Evaluation of a longitudinal Indigenous health elective in family medicine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.78275Abstract
Background: In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action 22 to 24 around health, the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary piloted a novel Indigenous Health Longitudinal Elective (IHLE) to give first year residents longitudinal experiences in Indigenous healthcare environments. The purpose of this evaluation was to capture the successful qualities and identify areas for improvements to ensure feasibility of the IHLE pilot program.
Methods: Between November 2022 and April 2023, semi-structured interviews were completed with seven participants of the IHLE and included a mix of residents, preceptors, and clinic staff members. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the IHLE program experiences of all participants.
Results: Benefits of the IHLE program include a deeper understanding of the values and priorities critical to working in healthcare with Indigenous peoples in Southern Alberta. Areas for improvement include clarity around IHLE program structure; clearly defining roles and responsibilities for preceptors; increased opportunities for reciprocity and relationality; and a deeper self-reflection process.
Conclusion: Recommendations for future iterations of the IHLE include ensuring preceptors are trained and engaged, while providing residents more opportunities for relationality and peer debriefing. Results from this study may also help inform future Indigenous health programming in family medicine.
References
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Winnipeg MB; 2015. Available from: https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf. [Accessed Sept 2, 2023].
Anderson M, Crowshoe L, Linda M, et al. Joint commitment to action on Indigenous health as approved by the AFMC Board of Directors prepared by writing working group on behalf of the Indigenous Health Network. 2019. Available from: https://www.afmc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AFMC_Position_Paper_JCAIH_EN.pdf. [Accessed Aug 30, 2023].
Kitty D, Funnell S, eds. CanMEDS-FM Indigenous Health Supplement. The College of Family Physicians of Canada. Mississauga, ON; 2020. Available from https://www.cfpc.ca/CFPC/media/PDF/CanMEDS-IndigenousHS-ENG-web.pdf. [Accessed Sept 28, 2023].
Rashid M, Nguyen J, Foulds JL, Dennett L, Cardinal, N, Forgie, SE. A scoping review of Indigenous health curricular content in graduate medical education. J Grad Med Educ. 2023;15(1):24–36. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-22-00180.1
Clarke V, Braun V, Terry G, Hayfield N. Thematic analysis. Handbook of research methods in health and social sciences. In: P. Liamputtong, ed. 2019: 843-860.
Pitama SG, Palmer SC, Huria T, Lacey C, Wilkinson, T. Implementation and impact of Indigenous health curricula: a systematic review. Med Educ. 2018;52(9):898–909. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.13613
Aggarwal, M, Abdelhalim, R. Are early career family physicians prepared for practice in Canada? A qualitative study. BMC Med Ed. 2023;23 (1): 370. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04250-z
Laine-Gossin J, DeKoven S, Bordman R. Making connections: exploring residents' perspectives on a virtual World Café as a novel approach for teaching Indigenous health issues. Can Med Educ J. 2022;13(2):92-95: https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.73098
Rame A, Kelly-Turner K, Roze des Ordons A, et al. Informing critical Indigenous health education through critical reflection: a qualitative consensus study. Health Educ J. 2023;82(5):569–582. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969231174872
Vogel L. Residency programs grapple with new Indigenous cultural safety training requirements. CMAJ. 2018;190(25):e778-e779. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-5616
Melro CM, Landry J, Matheson, K. A scoping review of frameworks utilized in the design and evaluation of courses in health professional programs to address the role of historical and ongoing colonialism in the health outcomes of Indigenous Peoples. Adv Health Sci Ed. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10217-y
Melro CM, Matheson K, Bombay. Beliefs around the causes of inequities and intergroup attitudes among health professional students before and after a course related to Indigenous Peoples and colonialism. BMC Med Ed. 2023;23(277):1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04248-7
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Lisa Zaretsky, Rachel Crooks, Molly Whalen-Browne, Amy Lorette Gausvik, Pamela Roach
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Submission of an original manuscript to the Canadian Medical Education Journal will be taken to mean that it represents original work not previously published, that it is not being considered elsewhere for publication. If accepted for publication, it will be published online and it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, for commercial purposes, in any language, without the consent of the publisher.
Authors who publish in the Canadian Medical Education Journal agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 Canada Licence. This licence allows anyone to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given. For details of the rights an author grants users of their work, please see the licence summary and the full licence.
