The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) has launched a new e-learning protocol that provides cultural safety and cultural humility training for nurses and midwives.
Launched on Close the Gap Day (17 March), the program titled Murra Mullangari, a Ngunnawal term refers to a “pathway to good health and wellbeing”. According to CATSINaM, the program aims to be “one aspect of your life-long learning towards achieving Cultural Safety and Cultural Humility in Nursing and Midwifery practice.”
The program has received endorsements from leading nursing figures such as the CATSINaM Founding Member and Erub Nation Elder, Aunty Dulcie Flower, and the nation’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMillan at its launch.
According to Aunty Dulcie Flower, it is “most important” that nurses practice cultural safety as part of their professional duty.
“Keep an open mind: You will gain skills that will last you a lifetime. You will make a difference to the way you nurse your patients and ensure that their culture is also respected and that your own culture is respected,” she said.
Ms McMillan said that more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be more strongly involved in the nursing and midwifery workforce. She said programs such as Murra Mullangarri were crucial to instilling concepts of Cultural Safety across the broader workforce.
“[The program] is key for the Australian nursing and midwifery profession, and the pathway to better health outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she said.
The eight-week-long course has eight hours of content across three modules and contains an online assessment with each completed module. Participants can access the course any time over the eight weeks.
Priced at $495 (incl. GST), registrations for the first in-take of participants commenced on Wednesday, 16 March, and will continue until 13 April.
Completing the course equates to eight hours of CPD training, and more information on the program’s specifics can be found here.
