Dr. Ruvini Amarasekera, graduating resident physician at the UBC St. Paul’s Family Medicine program
Honouring Indigenous ways of knowing has only recently been acknowledged as an important part of cultural sensitivity in primary care. However, as residents preparing to practice medicine on unceded Indigenous land in British Columbia, honouring and respecting Indigenous ways of knowing is critical in our future practice. This scholarly work involves a reflective essay on my experience as a research participant in “Travelling the River Towards a Skookum Surrey: A Canoe Journey”, an experiential learning experience about the principles of Indigenous ways of knowing.
Subsequent reflection highlighted three big themes:
- First, many elements of lifestyle medicine are incorporated into the principles of Indigenous ways of knowing, including spending time in nature, prioritizing social connectedness, and practicing physical activity. Consequently, my future practice can provide culturally relevant activities when discussing lifestyle management with my patients.
- Second, experiential learning and storytelling are methods of learning that can feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable in a Eurocentric society, but may be effective tools to incorporate into primary care to benefit patients who may resonate with these methods.
- Third, healthcare professionals benefit from learning about the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada to improve their cultural sensitivity in the primary care setting.
Participating in the Canoe Journey project followed by this reflection has allowed me to contribute to cultural change within the medical profession.
Dr. Amarasekera presented on this topic at the department’s Research Rounds alongside Dr. Nisha Malhotra from the Birthplace Lab. A recording of Dr. Malhotra’s presentation is available here.