Opting for"cross-cultural awareness"

McMaster med students give unique elective on
aboriginal health the thumbs up

By Carla Sparks

"Many students found the elective eye-opening," says Dr Cornelia Wieman, director of the McMaster Native Students Health Sciences Program at the Faculty of Health Science, and a lecturer of the program's new aboriginal health elective course.

Canada's first nations people have always been hard hit by health problems, plagued by high rates of diabetes, tuberculosis and addiction problems. Many doctors and medical students aren't always equipped to deal with these special needs nor do they understand the special status of aboriginals in this country.

Native and non-native students and faculty at the med school at McMaster University created the elective program to teach tomorrow's doctors how to deal with specific aboriginal health issues, like traditional attitudes toward suicide. "Med students themselves realized that in order to be an optimal doc, they needed teaching n cross-cultural awareness," explains Dr Wieman. The elective � the first of its kind in the country � just wrapped up its inaugural session at the end of the spring semester and has been touted a success by all involved.

A CURRICULUM VITAE
The program was structured around a lecture series on aboriginal health issues, a short clinical placement in an aboriginal facility, and a tour of a Six Nations community to allow students to put it all in context. Students were also introduced to some of the natural healing traditions used by the aboriginal people and some of the native healers.

"Next year they would like to bring in more aspects of traditional healing and have the students spend more time with traditional healers," says Dr Wieman.

The 30 students who were enrolled are currently evaluating the program. Dr Wieman says that a paper may be published on their feedback and on the program itself.