Thread by @CroakeyNews

Coming up in this afternoon's session at @CATSINaM #BackToTheFire online event on Gadigal land: @WestRoianne @LynoreGeia @LeeonaWest

Were roundabouts not pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals - recognition of Indigenous knowledge was just not there in nursing/midwifery disciplines, says @WestRoianne #BackToTheFire

We don't say we want more Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander nurses/midwives to replace AHWs - "My mother would give me a clip over the ear if I did!". It's about dealing with ambiguity." #BackToTheFire @WestRoianne highlights this important paper pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24997119/

First Peoples-led cultural capability measurement tool: A pilot study with midwifery students - @WestRoianne says need to look at cultural characteristics of partic professions. Now have longitudinal data - "midwifery is off the scale, nursing flatlined" pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28188040/

Need to increase number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwives as well as increase the cultural safety of non-Indigenous nurses and midwives: @WestRoianne #BackToTheFire

Evaluation of this report to be published later this year, says @WestRoianne - focus on systems improvements, given parity still a distant goal #BackToTheFire

#BackToTheFire

#BackToTheFire

Aunty Dulcie Flower Q: What mechanism would you suggest to maintain continuity of policies at work?

@WestRoianne says that's the focus for Getting Em and Keeping Em evaluation - the systems issues. Also that's what formal partnerships are about in #CloseTheGap - #BackToTheFire

You can watch the full presentation by @WestRoianne here at #BackToTheFire

Now to hear at #BackToTheFire from @LynoreGeia who led this unified call to action from Australian nursing and midwifery leaders: ensuring that #BlackLivesMatter

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

#BackToTheFire @LynoreGeia

A minute's silence offered by @LynoreGeia for "the heart of a black nation that is crying out for justice". She talks about the "movement of black voices that are arising and of white voices that are standing with black voices" #BackToTheFire

"We celebrate a long history of caring as nurses and midwives....at this time I believe we are strong enough to address the deeper issues." #BackToTheFire
@LynoreGeia

. @LynoreGeia on how #BlackLivesMatter meant the need to address the issues within nursing and midwifery. She talks about her mother and other women in her Palm Island community being 'inspected' by matron - oppressive practices from a nurse. #BackToTheFire

It is the responsibility of every nurse and midwife to "recognise, confront and challenge racism", to practice safe care, to deeply reflect on the culture of the profession, the "conversations of the handover": @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

"What is our philosophy of care in nursing for Australia's First Peoples? Do we have one? Do we need one? Our practice needs to be grounded in deep commitment and love for humanity. Do we care enough for Black Lives...?" @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

Powerful presentation from @LynoreGeia on grace, knowledge, strength, humility involved in purposely dismantling the structures of racism and oppression, managing the trauma that comes to the fore...."to hold each other in that space and heal". #BackToTheFire

"What does dismantling our structures of racism look like? There are Elders and @CATSINaM at the gates, who need to be brought into every room. We need to break the culture of it and the frameworks that support it in our health institutions." @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

Truth telling is vital to improving cultural safety: "We need to heal our profession. Cultural safety is not a threat, it is a living model for healing on both sides, brings us to a place where we look at our own hearts." @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

"Cultural safety is anti racism and healing work....Stories of strength, survival and sovereignty is paramount to our healing as a profession" @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

Principle 1. Indigenous health is everybody’s business (Virdun et al., 2013). #BackToTheFire

Principle 2 - ‘Black Lives Matter’ Indigenous nurses/ midwives should be actively/authentically included in the dismantling & reform of structures in health care & education institutions that perpetuate racism in our operational spheres of engagement and influence #BackToTheFire

Principle 3 - it is imperative to further cultivate curriculum that promotes the social and cultural determinants of Australia’s First Peoples. @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

Principle 4 - Lastly, we all celebrate ‘belonging’ to the caring culture of our discipline. We recognise that the caring paradigm enables us to share and reciprocate in collegiality, in friendships and comradeship @LynoreGeia #BackToTheFire

. @WestRoianne talking about mentoring, and other connections that are vital to the nursing/midwifery students who often feel isolated - @CATSINaM looking to strengthen them #BackToTheFire

Aunty Dulcie Flower is closing today's @CATSINaM #BackToTheFire event.

She's asked: if she could go back to the beginning of her career, what is one thing she would do?

"I would go to university and I would be the Dean. I would have my own university, actually."

Eye opening to see how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses are now, says Aunty Dulcie Flower - there were about 10 in her early days. She congratulates #BackTotheFire for its focus on rural and regional areas/patients/staff.

"We've made such gains," says Aunty Dulcie Flower: welcomes AHPRA regulations, founding of Muliyan, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses/midwives with PhDs. #BackToTheFire

Men's health and need for male nurses could go onto the @CATSINaM agenda: "you've got to have healthy fathers too". Aunty Dulcie Flower #BackToTheFire

The only way we're going to get Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through nursing/midwifery is with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership within the schools.....watch this space, says @WestRoianne #BackToTheFire

And as we finish up today, you can watch this fabulous video from the first #BackToTheFire event back in April on Yirrganydji and Yidinji Country in Cairns - we're back here tomorrow from WA and Wednesday from ACT