Unit Outline

This unit explores how historical, cultural and social elements, as well as previous and contemporary policy frameworks, shape the health and wellbeing of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Cultural safety, self-determination and collaboration are central concepts within this unit. You will have the opportunity to explore your own cultural beliefs, values and attitudes, and the influence these may have on health care with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. You will also engage in activities that strengthen self-awareness and reflection, and which promote your capacity to demonstrate sensitivity, awareness and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in the context of providing culturally safe health care. This unit will equip you to become a health professional who can advocate for improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The learning in this unit is structured into three modules.

Module 1 starts to build the rationale for why culturally safe health care is an important skill for health professionals when they are working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and their families. This module explores how Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people experience biased health care, which in turn negatively impacts health care and health outcomes. Culturally safe health care for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is introduced as a way to avoid biased health care. The module also explores the differences between health care that is underpinned by a ‘deficit discourse’ compared to strengths-based approaches. These learning activities will help you to undertake AT2: Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service report.

The focus of Module 2 is to develop your understanding and critical thinking about the contexts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. This module will explore how contexts shape and inform health outcomes, experiences of health care, and health care needs. Drawing on insights about health contexts enables health professionals to provide care the client defines as culturally safe. Developing your understanding about health systems will support you to undertake AT2 as well as developing the critical self-reflection skills needed for AT3: Reflective essay.

Module 3 focuses on applying what you have learned about the importance of working in culturally safe ways and examine how to make the health environments you work in culturally safe. At an individual level, health professionals need to develop awareness about how their own cultural identity, and attitudes, values and beliefs, may impact care provision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This module consolidates the critical self-reflection skills you have built during the unit which will enable you to do AT3: Reflective essay.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Identify the historical, social and cultural determinants of health as they relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
2	Discuss the health services, workforce, policy and political issues that impact on culturally safe health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
3	Reflect upon your own cultural beliefs, values and attitudes, and the influence these may have on providing health care with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
4	Distinguish and analyse how to provide culturally safe health care for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at individual and organisational levels
5	Communicate effectively and respectfully in a professional manner and adhere to academic written requirements.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	Admission to: 53G, 53H, 53I, H3N, H3O

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Student feedback is important and we welcome feedback at any stage. Please direct this to HGA246@utas.edu.au. In response to student feedback, the MyLO content has been reconfigured and the timing for the Assessment task 1: Quizzes has been changed.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Online Quizzes	Week 2	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Report	Week 7	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Reflective Essay	Week 13	50 %	LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Online Quizzes

Task Description:

This is a series of 3 quizzes designed to promote your readiness for the peer-led, experiential activities in your on-campus workshops. Questions will be drawn from online learning materials.

The three quizzes have a total weighting of 10%. Each quiz will open Monday 9am and close Friday 4pm. You will have one attempt of 20 minutes to complete each quiz

Please refer to MyLO for dates of each quiz.

Task Length:

3 quizzes of 10 questions (total 30 questions)

Due Date:

Week 2

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify the historical, social, and cultural determinants of health as they relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.	LO1
2	Identify how the health care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is impacted by health policies, health professionals and health service provision.	LO2
3	Distinguish cultural safety principles and practice	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Report

Task Description:

In this assessment task you will work collaboratively to identify and research an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS). You will analyse why ACCHS are proven to be clinically effective, reflecting understanding of:
・ the historical, social and cultural determinants of health as they relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples including the ongoing impact of colonisation on health, and
・ the health services, programs and environments that contribute towards culturally safe health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Task Length:

Part A: In-class group presentation (15 minutes) Part B: Group report (1,000 words)

Due Date:

Week 7 (12/Sep/2024)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Examine the features of the ACCHS that make it clinically effective and culturally safe.	LO2
2	Analyse the relationship between the historical, cultural and social determinants of health as they relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the clinical effectiveness of the ACCHS	LO1
3	Communicate effectively and respectfully in a professional manner in a group presentation.	LO5
4	Evidence of in-depth engagement with appropriate academic literature and other resources, using a minimum of 6 scholarly references.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Reflective Essay

Task Description:

In this assessment task you will write a reflective essay or record a reflective video about the importance of becoming a culturally safe health professional.
In the essay/video you will explain why it is important to:
1. have ongoing learning/ and reflection on your own cultural beliefs, values and attitudes, and the influence these may have on providing health care for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
2. provide culturally safe and responsive health care for and with your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and their families
3. advocate for health service delivery that ensures cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

You will draw on academic literature, research data, and the critical reflection learning activities from your teaching intensives. Your essay/video will be informed by the central concepts within this unit: cultural safety, self-determination and collaboration.

The reflective essay/video should demonstrate critical reading and thinking skills. The use of ‘I’ is expected (‘I think, I do not agree, I agree’, etc).

Ensure that you undertake research beyond the unit materials, and use a range of books and journal articles. You are required to support your reflective essay/video with a minimum of 8 scholarly references, including some from the recommended reading list. If you choose the video option, please include your reference list with your submission.

Task Length:

Reflective essay (1,500 words) or Reflective video (7-9 minutes)

Due Date:

Week 13 (24/Oct/2024)

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate skills in critical thinking and reflection	LO3
2	Analyse how culturally safe health care for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be informed by cultural safety, self-determination and collaboration	LO4
3	Evidence of in-depth engagement with appropriate academic literature and other resources, using a minimum of 8 scholarly references	LO5
4	Communicate effectively and respectfully in a professional manner adhering to academic requirements	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks. You do not need to pass all assessment tasks to pass this unit, though you must submit an attempt for every assessment task.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Please see UTAS Library Reading List via MyLO.