Student perspectives on preparation to be just and socially responsible providers: a Northwestern Ontario qualitative case study

Abstract

There is increasing recognition of the need to create just and socially responsible healthcare providers (HCP). Such recognition is evidenced by health professions training programs’ accreditation standards and expected competencies, as well as calls to action from the World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO, 2021, p. 25; WHO, 2022, p. 21), United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and, specifically in Canada, the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (including: 23iii, and 24 which deal with health professions education, and 44 relating to the actualizing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples). Such calls to action are the result of health gaps between populations and instances of racism reported throughout the healthcare system. For example, in recent years discrimination and racism within the healthcare system has resulted in very evident consequences such as the premature death of Joyce Echaquan in 2020 (Nerestant, 2021). This study looked at the effectiveness of post-secondary curriculum and initiatives in preparing health professions students to work in a safe and equitable manner with diverse populations in response to these calls to action. [...]