SURG 518: Surgical Care in Canada’s Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities with Global Comparisons

In this course, students will critique the current and historical provision of surgical care services to Indigenous communities in Canada and globally.

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: SURG 510.

 

 

 

They will draw on Indigenous voices to examine challenges and opportunities confronting both the clinician and the service delivery system, embracing lessons learned from these communities. The course will promote critical thinking on, and ultimately will improve the provision of surgical care services to Indigenous communities in Canada and abroad.

Upon completion of this course, the learner will:

  • have an in-depth understanding of why surgical care delivery to underserved communities in high income countries integrates with the larger discipline of global surgical care
  • comprehend and be able to critique some of the historical reasons influencing the health status indicators, particularly those relating to surgical care, in Indigenous communities of Canada
  • be able to discuss how Canada’s surgical care delivery to its Indigenous communities compares with that in other high and middle income countries, in light of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  • have an understanding, gained from listening to the voices of Indigenous individuals with surgical care needs living in remote communities, of their unique social circumstances that influence health care
  • be able to articulate and defend strategies to address the disparities in surgical care between remote Indigenous communities and mainstream urban communities in the Canadian setting
  • through reflection and debate, be able to compare surgical care delivery to underserved communities in high income countries with that in low income countries and be able to determine the applicability of lessons learned from one income setting to the other

What our students have to say:

“Thank you for the great content presented during the course.”

 

“I think all the instructors provided a unique perspective in this course and each person’s passion for the topic was obvious. Thank you!”

 

“Extremely important information.”

 

“It has stimulated thinking in a different perspective taking into consideration the inherent and indirect causes that are strongly causing poor access to surgical care in Canada and other HICs.”

 

“Very interesting online discussion, especially by the students and guest instructor. Really appreciated the extra experience that was shared, in addition to other suggested resources and materials.”