A qualitative evaluation of rural and provincial surgery wānanga to enhance cultural safety among surgical registrars in Taranaki, New Zealand

Background

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) recently instituted cultural safety and cultural competency as its 10th competency with formalized cultural safety training yet to be instituted. Wānanga are Indigenous Māori teaching institutions that can be used contemporarily for cultural safety training.

Methods

In 2022, surgical registrars based at Taranaki Base Hospital (TBH) held in-hospital wānanga ranging from 1 to 3 h focussed on cultural safety, professionalism and wellbeing. This study explores the perspectives of these registrars who attended wānanga using a Kaupapa Māori aligned methodological stance and interpretive phenomenological analysis.

Results

Twenty-six wānanga were held from March 22nd 2022 to January 30th 2023. Six registrars provided their perspectives with four major themes emerging from their stories including: cultural safety; unity; time, place and person; and a new era. Registrars valued the wānanga which was scheduled for Friday afternoons after daily clinical duties. Wānanga facilitated unity and understanding with registrars being able to reflect on the context within which they are practicing – describing it as a new era of surgical training. ‘Time’ was the biggest barrier to attend wānanga however, the number of wānanga held was testament to the commitment of the registrars.

Conclusions

Regular wānanga set up by, and for, surgical registrars cultural safety development is feasible and well subscribed in a rural or provincial NZ setting. We present one coalface method of regular cultural safety training and development for surgical registrars and trainees in NZ.