Browsing by Author "Nathan S."
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Item An Australian national survey of First Nations careers in health services.(2024-10-18) Nathan S.; Meyer L.; Joseph T.; Blignault I.; Bailey J.; Demasi K.; Newman J.; Briggs N.; Williams M.; Lew Fatt E.A strong First Nations health workforce is necessary to meet community needs, health rights, and health equity. This paper reports the findings from a national survey of Australia's First Nations people employed in health services to identify enablers and barriers to career development, including variations by geographic location and organisation type. A cross-sectional online survey was undertaken across professions, roles, and jurisdictions. The survey was developed collaboratively by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal academics and Aboriginal leaders. To recruit participants, the survey was promoted by key professional organisations, First Nations peak bodies and affiliates, and national forums. In addition to descriptive statistics, logistic regression was used to identify predictors of satisfaction with career development and whether this varied by geographic location or organisation type. Of the 332 participants currently employed in health services, 50% worked in regional and remote areas and 15% in Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) with the remainder in government and private health services. All enablers identified were associated with satisfaction with career development and did not vary by location or organisation type. "Racism from colleagues"and "lack of cultural awareness,""not feeling supported by their manager,""not having role models or mentors,"and "inflexible human resource policies"predicted lower satisfaction with career development only for those employed in government/other services. First Nations people leading career development were strongly supported. The implications for all workplaces are that offering even a few career development opportunities, together with supporting leadership by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, can make a major difference to satisfaction and retention. Concurrently, attention should be given to building managerial cultural capabilities and skills in supporting First Nations' staff career development, building cultural safety, providing formal mentors and addressing discriminatory and inflexible human resources policies. Copyright © 2023 S. Nathan et al.Item Barriers and enablers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander careers in health: a qualitative, multisector study in western New South Wales.(2022-01-17) Bailey J.; Blignault I.; Renata P.; Naden P.; Nathan S.; Newman J.Objective: Growing a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce is key to closing the gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This study sought to explore barriers and enablers to career development for Aboriginal health staff and potential strategies to enhance career pathways. Design: Qualitative study, with data collected primarily through focus group discussions (yarning circles) at different health workplaces. SETTING: Western New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS: Aboriginal health staff (n = 54) from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, a Local Health District and a Primary Health Network, and their managers (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal; n = 28). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Identified barriers and enablers and regional strategies for improving career pathways. Results: Aboriginal people interested in pursuing a career in health face barriers in: pre-employment, recruitment, the workplace and further education and training. Being given practical and emotional support, as well as opportunities, makes a difference at every stage. Family and community are very influential in career decisions. Within the workplace, culturally appropriate human resource systems and management structures are vital. The ability to obtain employment and access education and training locally is important to rural and remote communities. Conclusions: To enhance health career pathways for Aboriginal people, strategies are needed at all levels: community, organisation, system and society. Aboriginal leadership and self-determination are crucial, as are partnerships within the health sector and between the health and the education and training sectors. Cultural safety is essential to expansion of the Aboriginal workforce, and to health care experiences and outcomes for Aboriginal community members.Copyright © 2021 National Rural Health Alliance Ltd.Item Learning about Aboriginal health and wellbeing at the postgraduate level: novel application of the growth and empowerment measure.(2019-05-15) Fitzpatrick S.A.; Haswell M.R.; Williams M.M.; Nathan S.; Meyer L.; Ritchie J.E.; Jackson Pulver L.R.Introduction: Public health education strives to transform and empower students to engage in policy and practice improvement. However, little is known of the nature of such change among students, especially when studying Aboriginal health and wellbeing, which may involve disrupting long held assumptions and prejudices. This article reports findings regarding the feasibility, specificity and sensitivity of the Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) in the evaluation of two innovative Australian 13-week postgraduate public health electives focused on Aboriginal health and wellbeing. The GEM's 14-item Emotional Empowerment Scale (EES14) and its subscales Inner Peace and Self-Capacity, and 12 Scenarios (S12) and its subscales Healing and Growth and Connection and Purpose were used to examine transformative experiences. A new short form of the S12, the Core6, was also trialled as a briefer measure of functional empowerment. Method(s): Pre-course GEM responses and demographic information were collected from consenting students during the mandatory, face-to-face workshops of the Aboriginal public health Perspectives course and the Aboriginal empowerment and wellbeing Lifespan course. The two-day Perspectives course workshop introduced a group scenario-building activity towards ending health inequality. Lifespan students experienced a 3-day immersion based on Stage 1 of the Aboriginal Family Well Being empowerment program. Insights from both workshops were further integrated through structured online discussions and written assessments. At the end of semester, a post-course GEM was mailed to students for completion and return. Students could also provide feedback through evaluation surveys and semistructured focus groups. Effect sizes were assessed using paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and multiple ANOVA. Cronbach's alpha confirmed internal consistency. Result(s): Baseline GEM data was provided for 147 out of a total of 194 workshop experiences from participating students. Twenty students attended workshops for both Perspectives and Lifespan. Fifty-five matched pairs (representing 52 individual participants) were obtained from 170 students who completed one or both courses. Statistically significant positive change of small to medium effect size was detected in all GEM scales, subscales and some individual items. Lifespan yielded larger effects than Perspectives, most markedly on two subscales: Inner Peace, and Connection and Purpose. Participating students reported significant growth in the Scenario item 'knowing and being who I am' following Perspectives and Lifespan. Those completing Perspectives also reported a significant increase in 'gaining voice and being heard', consistent with its action-oriented scenario-building assessment. In contrast, the psychosocial development approach embedded in Lifespan stimulated strong development in spirituality, responding constructively to judgement, appreciating empowerment in their communities and skills to make changes in their lives. Feedback indicated that students valued these personal and professional growth experiences. Conclusion(s): The GEM was sensitive and specific in measuring components of empowering change among participants. Challenges included low post-course response rates that limited extrapolation to overall course impact, and attention needed to starting point when comparing the increment of change. The GEM is a promising tool for studying postgraduate courses designed to stimulate transformative learning, wellbeing and cultural competence through empowerment, and relevant in the education of health professionals in the fields of Aboriginal and rural health. Copyright © 2019, ARHEN - Australian Rural Health Education Network Ltd.