Improving the health of indigenous Australians
The health of Australia’s first peoples is a national priority, and the ability of GPs to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in improving their health is crucial if we are to 'Close the gap' in health outcomes. Therefore, all registrars are expected to achieve the learning outcomes in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health unit of the RACGP Curriculum for Australian General Practice whether or not they are undertake a training experience in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander health training post.
There is a dedicated outcome (1.3.3) with three criteria specifically aimed at ensuring safe and effective training in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. In general, there are principles that will apply meeting the standards for the training provider and the training post:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural educators and mentors need to be involved in the design, delivery, assessment and evaluation of training in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
- Training provider staff, including medical educators and supervisors, need to have cultural safety training.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural educators and mentors need to be part of the supervision team in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health training post.
- An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Training Post will be characterised by governance input from the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community – usually this will be an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.
- Consultations in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services tend to be longer, more complex, manage more problems at each visit and involve more health care practitioners. This should be taken into account in assessing the workload of the registrar.
Note
For definitions of the terms used, see the RACGP Curriculum Unit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.