Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – in different contexts, a community may be referring to the group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander registrars, staff or members of a group within a physical location.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are Australia’s original inhabitants and remain sovereign on unceded land.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being, doing – reflect shared core values such as relationality and worldviews that frame an understanding and engagement with the physical, spiritual and social environments.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation/Service – an ACCHO/S is a primary health care organisation or service initiated and operated by the local Aboriginal community to deliver holistic, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate health care to the community which controls it, through a locally elected Board of Management (NACCHO).
Aboriginal Medical Service – an Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) is a health service funded principally to provide services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals. An AMS is not necessarily community controlled. If an AMS is not community controlled, it will be a government health service run by a state or territory government (VAHS).
ACRRM – Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
AHPRA – Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
Colonisation – a physical dispossession of unceded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands by establishment of a colony by the British in 1788.
Colonisation is an ongoing philosophy and systemisation of legal and social structures of domination that involves dehumanizing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, underpinned by an ethnocentric worldview.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – educational activities endorsed by the RACGP that lead to improved quality of clinical care.
Cultural competence – cultural competence is more than cultural awareness. It is the set of behaviours, attitudes, and policies that come together to enable a system, agency, or professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations (AIHW).
Cultural educators – an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who develops, delivers and evaluates Cultural Awareness Training activities for GP registrars, and other groups, in partnership with medical educators.
Cultural mentors – an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who works in partnership with cultural educators, medical educators and local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs), to provide advice on cultural matters and community issues to GP registrars, and other individuals/ groups as requested.
Cultural safety – cultural safety is more than just being aware of other cultures and respecting all People. It requires lifelong, ongoing learning and reflective practice to ensure that either conscious or unconscious underlying assumptions, stereotypes and biases do not negatively impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Regardless of the intent behind an interaction, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People are the arbiters of whether an interaction is culturally safe or not. ‘Cultural safety is determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities. Culturally safe practise is the ongoing critical reflection of health practitioner knowledge, skills, attitudes, practising behaviours and power differentials in delivering safe, accessible and responsive healthcare free of racism.’ (AHPRA)
Curriculum and syllabus – the curriculum and syllabus reflect the expectations, values and principles required of an Australian general practitioner (GP). The curriculum and syllabus for Australian general practice details the intended outcomes of RACGP education across the general practice learning continuum. It provides direction for general practice educational content, processes and assessment methods and ensures that general practice education is relevant, high quality and effective.
