In Australia, indigenous health professionals are under-represented compared with the percentage of indigenous people in the population. Therefore it is important that non-indigenous health professionals are culturally aware when providing care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

According to Dr. Alison Nelson from Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, health practitioners or students can start with developing good relationships with ATSI people and building trust.

Some workplaces have a cultural training program to develop awareness of the cultural, social and historical factors significant to ATSI people. Students can reflect on their own upbringing, values, educational opportunities, family, and cultural practice to see how the differences impact on their practice as health care providers.

Students also could establish their own cultural awareness program, or alternatively, having online programs and downloadable resources, for example:

• Australia’s First Peoples Cultural Awareness Portal – Griffith Health
  Developed specifically for students who about to undertake clinical placements working with ATSI people
• Cultural Orientation Plan for Health Professionals Working in Aboriginal Health
  Provided by Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health (CUCRH), the program is focused on working with Aboriginal people in rural and remote communities
• Cultural Safety Learning Module
• Free online module provided by the Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH), using case studies and interactive exercises to assist health workers to reflect critically on their work practices and to develop culturally safe services for Indigenous clients
• An introduction to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health cultural protocols and perspectives

Click on the links to go to the resources mentioned above: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture

More resources can be found here: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Image: Nicolai Bangsgaagrd – flickr