What am I being asked to do?
Your reflection is a response to the question:
How can I provide culturally safe health care to people who belong to my chosen diverse group?
In this task you will write a reflection about your anticipated health care practice.
What am I being asked to do?
Write a reflective essay of 1,200 words WORD LIMIT:
You will be penalised if you go over the word limit by 10% or under the word limit by 10%.
A ‘word’ is any word longer than one letter. Quotations, journal extracts, citations of sources and the reference list are not part of the word count.
IMPORTANT: How to choose your group
ì Choose a group that interests you from the diversity of races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexualities and abilities in the Australian population.
ì Your group must be selected from within these categories.
IMPORTANT: How to choose your group
ì In other words, your group must be a diverse racial group, a diverse ethnic group, a diverse gender group, a diverse sexuality group, or a diverse ability group.
ì We are focussing on Indigenous Australians in CNA156. Please do not write about Indigenous Australians in this essay. Essays written about this group will not be marked.
IMPORTANT: How to choose your group
ì Choose a group that is characterised by one kind of diversity
ì Do not write about groups that have multiple diversities
ì It is OK to have a personal connection to the group
ì Choose a group that you can work with in relation to the four required components of the essay
The four required components:
1. Identify some of the barriers to health care access and good care experienced by your chosen group.
2. Reflect on your attitudes, values and beliefs about your chosen group, and assess the impact (both positive and negative) of your attitudes on your anticipated health care practice with your chosen group.
The four required components:
3. Describe some culturally safe health care practices you might undertake with individual patients who belong to your chosen group.
4. Outline how you could be a health service provider advocate for your chosen group and contribute towards improved health outcomes for your chosen group at a population level.
How to approach component #1
1. Identify some of the barriers to health care access and good care experienced by your chosen group.
ì Here you are required to find scholarly information in support of your claims about the barriers to health care access and good care experienced by your group
ì An example of a barrier to good health care experienced by an LGBTIQ patient would be a health provider who has heteronormative assumptions.
How to approach component #1
??Quantitative data is good: ABS, AIHW ??Qualitative data is good: scholarly articles investigating access to care and experiences of health care.
How to approach component #2
2. Reflect on your attitudes, values and beliefs about your chosen group, and assess the impact (both positive and negative) of your attitudes on your anticipated health care practice with your chosen group
Why is this necessary?
How to approach component #2
All of us enter our workplaces, and health professionals enter their workplaces, with well-defined beliefs, values and attitudes about a whole range of issues.
Accepted attitudes, values and beliefs vary between health professionals, and between health professionals and their patients
How to approach component #2
Many writers and scholars recognise that before health professionals can move towards practicing cultural safety, they need to understand their own beliefs, values and attitudes.
And importantly, to see that there are differences between people, and to understand that they may not necessarily know or understand the patients in their care
Beliefs, values and attitudes
The Concise Oxford Dictionary (Pearsall, 1999) defines beliefs, values and attitudes in this way:
beliefs: an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially without proof; firmly held opinions or convictions values: principles or standards of behaviour attitudes: a settled way of thinking or feeling
Beliefs, values and attitudes
ì Values, beliefs and attitudes are formed in early childhood and are influenced by many different mechanisms such as family, class, ethnicity, religion and schooling
ì Rubric: Describes own attitudes, values, and beliefs, and future health care practice with insight.
ì Insight: the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of someone or something.
ì Honesty is the best policy!
How to approach component #3
3. Describe some culturally safe health care practices you might undertake with individual patients who belong to your chosen group.
ì Make sure you define cultural safety ??Outline some actual practices
ì Write from ‘I’: think about it might mean for you to undertake those practices ??Support with scholarly references
How to approach component #4
4. Outline how you could be a health service provider advocate for your chosen group and contribute towards improved health outcomes for your chosen group at a population level.
Consider how you, personally, as a health service provider, might be able to advocate for your chosen group.
Scholarly support – how has your suggested advocacy worked elsewhere?
How to approach component #4
Advocacy at at a population level includes activities such as:
ì contributing to policy and program changes in your organisation and at other societal levels
ì contributing to community development initiatives
ì participating in campaigns against discrimination etc
ì undertaking research that will benefit the health outcomes for your chosen group There are many more examples!

ì Introduction: briefly tell the reader what you are doing in your essay, and the key points that you are going to make in your essay
ì Respond to the 4 components – roughly 25% of the word count on each component
ì Conclusion: briefly summarise the key points you made in your essay to answer the essay question.

ì Reflection is an essential process in practice as a health service provider
ì Not using a particular framework here – ie
Driscoll’s
ì The use of ‘I’ is expected in this assessment task (‘I think, I do not agree, I agree’, etc) in all four components, and introduction and conclusion

ì To write about your own attitudes, values, and beliefs, and future health care practice with insight, you need to reflect about your own identity and your own life
ì To reflect: to give serious thought: to consider, contemplate, and deliberate

ì Rubric: Analyse what it means for you to provide culturally safe health care to people who belong to your chosen group
ì Analyse: take a detailed examination of the different parts or aspects of what it means to provide culturally safe care, and ask questions about them. Identity the strengths and weaknesses of the different aspects, as well as your overall approach.
ì Relevant concepts are your ‘tools’ for critical thinking
ì Concepts are the ideas you can draw on to help you undertake your analysis
ì Example: the concept of ‘heteronormativity’ can help to explain how you might be challenged when providing culturally safe care to LGBTIQ patients

ì You are expected to undertake research beyond the unit materials, and use a range of books and journal articles.
ì You are required to support your reflective essay with a minimum of 6 scholarly references.
ì Try to find references from within the last ten years

ì Scholarly reference = academic
articles, academic books and major government reports
ì Websites, videos, media reports
and non-academic writing are not scholarly references
ì CNA157 lecture slides are not scholarly references

The appropriate referencing style for this unit is Harvard Style.
Go to: Assessment Resources/Help with Assessment Tasks
Two key resources are listed:
ì UTAS Library Guide to Harvard Referencing ??Harvard Referencing Guide for Nursing Students
Practice using these guides until you have a thorough understanding of how to reference correctly
Finding information and sources
ì CNA157 Library Reading List ??Key journals listed at the end of the unit outline
ì Revisit the concepts that will help your analysis, your critical thinking

ì Develop keywords for your search
ì Library catalogue: books and journal articles
ì Search databases to find relevant journal articles
ì Relevant databases include: SAGE Journals, Wiley Online, SpringerLink, Proquest.
How to get help with using the library
Ask librarian a question; online videos on how to search databases etc.
ì http://www.utas.edu.au/library/help
Workshops on specific topics at all campuses ??http://www.utas.edu.au/library/help/r esearch-workshops
How to get help with essay writing
UTAS Learning Support works with all in-degree students to develop academic skills, literacy and English language skills.
Drop in, or book a consultation at all campuses.
??http://www.utas.edu.au/studentlearning
How to get help with essay writing
UTAS Learning Support deliver workshops on English language and academic skills at all campuses:
ì http://www.utas.edu.au/studentlearning/workshops
Online opportunities to develop your academic, literacy, and English language skills: online discussion forum; individual consultations; talk to a learning skills adviser:
ì http://www.utas.edu.au/studentlearning/online
I’ve got a question, what do I do?
FIRST!
Visit the ‘Reflective Essay’ discussion board,
listed under the ‘Assessment Discussion’ on
MyLO
Check to see if your query has already been responded to
Post a thread with your query
If you post a question that has already been responded to, it will be deleted
Getting help from your Campus Coordinator
If you would like to meet with your Campus Coordinator to discuss your essay, send an email to request a time: ??Hobart: robyn.moore@utas.edu.au ??Rozelle/Darlinghurst:
mark.bahnisch@utas.edu.au
??Launceston: kim.mcleod@utas.edu.au
At least 24 hours before the scheduled time, you will need to email your unit coordinator an essay plan
Getting help from your Campus Coordinator
At the meeting you can discuss your essay plan with your Campus Coordinator.
We can provide some directions for you to further develop your essay plan.
Please note we will not be providing feedback on essay drafts
Meetings can be booked up to 3 days prior the deadline.

ì Addresses each component of the task (35%)
ì Demonstrates skills in critical thinking and reflection (35%)
ì Evidence of in-depth engagement with appropriate academic literature and other resources, using a minimum of 6 scholarly references (15%)
ì Adheres to presentation conventions (legibility, spelling, punctuation, grammar and referencing)
(15%)
Refer marking rubric – listed on reflective essay webpage, under ‘assessment resources’ on MyLO
Presentation of your reflective essay
ì Go to Assessment Resouces/Help with Assessment Tasks on MyLO.
ì Refer to ‘Presentation of Assignments’ document
ì Please consult before asking questions about presentation issues ?

Upload to the Reflective Essay assignment folder in MyLO
Instructions on this process: see Assessment Resources/Help with Assessment Tasks. There is a link to information about how to submit an assignment in MyLO
You are not required to use a coversheet. However, it is advisable to place your name and a page number on each page of your work.

Friday 25th August by 3pm

You need to submit a request for extension at least 3 working days prior to the assignment due date to your campus coordinator.
Email your extension request, which needs to clearly explain the reasons for needing an extension, along with supporting documentation (such as medical certificates) to your campus coordinator

Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the campus coordinators
Requests for extensions after 3pm Tuesday 22nd August will only be accepted in extraordinary circumstances.
Please note: a request for an extension does not guarantee that the extension will be granted.
Penalties for late submission
Penalties for late submission of assignments:
ì Assignments submitted without an approved extension after the due date will have a penalty of 10% of the total marks available applied per working day past the due date
ì Assignments submitted without an approved extension after seven working days from the due date will not be marked and the student will receive a mark of zero for the assignment.
Good luck!