Footprints Forwards Blocked by a Failure Discourse: Issues in Providing Advice about Medicine and other Health Science Careers to Indigenous Secondary School Students

Abstract

A dominant discourse constructs Indigenous secondary school students as likely to leave school early and unlikely to take up a health career. We believe that this failure discourse shapes the school and tertiary transition experience for the majority of Indigenous students, regardless of their capabilities and aspirations. Career development practitioners have the potential to change the experiences of Indigenous school students and play a part in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. However, only 18% or 26 out of 144 Victorian secondary school career advisers or guidance counsellors who responded to our survey demonstrated the knowledge, skills and understanding to effectively advise and support an Indigenous student who expressed an interest in a health career.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Access Economics. (2004). Indigenous health workforce needs: A report by Access Economics for the Australian Medical Association. Canberra: Access Economics.

Alloway

Dalley

Patterson

Walker

Lenoy

(2004). School students making education and career decisions: Aspirations, attitudes and influences. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

Armstrong

(2001). Australia needs more Indigenous nurses. Australian Nursing Journal, 8 (9), 28–30.

Career Industry Council of Australia. (2006). Professional standards for Australian career development practitioners. Carlton: Author.

Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses. (1998). Recommendations to develop strategies for the recruitment and retention of Indigenous peoples in nursing. Brisbane: CRANA.

Curriculum Corporation. (2003). Career guidance and advice for Indigenous students. Carlton South: Author.

Drysdale

Faulkner

Chesters

, (Eds.) (2006). Footprints forwards: Better strategies for the recruitment, retention and support of Indigenous medical students. Moe: Monash University School of Rural Health.

Hays

(2002). One approach to improving Indigenous health care through medical education. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 10, 285–287.

Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council Report to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. (2006). Improving Indigenous outcomes and enhancing Indigenous culture and knowledge in Australian higher education. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

10.

Johns

(2006). Aboriginal education: Remote schools and the real economy. Barton, ACT: The Menzies Research Centre Limited.

11.

Mak

D. B.

Plant

A. J.

(2005). Reducing unmet needs: A prevocational medical training program in public health medicine and primary health care in remote Australia. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 13, 183–190.

12.

Mellor

Corrigan

(2004). The case for change: A review of contemporary research on Indigenous education outcomes. Australian Education Review 47. Camberwell: Australian Council for Education Research.

13.

Minniecon

Kong

(2005). Healthy Futures: Defining best practice in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous medical students. Canberra: Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association.

14.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2004). Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the gap. Paris: Author.

15.

Schwab

R. G.

(1999). Why only one in three? The complex reasons for low Indigenous school retention. Research Monograph No. 16. Canberra: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University.

16.

Silverman

(2001). Interpreting qualitative data: Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction. London: Sage.

17.

Spencer

Young

Williams

Yan

Horsfall

(2005). Survey on Aboriginal issues within Canadian medical programmes. Medical Education, 39, 101–109.

18.

Valle

King

(Eds.) (1978). Existential phenomenological alternatives for psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.