Essay on Contemporary Indigenous Health and Wellbeing for Nurses

This essay is a reflective piece discussing the student's attitudes, beliefs, and values concerning contemporary Indigenous health and wellbeing. The author, a nursing student, uses Gibb's model of reflection to analyze their initial assumptions and how they have changed after studying the subject. The essay explores the impact of colonisation, the importance of cultural sensitivity, and the need for a holistic approach to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The student reflects on their previous practices and how they have evolved to incorporate a deeper understanding of cultural safety, trauma-informed care, and the significance of addressing social, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. The essay concludes with a discussion on how these changes will inform future nursing practice, emphasizing the importance of humility, collaboration, and adherence to the code of professional conduct for nurses in Australia, ensuring culturally respectful care delivery.

1
Running head: CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Contemporary Indigenous Health and Wellbeing
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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Nurses practising in Australia have the responsibility of bringing improvements in the
health of the indigeous population. Nurses are to demonstrate cultural and clinical skills for
making the care delivery of optimal quality. The subject of ‘contemporary indigenous health
and wellbeing’ aims to improve the knowledge of students about indigenous people for
fostering understanding and respect. Exploring own attitudes, beliefs and understandings are
essential for delivering evidence-based care to this population in a culturally respectful way.
The present essay is a reflective piece of writing that discusses own attitude, beliefs, values in
the context of the topic of contemporary indigenous health and wellbeing. The essay uses
Gibb’s model of reflection as the organising principle, outlined in Format 2, for bringing out
the reflection. It aims to reflect on personal assumptions and how this has impacted on my
decision making when interacting with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people before
commencing this subject. A review is done on how the subject has changd the decision
making process. In conclusion, a discussion would be put forward on how the change in
decision making process would impact on my future nursing practice for Aboriginal & Torres
Strait Islander people.
Prior to studying the subject of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Islander Health, I
developed the predisposition that bringing improvement in the health status of indigenous
people is not a longstanding challenge. My knowledge around the subject was limited and the
fact that there exists a strong relationship between colonisation and heath and wellbeing of
these individuals remained unknown to me. Prior to this course, I was not aware of the fact
that development in health and wellbeing can only be achieved through an understanding of
the international context of trauma that this population faces. Individuals surviving the
trauma and emotional turmoil are now progressing towards leading a well-adjusted life.
However, I had the assumption that contemporary healthcare delivery for this population
does not need to focus on effective communication and acknowledgement of the trauma they

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have gone through. I also was unaware of the fact that individuals relate to their identity by
means of their culture and identity. The belief that I upheld till coming across the subject was
that physical healing holds more importance for the individuals while the fact is that at the
centre of health and wellbeing lies the concept of soul healing. I assumed that addressing
depression, feelings, anxiety, seclusion and alienation does not hold much importance while
caring for these individuals.
My nursing practice prior to studying the subject was guided by the notion that
addressing the health needs of the aboriginal population is sufficient for fostering better
health and wellbeing outcomes. I was not in a position to understand and implement a care
process wherein principles of social and cultural aspects are integrated. Healthcare services
delivered by me was therefore not comprehensive in nature, as treatment was the sole
concern for me, eliminating attributes of social and cultural considerations from the care. A
person-centred approach was missing that did not take into account the cultural background
of the individuals and the values, beliefs, preferences and emotional needs they have.
Studying the subject on ‘contemprary indigenous health and wellbeing’ was a life-
changing process for my professional practice. Interacting with the lectures delivered in due
course and the content learnt left a profound impact on how I deliver services for the
indigenous population. The prime knowledge that I gained from the subject content was that
indigenous people, in comparison to non-indigenous population experience far worse
physical and emotional health. Access to healthcare is an issue for them due to a number of
reasons, such as living in remote areas and low socio-economic status. A higher prevalence of
health risk factors is also higher. From the service provision perspective, healthcare quality is
influenced by cultural competency, communication and gaps in addressing varied health
needs.

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The subject taught me in details that health for indigenous population is a holistic
concept and it encompasses social, emotional, physical, cultural and spiritual well being of
the individual. The point that a patient belonging to the community upholds a whole-of-life
view regarding his own health was unknown to me prior to studying the subject. I came face-
to-face with the truth that aboriginal population still retain the belief system of whole-of-life
view though traditional beliefs and cultures have been challenged multiple times. If adequate
health care is to be given to patients of this community, it is to be ensured that holistic
approach is abided by. Each patient has his own preferences and beliefs, which are to be
acknowledged while caring for them.
The interaction with the subject content was successful in enlightening me with the
multidimensional aspects of contemporary indigenous healthcare. My initial reaction was a
sense of displeasure and dissatisfaction regarding the truth that the care approach promoted
by me prior to this course was inappropriate. I felt that I had been unprofessional and
dishonourable in the manner I used to deliver care to the patient belonging to this population.
My decision making was not guided by specialised knowledge about the circumstances in
which indigenous people live in. I felt the need of developing my skills and knowledge
pertaining to healthcare for the indigenous population at an urgent basis. The positive aspect
of my realisation and feelings was that I imbibed the need of bringing drastic changes in my
practice and approaches. I further realised that continual learning is to be embedded in my
practice so that I can base my practice on best available evidence concerning the subject.
My reactions towards the subject, after gaining an in-depth knowledge of it, is
consistent with that of other scholars under similar circumstances. According to Paradies
(2016), nurses must acknowledge the need of upgrading the present level of knowledge
when it comes to caring for a vulnerable population, such as the indigenous population of

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Australia. Nurses in a study conducted by Hunt et al. (2015) pointed out that they felt a need
of changing their daily practice after coming to know that their assumptions about a certain
population are wrong. As a healthcare professional, nurses must have the realisation that their
predispositions and predilections regarding any certain population can be proved incorrect is
research is done adequately. Nurses, when challenged with their level of knowledge, agreeing
in fostering continual professional development through research.
The experience pertaining to gaining knowledge on ‘contemproary indigenous health
and wellbeing’ was a valuable one. I learnt that caring for indigenous Australians implies that
a holistic approach is to be integrated into the practice. Culture plays an important role in
caring for this section of the Australian population. According to Giger (2016) aspects of
culture are to be considered in clinical care for ensuring holistic care is provided at all levels.
Kinship, responsibilities in the social context and family obligations are of more importance
to indigenous people that own health needs (Axelsson et al., 2016). I learnt that my future
practice must keep in mind that fact that these mentioned attributes contribute significantly to
heath outcomes. Further, I also developed the knowledge that a culturally safe environment is
to be created. For example, a healthcare setting might be a symbol of death for some
individuals instead of healing. For such patients, it is important to cultivate the feeling that
the purpose of healthcare settings is to provide care and healing process. I learnt that
emotional stress is suffered by this population owing to a number of multidimensional
factors. Concerns mainly relate to anxiety over community obligations, financial
responsibilities, language barriers. Stressors might also include isolation, culture shock and
lack of social support. Social support is a key factor that is to be addressed by all nurses
caring for indigenous patients (Marmot 2017).

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Certain changes are to be brought in future in my nursing practice based on my
learning from the subject. My beliefs and values have changed for the better as I now aim at
delivering comprehensive care to indigenous patients. Earlier, I would not focus on
establishing a relationship with the patients by acknowledging their cultural values. Going
forward, I would ensure that I enquire about their cultural beliefs and values and work upon
them while caring for the patient. I would make myself culturally capable enough to address
the needs of the patients (Thompson et al. 2017).
In conclusion, it is to be stated that the subject of ‘contemporary indigenous health
and wellbeing’ puts the focus on the exploration of indigenous perspectives of Australian
history and the impact of colonisation on these people. Acknowledging the plight and trauma
of these individuals, along with their intergenerational loss is important for caring for these
individuals, and I would ensure that I do the same. Comprehending cultural and social
implications of engaging with a strong relationship with these people is essential for my
future nursing practice. My future nursing practice would be guided by the need of fostering
humility in safe, collaborative and appreciative care service delivery. As per the code of
professional conduct for nurses in Australia, a nurse is to respect the culture, ethnicity, beliefs
and values of patients to whom care is being given. My future practice would be guided by
this care standard.

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References
Axelsson, P., Kukutai, T., Kippen, R., Reid, J., Varona, G., Fisher, M. and Smith, C., 2016.
The field of Indigenous health and the role of colonisation and history Journal of Population
Research, 33(1), pp.83-96.
Giger, J.N., 2016. Transcultural Nursing-E-Book: Assessment and Intervention. Elsevier
Health Sciences.
Hunt, L., Ramjan, L., McDonald, G., Koch, J., Baird, D. and Salamonson, Y., 2015. Nursing
students' perspectives of the health and healthcare issues of Australian Indigenous
people. Nurse education today, 35(3), pp.461-467.
Marmot, M.G., 2017. Dignity, social investment and the Indigenous health gap. The Medical
Journal of Australia, 207(1), pp.20-21.
Paradies, Y., 2016. Colonisation, racism and indigenous health. Journal of population
research, 33(1), pp.83-96.
Thompson, G., Talley, N.J. and Kong, K.M., 2017. The health of Indigenous Australians. The
Medical Journal of Australia, 207(1), pp.19-20.