Abstract
Objectives: To explore the process of learning for allied health students providing a student-implemented service for older Yolŋu in remote East Arnhem, Northern Territory, Australia. Design: An exploratory qualitative study following an 8-week student-implemented service. Setting: Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala and surrounding remote Aboriginal communities of the East Arnhem Region of the Northern Territory. Participants: Data were collected from: 4 students who implemented the service; 4 professional supervisors, 3 placement coordinators, a Yolŋu cultural consultant and a care manager from a local community organisation, all of whom supported implementation of the service; and 7 older Yolŋu and their families who were recipients of the service. Interventions: A student-implemented service for older Yolŋu delivered by allied health students from James Cook University. Clinical, cultural and pastoral supervision and support was provided by Flinders University, James Cook University, Indigenous Allied Health Australia and 2 Yolŋu cultural consultants and 2 local community organisations. Main outcome measures: Semi-structured interviews with those who implemented, supported and received the service. Data were analysed thematically using an inductive approach. Results: ‘Learning to connect and connecting to learn’ described how allied health students were learning to provide a service for older Yolŋu. Four interrelated processes connected their learning: ‘preparing and supporting’, ‘bonding and responding’, ‘growing and enriching’ and ‘working and weaving’. Conclusion: The co-created student-implemented service provided a unique learning opportunity for allied health students on how to provide a culturally safe service in a remote Aboriginal community in northern Australia.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 75-86 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Australian Journal of Rural Health |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | Dec 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by Hot North Pilot Project—Round 5, which supported the service coordination, on the ground supervision, cultural consultants and an independent researcher. We would like to thank the Yolgŋu people of East Arnhem particularly the older Yolgŋu people who participated in the service and their families; allied health students who implemented the service; Anglicare and East Arnhem Regional Council who supported the service and the Flinders University staff who made all of the travel, accommodation and orientation arrangements. We would like to thank Flinders University who subsidised the costs of travel and accommodation. We would also like to thank stakeholder organisations who participated in the co‐design process including Top End Health Service, Gove District Hospital, Laynhapuy Homelands Corporation, Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation and Indigenous Allied Health Australia. The authors also thank Ms Chloe Lyons and Ms Gemma Porteous. The Collaborating Investigators on the project grant are Associate Professor Catrina Felton‐Busch, Ms Renae Moore, Ms Jennifer Mann, Ms Lisa Simmons, Professor Juli Coffin, Associate Professor Anne Lowell, Ms Frances Cochrane, Associate Professor Lindy Swain, Professor Beth Armstrong and Professor Robyn McDermott.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 National Rural Health Alliance Ltd.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.