Building Collaboration: A Scoping Review of Cultural Competency and Safety Education and Training for Healthcare Students and Professionals in Canada

ABSTRACT

Phenomenon: This scoping literature review summarizes current Canadian health science education and training aimed to lessen health gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Approach: Keyword searches of peer-reviewed and gray literature databases, websites, and resources recommended by local Aboriginal community members identified 1,754 resources. Using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 resources relevant to education and training of healthcare professionals and students in Canada were selected. Information included self-assessment for cultural competency/safety skills, advocacy within Canadian healthcare, and descriptions of current programs and training approaches. Findings: In spite of increasing awareness and use of cultural competency and safety concepts, few programs have been successfully implemented. Insights: A concerted effort among health science education and training bodies to develop integrated and effective programs could result in comprehensive processes that hasten the Canadian culturally safe healthcare provision, thus reducing the gaps among populations.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous health
• cultural safety
• education and training

Acknowledgments

The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and not an official position of UBC.

Funding

This research was supported by a Summer Student Research Program grant to the author Olivia Guerra from the University of British Columbia – Faculty of Medicine.

Notes

* In Canada, the government categorized the original people of North America by one term, Aboriginal, and three distinct groups: First Nations (historically referred to as Indian), Métis, and Inuit (Constitution Act 1867). The term Indigenous refers to Aboriginal peoples globally regardless of borders, Constitutional or legal definitions and upholds Indigenous rights movements.¹ In this article, Aboriginal and Indigenous are used in accordance with the term used by participants in the study or cited authors.