Indigenous Surgical mentorship

Supporting surgeons wishing to mentor Indigenous surgical Trainees

Mentoring has been identified as an important learning and development strategy for surgeons. Research has shown that having a mentor supports the achievement of personal and professional goals and improves motivation, engagement and work performance. RACS advocates for mentoring at all stages of a surgeon's education and throughout their career. Outside of formal programs, most mentor relationships develop organically; we seek guidance from those we share values with. Considering the importance of culture and country, it ‘makes sense’ that Indigenous junior doctors will seek out Indigenous senior doctors as mentors. Such a fit can not be assumed and it is important to realise that Indigenous junior doctors will require and need to seek a diversity of mentors. The paucity of First Nation Australian surgeons also mandates the need for our non-Indigenous Fellows to have a genuine engagement to help recruit and mentor Indigenous Trainees. We are fortunate that many willing and able non-Indigenous Fellows want to help us achieve parity in the surgical workforce. First Nation Australians are faced with unique challenges which most Australians never encounter. Mentors need to be mindful of these challenges and develop the necessary skills to support our juniors. We need the tools to be strong advocates when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander juniors are faced with racism, and when advocating for targeted Indigenous surgical recruitment. We collaborated with the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC) to develop a two-day workshop for Indigenous Surgical Mentorship training. The aim is to deliver to non-Indigenous Fellows skills in mentorship designed to foster the careers of aspiring First Nation Australian surgeons. This builds on the 10th competency e-learning courses, with the aim to take us from being ‘educated’, towards gaining a greater awareness of the barriers faced and a better understanding of what the First Australians bring to the surgical workforce.

Mentoring models and leadership concepts are explored with emphasis on cultural diversity and the complexities of mentoring in a cross-cultural context. Scenario driven small group discussions and self-reflective exercises draw out cultural responsiveness, elicit ethical and professional considerations, and challenge stereotypes and world views. A successful pilot workshop on mentorship was held in October in Darwin. Anticipating COVID-19 interstate travel limitations—recognising that we and our juniors work as part of the ‘whole of hospital’ team and harnessing the breadth of experience in Indigenous health of local clinicians—we adapted to our circumstances.

Participants included local representatives from surgery, medical administration, intensive care as well as general and emergency medicine. We trialled a hybrid Zoom delivery, which allowed RACS staff members and JDocs in Melbourne and Aotearoa New Zealand to participate. This workshop is the next step to harnessing the good intent of our Fellows and enables us to work together in elevating the voices of our Indigenous colleagues. Participants who attended the pilot workshop said: “… this workshop allows for an open and frank discussion in a safe space. It is insightful and very useful as we move towards supporting an increased Indigenous specialist workforce…” “… was as interactive as it was informative; Timmy Duggan (AILC) was a master at guiding the group through communication activities and the importance of mentorship…” "....this workshop gives a much needed perspective on the experience and cultural capital of Indigenous Trainees. In doing so, it helps the mainly non-Indigenous senior doctors to see the difficulties they may face, and cause, in trying to be an effective mentor. It does this in a nonconfrontational way, allowing personal realisation to drive the learning..." We look forward to offering the Indigenous Surgical Mentorship Workshop to RACS Fellows throughout 2022. Keep an eye on the RACS website and social media for upcoming dates. For more information contact us at IndigenousHealth@surgeons.org This program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health through the Specialist Training Program (STP).