The University of British Columbia is on mission to train future doctors, dentists and other health-care providers to treat Indigenous patients by learning about the pain inflicted by past Canadian policies.

First-year students in midwifery, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, genetic counselling, social work, dental hygiene and dietetics are required to take an online course and two workshops to help them better serve Aboriginal people.

In 2018, students in audiology and speech and language pathology will also participate.

Jason Min, who teaches in the university香蕉视频直播檚 faculty of pharmaceutical sciences and has worked with the Lil香蕉视频直播檞at Nation, facilitated a workshop Thursday for students in various programs.

香蕉视频直播淚 think I graduated feeling confident in my knowledge of medications and how they worked. I didn香蕉视频直播檛 know that was not enough to provide good care,香蕉视频直播� he said.

He said training health-care students in their first year to reflect on stereotypes and Canada香蕉视频直播檚 colonial legacy will allow them to become better clinicians and see every patient as an individual.

The name of the program 香蕉视频直播� UBC 23-24 Indigenous Cultural Safety Interdisciplinary Learning Experience 香蕉视频直播� is a response to calls for actions 23 and 24 from a report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. They香蕉视频直播檙e among a list of 94 actions recommended by the commission to redress the legacy of residential schools.

The program was launched this month.

First-year medical student Dakota Peacock said health-care professionals have a lot to learn about 香蕉视频直播渃ultural humility香蕉视频直播� involving Indigenous populations subjected to systemic racism that caused them to distrust those treating them.

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香蕉视频直播淗aving the humility that we don香蕉视频直播檛 know everything about this person in front us means we cannot make assumptions and we should not be stereotyping them,香蕉视频直播� said Peacock, who aims to become a neurologist.

One professor香蕉视频直播檚 story has stuck with him, and it香蕉视频直播檚 about an Indigenous man who arrived at an emergency room with slurred speech and 香蕉视频直播渄isorderly香蕉视频直播� movements. Staff assumed he was drunk and didn香蕉视频直播檛 treat him. He died of a brain injury.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 hoping to learn what we as health-care professionals can do to mend the divide between medical professionals and Indigenous Peoples, a divide that has been created as a result of the residential school system,香蕉视频直播� said Peacock.

Dr. Nadine Caron, co-director of the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health at UBC, said the training will provide health-care students opportunities to work in environments where they understand some of the root causes of health determinants, such as poverty.

香蕉视频直播淲e expect the students to work together as equals to figure out what香蕉视频直播檚 important to them as health-care trainees, to become the best health professionals they can, in a country that has its history,香蕉视频直播� said Caron, who is Indigenous and a surgeon in Prince George, B.C.

香蕉视频直播淭here have been so many silos. It香蕉视频直播檚 not that different programs haven香蕉视频直播檛 tried to address this. But there香蕉视频直播檚 never been an interdisciplinary curriculum that香蕉视频直播檚 meant to be taken as a mandatory component for a health-care trainee who graduates from UBC.香蕉视频直播�

Caron said her hope is that eventually, Indigenous people will journey through every stage of care with professionals who have had the training to provide the respect all patients deserve.

香蕉视频直播淎s a health-care professional, you won香蕉视频直播檛 be the one saying you香蕉视频直播檝e done it right,香蕉视频直播� Caron said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 the humility of recognizing that regardless of the number of degrees after your name it香蕉视频直播檚 the patient and their family who are the experts in terms of how you made them feel.香蕉视频直播�

Carrie Anne Vanderhoop, who led the development of the curriculum as part of her work in the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health, said regulatory colleges of various health-care professions in British Columbia have committed to fostering 香蕉视频直播渃ultural safety.香蕉视频直播�

The province has more than 200 First Nation bands and over 60 per cent of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Indigenous languages are spoken in B.C., she said.

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

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