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Leah May Walker and Lyana PatrickDivision of Aboriginal People’s HealthNAHO 2009 National Conference
Citation preview
Expanding Aboriginal Health Knowledge
in Communities and in Educating Future
Health Care Professionals
Leah May Walker and Lyana Patrick
Division of Aboriginal People’s HealthNAHO Conference, Ottawa 2009
Aboriginal Health Elective
A one-month immersion in
Aboriginal health in Aboriginal
communities for health science
students teams
Students: Medicine, Pharmacy,
Dietetics, Social Work, Nursing
Communities: Cowichan
(Duncan); Seabird Island
(Agassiz); Lil’wat (Mount
Currie); Esketemc (Alkali Lake)
Context
Aboriginal health status lower
Western/Aboriginal concepts of
health at odds
Need for culturally competent
health care providers
Impacts of colonization
Essentialism
Community aspirations
Particulars
Students live together
Interprofessionalism
Clinical settings
Traditional settings
Aboriginal teachers, Elders
Community Curriclum
Community Projects
Community Instructors
Some Activities
Community Project Examples
Mentorship Program for Youth
Re-think Your Drink
Healthy Homes: A Guide to
Keeping Your Home Clean and
Safe
Team Project: Building a pharmacy
Culture Shock
The real curriculum
“Never underestimate the power of pizza”
How can you adapt to meet the
needs of the community?
How can you build trusting relationships
with Aboriginal people?
Where do Aboriginal people feel
comfortable?
What do you know about this
community, its history and current
perspectives?
Student Evaluations “I have gained a deeper understanding of Aboriginal
culture, as well as how past experiences have impacted current issues facing the community today. I learned through careful listening of stories told, and I am grateful for the openness and honesty the community members brought to this experience.”
“This course should be mandatory for all students. I truly feel that it has given me insight into the depth and breadth of aboriginal culture. It also helped me to challenge my assumptions about aboriginal people and created more understanding.”
“The best learning opportunities for me were the sweat ceremony and the individual discussions and storytelling
because I can learn more about the people this way.”
Community Evaluations
“Can we hire some of these students?
They were amazing.”
“It felt even better this year. The students
were great and we were more confident
about teaching. We have lots of ideas for
next year.”
Essential Elements
Personal relationships
Being in community and out of clinic
Knowledge of historical relationships
Being comfortable with discomfort
Long term commitment
University appointments
Reciprocity
Thank you!Acknowledgements: Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre, Seabird Island
Community Health Centre, Esketemc Health Centre, Mount
Currie Health Centre, AHHRI, CPD-KT