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4Aboriginal HealthCurriculum StatementPurpose of this Curriculum StatementThe Final Position Paper of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CurriculumDesign Project of the RACGP Faculty of Rural Medicine 3 emphasises that:programs for doctors should aim at a comprehension of the Aboriginal experience ofhealth, which is based in the history of colonialism in Australia, and encompasses atotal cultural and spiritual view of health and well-being.This curriculum statement is designed to fulfill this aim.nLearning ObjectivesThe following learning objectives relate specifically to Aboriginal health. It is also importantto look at the common learning objectives in Part 3 of the Curriculum.The learning objectives describe the breadth and depth of the knowledge, skills andattitudes required, and relate directly to the content of the Curriculum, which is listedalphabetically in Part 5.The registrar will be able to:—Communication Skills and the Doctor-Patient Relationship• understand the importance of using culturally appropriate forms of communicationwhen interacting with Aboriginal people (e.g. observing protocols);• apply their knowledge of the effects of culture contact in Australia whencommunicating with Aboriginal people (e.g. social Darwinism, Terra Nullius);• establish trust when communicating with Aboriginal people;• understand Aboriginal family structure, kinship, social organisation and decisionmaking;• understand the effect of racism on self-concept and identity formation, and howthis affects communication with Aboriginal people (e.g. individual/institutional);Applied Professional Knowledge and Skills• apply their knowledge of Aboriginal definitions of health to clinical practice;• outline common presenting conditions and diseases among Aboriginal people (andtheir origins), linking them with the associated socio-economic, cultural andenvironmental factors (e.g. hypertension, cardiovascular disease);• discuss Aboriginal views of health and well being, and apply models and managementstrategies which reflect them in their clinical practice (e.g. primary health care/public health approach);• discuss the major cultural accommodations to be made when working with Aboriginalpeople (e.g. protocols, cultural healing practices);3Final Position Paper of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Design Project. RACGP Facultyof Rural Medicine. 1994.4—6