Concept Map and Reflection Essay
Concept Map.
A concept map is a diagram that depicts a suggested relationship between various concepts.
Introduction.
Racism simply refers to a situation where both prejudice and discrimination, often backed by legal authority and institutional control, exist within a community, much to the detriment of one group that forms the community. Racism is propagated by deeply entrenched social, historic and cultural inequities that have become normalized by a specific group of people over a long duration of time (Williams et al., 2019).
Racism is oppressive and morally wrong as it involves the use of an individual’s authority, power and influence to treat other human beings in a manner that is not just or simply unfair.
Most non-indigenous people residing within Australia are not aware of the constant racism that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people go through almost every day. This condition is not helped by the constant scrutiny by the police and other law enforcement agencies (Markwick et al., 2019).
The media plays another key role in propagating this culture of racism by constant stories of embezzlement, corruption, child abuse, low school attendance rates and drug and substance use which further taint the image of the first people.
This culture of racism has greatly contributed to the deterioration of the people’s physical and mental health. This is quite evident due to the cases of depression, psychological distress and substance use that have become prevalent (Kairuz et al., 2020).
This has also greatly contributed to transgenerational trauma. The author points out the great need to establish an effective response that recognizes the continuing state of racism, and implement programs and other ways of dealing with the problem of racism.
Reflection.
I am an Indian student who came to Australia a while back to further my education. Before my arrival here, I had little to no knowledge regarding the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In my country, discrimination has also been quite rampant since the olden days. Untouchability and segregation, commonly referred to as caste system and religious discrimination have been rampant for a long time.
The caste system in my country has been described as the longest surviving social hierarchy. This system groups individuals into various groups based on ritual purity. This caste system varies from one region to another, and an individual is considered a member of the caste if he or she is born into and remains a member until he or she expires.
As Kumari and Mohanty (2020) notes, the country’s constitution effectively abolished the system in 1950, yet it remains quite rampant and applicable especially in the rural neighbourhoods of India. Allocation of resources and other amenities by the state often proceeds based on the caste system.
Situations have emerged where the state installs electricity only in the upper caste neighbourhoods and neglects sections occupied by members of the lower caste. Further examples of caste disparities also exist in healthcare, especially regarding the provision of medical amenities.
Religious discrimination has also been quite rampant in my country. In fact, the country has recently witnessed increased intolerance between Hindus and Muslims. These tensions have even resulted in physical assault and murder of several individuals.
Despite the existence of such religious atrocities, caste system remains the most dominant form of discrimination in India (Khubchandani et al., 2018). Very many people, especially those belonging to the lower caste, have been murdered and undergone torture from individuals belonging to higher castes.
Just recently in 2018, reports emerged that a thirteen-year-old girl was murdered in front of her mother by a man belonging to a higher caste after the young girl raised claims of sexual advances towards her by the man.
Racism against the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people have been rampant for a while now. Through my interaction as a nursing student with the First People, I have realized the increased incidences of psychological stress, depression and substance use all resulting from the normalized state of racism (Wylie & McConkey, 2019).
Through my interaction with the First People, I constantly try to learn and familiarize myself with these people’s culture, beliefs and history. The racism has caused great suffering to them and their past generations, a situation that has not been helped up to date as a result of constant propagation of stereotypes against them by the media. Different campaigns to address this deeply rooted culture have not yielded much fruit.
Analysis.
As stated earlier, before coming to this country, I had very little knowledge about the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The knowledge I have acquired here has been mostly stereotypes that have been propagated by the mainstream media.
However, after interaction with the First People and conducting research, I have come to the realisation that several factors in the past have greatly contributed to the current deterioration of the physical and mental health of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people; one of them being the constant racism that they have experienced.
Research indicates that racism and discrimination against the First People in Australia is a reality that is made worse by collective experiences, history of abuse, dispossession, transgenerational trauma resulting from colonisation.
Data between 2015 and 2017 indicated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people born between that time frame had a lower life expectancy when compared to other non-indigenous people (Gwynne et al., 2019). The disease burden and rate of suicide was also higher than among the First People.
Racism and other forms of discrimination greatly meant that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people have limited or no access to vital health amenities. Most health services were only readily available for the non-indigenous people with the First People being discriminated against. This greatly impacted their physical well-being.
Low socioeconomic status among a majority of the First People coupled with low literacy levels resulting from discrimination in the offering of job and education opportunities consequently caused further decline in the physical health status of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people (Rheault et al., 2019). Mistreatment and other forms of physical torture as a result of being viewed as an inferior people was also a contributory factor in the decline of their physical health status.
Exposure to racism results in stress, anxiety, constant feelings of sorrow, low self-esteem, mistrust and anger. These play a key role in the development of mental health issues among the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people.
According to Maina et al. (2018), this explains the increased rate of depression, psychological distress, drug and substance use among these people. The transgenerational trauma experienced as a result of racisms and other atrocities meted against them have also contributed to the cases of mental health observed.
Initiatives such as ‘close the gap’ initiative have contributed very little in addressing the issue of health inequality. The agreement signed in 2018 by the then prime minister Kevin Rudd and the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people, aimed at addressing the health inequality in the country and achieving equality in the health status and life expectancy rate among all the inhabitants of Australia (Deravin et al., 2018).
Ten years later, the initiative had achieved very little. The failure has been greatly attributed to addressing lifestyle factors that affect health while ignoring racism which is key in the determination of the health status.
Lesson learnt.
Critical thinking can simply be described as a reasoning process whose aim is to make meaning of an experience. It can also be termed as a descriptive, analytical and critical analysis that can be presented through word of mouth, in writing or via art. It is a key skill in critical thinking and practice (Kaya et al., 2018).
Reflective practice in itself facilitates continuous learning even throughout practice. My perception of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people have been greatly altered following my research. The great health problems facing these people are due to long-term discrimination, racism and other ills against them.
This research has enlightened me on the fact that discrimination due to being different is not only experienced in my country, but that it has also greatly affected even people who were the original inhabitants of a place as observed in this scenario. Great developments in healthcare should ideally translate to improved healthcare. This is, however, not the case in this scenario clearly depicting the impact of social determinants in the overall health of individuals.
The adoption of the western biomedical model of health has also greatly contributed in undermining general health. The model, which is in use in most of the western world, focuses on health solely in terms of biological factors (Rice & Sara, 2019). It greatly overlooks how the spiritual, emotional and mental well-being of an individual is critical in the overall health of an individual. This is one of the major causes of overlooking how racism and discrimination play a key role in impacting a person’s overall well-being.
One way of addressing the great suffering experienced by the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people is practicing cultural safety. Cultural safety entails the creation of an environment that is spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically safe.
Kowalski and Anthony (2017) contend that it constitutes the demonstration of respect, seeking knowledge of different culture, demonstrating reciprocity and continuously engaging the community. Cultural safety strives towards addressing power imbalances within the health care sector that have been passed on over the years.
Embracing our own culture is a key step towards embracing cultural safety. It is also critical to familiarize ourselves with other cultures while fostering a culture of respect for the diverse cultures (Hall, 2018).
Establishing good relationships with the patient goes a long way in creating rapport and better understanding of the diverse cultures, beliefs and history of various individuals. As nursing students and practitioners, we should continually strive towards culturally safe practice.
Future practice.
Following the realization that the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people are likely to face discrimination in almost all aspects of their lives including health care, it will be my responsibility as a nursing practitioner to constantly champion for their rights and ensure that they are fairly treated.
It is critical to ensure that their rights are upheld as they seek health services. Consideration of the socio-cultural factors impacting health while looking after the First People is important in ensuring that all health aspects are addressed.
I will employ good communication skills during care delivery. Good communication is essential in the establishment of a good rapport between me and my patient. good communication also enables me to fully understand my patient.
The patient is able to fully express his situation in an environment defined by good communication without any fear (Tuohy, 2019). Better understanding of my patient’s culture, beliefs and thoughts through proper communication is an important component of delivering good quality care and consequently positive outcomes.
Further understanding the culture and beliefs of the First People is critical in delivery of care as a nursing practitioner. This will enable me to deliver health care that is respectful and mindful of my patient’s culture and beliefs. Respect is very important in the delivery of care and it goes a long way in rewriting the social injustices that the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people have faced over the years.
Good nursing practice entails treating every individual with the highest form of dignity and humanity. this encompasses critical understanding of my patient’s needs, demonstrating compassion and providing care in a manner that clearly demonstrates the utmost respect for all (Brandão et al., 2019).
Engaging in good nursing practice will enable the First People to feel more at ease and enable them to be more open about their health issues. this will consequently translate into better health outcomes and generally reducing the issue of discrimination and racism that is directed towards them.
Conclusion.
As discussed in this paper, it is important to understand the impact that the socio-cultural factors have on the general well-being of individuals. The Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people have constantly faced discrimination and racism since the colonization of Australia.
Both racism and discrimination have greatly contributed towards the current health trends observed among the First People. The media is constantly stereotyping these people due to the number of vices witnessed among them. As a nursing student, I have, however, come to the realization that the many years of racism and discrimination that these people have faced have greatly contributed towards their status.
Learning these people’s cultures, beliefs, history and leading campaigns to address the oppression they constantly face even up to date is critical in eliminating racism and creating an environment where everyone is treated equally. This will go a long way in addressing the health concerns of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people.
References.
Brandão, M., Barros, A., Caniçali Primo, C., Bispo, G. S., & Lopes, R. (2019). Nursing theories in the conceptual expansion of good practices in nursing. Revista Brasileira De Enfermagem, 72(2), 577–581. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0395
Deravin, L., Francis, K., & Anderson, J. (2018). Closing the gap in Indigenous health inequity – Is it making a difference?. International Nursing Review, 65(4), 477–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12436
Gwynne, K., Jeffries, T., Jr, & Lincoln, M. (2019). Improving the efficacy of healthcare services for Aboriginal Australians. Australian Health Review: A Publication Of The Australian Hospital Association, 43(3), 314–322. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH17142
Hall Y. N. (2018). Social Determinants of Health: Addressing Unmet Needs in Nephrology. American Journal Of Kidney Diseases: The Official Journal Of The National Kidney Foundation, 72(4), 582–591. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.12.016
Kairuz, C. A., Casanelia, L. M., Bennett-Brook, K., Coombes, J., & Yadav, U. N. (2020). Impact of racism and discrimination on the physical and mental health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Australia: a protocol for a scoping review. Systematic Reviews, 9(1), 223. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01480-w
Kaya, H., Şenyuva, E., & Bodur, G. (2018). The relationship between critical thinking and emotional intelligence in nursing students: A longitudinal study. Nurse Education Today, 68, 26–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.05.024
Khubchandani, J., Soni, A., Fahey, N., Raithatha, N., Prabhakaran, A., Byatt, N., Moore Simas, T. A., Phatak, A., Rosal, M., Nimbalkar, S., & Allison, J. J. (2018). Caste matters: perceived discrimination among women in rural India. Archives Of Women’s Mental Health, 21(2), 163–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-017-0790-1
Kowalski, S. L., & Anthony, M. (2017). CE: Nursing’s Evolving Role in Patient Safety. The American Journal Of Nursing, 117(2), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000512274.79629.3c
Kumari, M., & Mohanty, S. K. (2020). Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey. BMJ Open, 10(8), e035392. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035392
Maina, I. W., Belton, T. D., Ginzberg, S., Singh, A., & Johnson, T. J. (2018). A decade of studying implicit racial/ethnic bias in healthcare providers using the implicit association test. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 199, 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.009
Markwick, A., Ansari, Z., Clinch, D., & McNeil, J. (2019). Experiences of racism among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults living in the Australian state of Victoria: a cross-sectional population-based study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 309. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6614-7
Rice, L., & Sara, R. (2019). Updating the determinants of health model in the Information Age. Health Promotion International, 34(6), 1241–1249. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day064
Rheault, H., Coyer, F., Jones, L., & Bonner, A. (2019). Health literacy in Indigenous people with chronic disease living in remote Australia. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 523. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4335-3
Tuohy D. (2019). Effective intercultural communication in nursing. Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain), 34(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2019.e11244
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Wylie, L., & McConkey, S. (2019). Insiders’ Insight: Discrimination against Indigenous Peoples through the Eyes of Health Care Professionals. Journal Of Racial And Ethnic Health Disparities, 6(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-018-0495-9
Critical Reflective Essay Instructions
This is a YEAR 3 Bachelors In Nursing Assignment for course Australia\’s First Peoples Health and Practice of 2000 words Count and a CONCEPT MAP.
As this assessment is worth a total 100 marks, 50% weightage of the course is the reason why I really need to score more than 80 out of 100. Therefore, I humbly request please assign somebody from an AUSTRALIAN Nursing Background as this assessment is in relation to Australia\’s First People Aboriginal History.
PLEASE CHOOSE RACISM AS A SUBJECT (TOPIC) FOR THE Concept Map and reflection essay.
Also, I am INDIAN, so please describe in relation to INDIAN culture and critically reflect on how this culture, life experiences, worldview and dominant cultural paradigms, influences your perceptions of, and interactions with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in health care in Australia.
TASK DESCRIPTION: Critical Reflective Essay
Length: 2000 words (excluding concept map and reference list, includes in text citations)
Task aim: To critically reflect on how your own culture, life experiences, worldview and dominant cultural paradigms, influences your perceptions of, and interactions with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in health care.
Task rationale: Critical reflection of an experience, situation or performance allows for deeper learning, insight and conscious decision making to improve and transform professional practice (Walker, Schultz & Sonn, 2014). Critical reflection is identified in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework as an important process to lifelong learning (Department of Health, 2014).
Task description: Part A
Create a detailed concept map that explores a (RACISM) subject that has resonated with you in the First Peoples Health and Practice course (3121MED). To assist you, you should ask yourself:
1. What has resonated with me the most in this course?
2. What are the key concepts within this subject that stood out tome?
3. How did these concepts make me feel and/or how did I react when I heard this?
4. Why did I feel or react this way?
5. Continue to ask yourself ‘why’ to unpack each concept in detail, from your personal, professional and the dominant cultural lens.
Part B Using the concept map completed in Part A as a guide, write a 2000 word critical reflective essay, applying the following critical reflection framework:
1. Define and discuss a question that you would like to know more about that has come from your critical thinking in your concept map.
2. Reflect on how your own culture as well as your professional culture, influence your understanding of this question and how this shapes your perceptions of and interactions with First Peoples.
3. Analyse the perspectives of others including dominant structures to explore the underlying causes and effects relating to your question.
4. Discuss what you have learnt from this critical reflective process and how this learning influences your perceptions of, and interactions with, Australia’s First Peoples in the health care setting.
5. Discuss how your future practice may be transformed as part of this process. Tips:
Refer to the Research and Writing tips as well as the Griffith Health Writing and Referencing Guide for tips about writing and reading in a critical way.
Please use APA 7 th formatting for referencing as well as times new roman font, 12 pt font size, 1.5 line spacing.
Rubric Criteria & weightage :
1) Concept Map-5%
Highly detailed concept map; insightful exploration of the subject and key concepts; deep questioning and explicit thought process.
2) Depth that subject (RACISM) DEFINED-10%
Insightful definition and discussion of the reflective question, supported by reputable evidence found in scholarly literature.
Clearly identify what it is from your concept map that you would like to explore further • Why you chose this Provide a brief definition of your main concepts from your concept map with the support of reputable literature Weighting is 10 out of 100 marks • Word count approx. 300 – 350 words • This section can act as your introduction to your essay
3) Depth of REFLECTION demonstrated -20%
Insightful reflection on how INDIAN culture and professional culture influences your understanding of the question including your perceptions of and interactions with First People. Uses exemplary evidence of scholarly literature; shows explicit links between how your personal and professional cultures influence your understanding of the question.
Reflection on INDIAN culture “what is your understanding of the concept, assumptions, where have these come from, what has shaped these views or understanding; how and why. Reflect on INDIAN professional culture and how this influences your understanding of the concept. What is your professional culture and what does this profession say about your concept. Use scholarly literature; • How has this influenced your perceptions of and interactions with First People. • Weighting 20 out of 100 marks • Word count approx. 400 – 500
4) Depth of ANALYSIS demonstrated- 20%
Insightful analysis of the underlying issues, causes and effects from varying perspectives including the dominant cultural paradigm. Uses exemplary evidence of scholarly literature; shows explicit links between how the dominant cultural paradigm influences your understanding of the question.
Look from varying perspectives to explore your above reflection. What does the literature say about your personal and professional reflections
o Non-indigenous perspectives & First People perspectives o Policy o Government reports o Peer reviewed literature o What have others said & why did they say this, what shaped this o What happened as a result of this • Ensure that you are exploring the underlying issues, causes, effects, impacts using exemplary evidence of scholarly literature; • Include your critical questioning if this makes it easier. For example, this made me then question…. • Weighting 20 out of 100 marks • Word count approx. 450 – 500 words
5) Depth of LEARNING Demonstrated-20%
Insightful reflection and discussion about what you have learnt from undertaking this critical reflection process, including how this may influence your perceptions of and interactions with First Peoples in the healthcare setting.
Discuss what and how you have learnt from this critical reflective process and how this learning influences your perceptions of, and interactions with, Australia’s First Peoples in the health care setting It will help to identify how your own viewpoints may have altered Weighting 20 out of 100 marks • Word Count approx. 300 – 350
6) Reflect on TRANSFORMATION to your professional practice-15%
Insightful discussion on how your health professional practice may be transformed after undertaking this critical reflective process. Detailed examples are provided.
• Discuss how your future practice may be transformed • Discuss how you may apply what you have learnt to your professional practice. • Provide explicit examples of what you will implement into practice as a result of what you have learnt Weighting 15 out of 100 marks Word count approx. 250 – 350 words
7) Academic writing- 10%
Adheres strictly to academic writing standards. Correct terminology when referring to Australia\’s First Peoples. A minimum of 16 peer reviewed articles. Literature led by First Peoples authors is included. Peer reviewed articles no more than 5 years old • Ask yourself, is this the latest literature on this topic? At times you can stretch to 10 years Other times, ie ABS data we would expect the most recent Seminal documents ie Bringing them Home Report 1997; NAHS 1989; Little Children are sacred; Deaths in Custody; Unpacking the invisible knapsack by Peggy McIntosh Databases “Informit, PubMed, CINAHL, MedLine Indigenous Health InfoNet APA 7 th formatting
Please provide relevant scholarly literature to support reflective essay.
PLEASE REFER TO THE 3 FILES ATTACHED WITH THIS EMAIL. IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO REVIEW ALL THESE FILES AS IT WILL HELP WITH CRITICAL REFLECTIVE ESSAY PART. ALSO, THE NOTES FILES ATTACHED CONTAINS ALL THE READING AND LECTURE MATERIAL OF THE COURSE.