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… but what about the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker academic? Transcending the role of ‘unknowing assistant’ in health care and research through higher education: a personal journey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

Janet Stajic Open the ORCID record for Janet Stajic [Opens in a new window]
Janet Stajic*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4072, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Janet Stajic, E-mail: j.stajic@uq.edu.au
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Abstract

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker/Practitioner (A&TSIHW) workforce provides not only clinical skills but also responds to specific social and cultural needs of the communities they serve bringing knowledge derived from lived and embodied knowledges. The A&TSIHW is a recognised health professional within the Australian health system; however, this workforce continues to be under-supported, under-recognised and under-utilised. A common discourse in literature written about A&TSIHWs focused on the need to empower and enhance the A&TSIHW capabilities, or rendered the A&TSIHW as part of the problem in improving the health of Indigenous peoples. In contrast, articles written by A&TSIHWs, published in the Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, tell a different story, one about the limitations of the health system in its ability to care for Indigenous peoples, recognising A&TSIHW leadership. This paper deals with two interrelated tensions—the undervaluing of the A&TSIHW as a clinician and the undervaluing of the A&TSIHW as an academic—both of which the author has had to navigate. It explores the specific challenges of the A&TSIHW academic who too seeks recognition beyond that of ‘assistant’ within the research enterprise, drawing upon personal experiences and engagement with educational institutions, including higher education.

Keywords

Aboriginal Health Practitionercareer pathwayIndigenous healthtraininguniversityworkforce
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 49 , Special Issue 2: Critical conversations on higher education as an enabler to building an Indigenous health workforce , December 2020 , pp. 119 - 126
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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