A mixed method case study: the preparedness of a school of nursing and midwifery in teaching mandated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in undergraduate nursing curriculum

Introduction: Aboriginal midwife, Muriel Stanley in 1955 called for action on the need to educate non-Indigenous Australians about the health of Aboriginal Australians within nursing and midwifery education. Yet, whilst the transition from Hospital to Tertiary Sector Nursing and Midwifery Education has occurred, there has been little response to her call for action. Whilst some Schools of Nursing and Midwifery have at best undertaken the objective with varying success, imminent changes to mandated curriculum content will require a paradigm shift. Purpose: The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Councils (ANMAC) moved to mandate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History, Health and Culture as a discrete unit of study taught from an Indigenous perspective in Nursing and Midwifery Core Curriculum. This will force a paradigm shift within curriculum and Schools of Nursing and Midwifery in Australia. Little is known about how prepared Schools of Nursing and Midwifery are to effectively implement the mandated requirements. Methods: This research utilised a mixed methods case study of a regional School of Nursing and Midwifery. Data were collected utilising an on-line survey tool. The tool was sent repeatedly over a six-month period to capture new staff entering the School. The survey tool was designed to investigate the preparedness of nursing and midwifery academics to design, develop, and deliver newly mandated Indigenous Australian Health Curriculum including cultural safety teachings. Results: There were twenty-six participants recruited to the study. All of the participants were involved in contributing to learning experienced for undergraduate or postgraduate nursing and midwifery programs within the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Eight themes were dentified as impact factors on teaching mandated Indigenous health curriculum. Conclusion: This presentation outlines the findings of this research and discusses how potentially Schools of Nursing and Midwifery navigate this new and burgeoning development of a best practice framework.