Research
Publications
2007
2005
2007
Barawul Yana: Better strategies for the recruitment, retention and support of Indigenous medical students
Authors: Jackson Pulver L, Green S, Arkles R, Guthrie J, Sutherland S, Dance P, Dejanovic A, McDermott D.
Barawul Yana is part of a larger project
Footprints Forwards: Better Strategies for the Recruitment, Retention and Support of Indigenous Medical Students, which was undertaken by a consortium from Monash University, James Cook University and The University of New South Wales (UNSW) for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination Program, as a Program of National Significance.
The UNSW component identified the high school years as an important window of opportunity for encouraging and supporting the retention of Indigenous students through to tertiary education.
The
Rural Clinical School,
Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit and
Nura Gili Indigenous Programs at UNSW investigated the opportunities for, and barrriers to, Indigenous student entry into medical and other health higher education. A core component of this research was to examine the role of university-based health career residential programs in facilitating the entry of students into higher degrees in medicine and other health professions.
Barawul Yana is primarily a qualitative research project drawing on the use of in-depth interviews, both face-to-face and telephone, and narratives as its principle methods of data collection. Demographic and selected quantitative data were also collected.
Abstract
Why we did the work:
The University of New South Wales, as part of a research consortium with Monash University and James Cook University, undertook a project to look at opportunities for and barriers to Indigenous student entry to medical education. The UNSW project component identified the high school years as an important window of opportunity for encouraging and supporting the retention of Indigenous students through to tertiary education in medicine and other health programs.
What we did:
A core component of the UNSW research was to examine the role of university based health career residential programs in facilitating the entry of high school students into higher degrees and to understand what factors impact on student choices. This was achieved through face-to-face and telephone interviews with a number of key stakeholders and informants.
What we found and what we learned:
We found eight broad thematic areas raised by the research including, the multiple pathways students use to enter university; the influence of positive Indigenous role models; the tension experienced between being both academic and Indigenous; widespread concerns with perceptions of a stigma attached to Indigenous or special entry status; the importance of both a supportive family and culturally safe encounters with educational environments to career progression; the importance of career advisor and teacher expertise in dealing with Indigenous students and their life contexts; and the importance of encouraging Indigenous ‘visibility’ with a culture of success and achievement. What we learned was that Indigenous specific residential health career programs are a highly successful strategy for encouraging recruitment and support for higher education careers in health.
How was the Aboriginal community involved?
The Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit and the Nura Gili Indigenous Programs at the UNSW, together with the Rural Clinical School as part of the investigating team, provided the important contacts with students and other community members. Appropriate ethical approvals were sought and gained.
How will this information be used to inform policy and practice?
The Indigenous specific residential program model that is described in this research, we believe, constitutes ‘best practice’ in Indigenous student recruitment and support for careers in medicine and health. It is recommended that the university sector nation-wide endorse, develop, and where necessary, adapt this model of Indigenous student recruitment and support for promoting careers in medicine and other health professions.
Implications for stakeholders and future directions:
We are proposing that a partnership be established between Indigenous, educational and university sector stakeholders to address barriers to the successful promotion of health careers to Indigenous students. Some future directions include piloting of career advisor and teacher training – within a health status framework. Further, more cooperative work is needed around student attainment of the core skills needed to develop an appropriate academic/science language base for degrees in higher education, in particular, the health sciences.
Barawul Yana: the full report, is downloadable here in separate chapters. Also available is a community report and a DVD of a promotional clip 'Footprints to Medicine: You can do it!' featuring music by Joel Wenitong. The DVD was produced for the Footprints Forwards project can be obtained by contacting the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit.
Contents and Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Findings - Koori Health Careers Residential Workshops (Wagga Wagga)
Chapter 5: Findings - Applicants and Graduates of Residential Health Careers programs
Chapter 6: Narratives
Chapter 7: Discussion
Appendices
Barawul Yana Community Report
The Barawul Yana Commmunity Report looks at the experience of several groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and others involved in their education as they explore options for a career as health professionals. This community report does not replace what is said in the full Barawul Yana report, but gives a good sense of its content and importantly, tells you what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, teachers, careers advisors and Elders think works well about university and other schools programs and also what else is needed to get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids onto a good career track.
2005
Djiadi #1
In 2004, the inaugural Indigenous Health Research Day was held at UNSW. This monograph, the first in the Djiadi series, features selected papers from the day's proceedings and records work that has been completed or is being undertaken by researchers in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health associated with Muru Marri.