assessment Tool and implementing cultural training into health professional university training have all been shown to elicit awareness and positive organisational change.…”

Developing the future Indigenous health workforce: The feasibility and impact of a student‐led placement programme in remote Indigenous communities

“…A high proportion of medical students express interest in gaining exposure to Indigenous Australian health and culture . However, this interest is not being translated into an adequate supply of doctors in remote Indigenous communities.…”

“…4 A high proportion of medical students express interest in gaining exposure to Indigenous Australian health and culture. 5 However, this interest is not being translated into an adequate supply of doctors in remote Indigenous communities. Possible explanations include shortages in funding for medical officer positions in these areas, or hesitancy of doctors to commit to jobs in remote communities.…”

Indigenous health: burden or opportunity?

“…In the past 25 years, there have been major efforts to improve medical education to address this problem. As shown by https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00350.x in this issue of the Journal 2 and others, 3 , 4 medical schools have slowly changed their curricula to include material specific to Indigenous health, several Australian medical schools have introduced recruitment and support programs for Indigenous and rural students and, more recently, clinical colleges and other medical organisations have promoted cultural awareness activities 5 , 6…”