CAGS is working to empower General Surgeons to improve patients’ lives through advocacy, education and research and is committed to establishing informed Indigenous partnerships.

CAGS has developed the Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety Working Group, a sub-group of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee. This Working Group will provide informed guidance on Indigenous health, cultural safety, and reconciliation within the practice of general surgery. Its aim is to support culturally responsive surgical care, deepen understanding, and foster collaboration between CAGS and Indigenous communities.

The Working Group welcomes interested members to join and contribute to this important work. We also invite Indigenous elders or others with knowledge on issues of Indigenous health and cultural safety to consider sharing their insights. If you would like to get involved, email cags@cags-accg.ca.

Learning Opportunities to Support Reconciliation and Inclusion

As surgeons and healthcare professionals, it is also an opportunity to consider our role as caregivers and how we can better understand the experiences of Indigenous patients and communities.

Learning about Indigenous health, history, culture and the impacts of colonialism can help us look at our practice through a new lens. It can encourage meaningful self-reflection, deepen our understanding of the experiences of Indigenous patients and communities, and help us recognize how we can contribute to safer, more respectful and culturally responsive care.

We encourage members to take some time to learn and reflect. A number of educational resources are available specifically for healthcare professionals, including:

  • San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training (fee)
    Online Core and Advanced courses focused on Indigenous cultural safety and addressing anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare.
  • Walking Together: Understanding Indigenous Health (no cost)
    A Royal College resource exploring how colonization continues to influence health systems and the healthcare experiences of Indigenous patients.
  • Indigenous Relationship and Cultural Awareness Courses (no cost)
    Cancer Care Ontario offers 13 free, self-paced courses covering Indigenous history, culture, determinants of health, cultural competence and culturally appropriate care. The program is certified for up to 19.5 Mainpro+ credits.
  • Foundations of Healthcare Excellence: Cultural Safety (no cost)
    Healthcare Excellence Canada offers a practical introduction to cultural safety, with a focus on self-reflection, racism and creating safer care experiences. Explore the module
  • Anti-Indigenous Racism Resources for Health Professionals (varies)
     Indigenous Services Canada has compiled educational resources, tools and publications to help healthcare professionals recognize and address anti-Indigenous racism.
  • Hearing our Voices: Indigenous Cultural Safety Training (fee)
    NOSM program aims to improve health care practitioners’ ability to care for Indigenous people in Canada by increasing cultural awareness and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples’ social determinants of health and incorporating culturally appropriate care into practice. This program incorporates videos, readings, self-reflection exercises, and interactive activities to guide learning. Eligible for 15 MOC Section 3 credits.
  • Stand up: Understanding and Combatting Microaggressions (fee)
    NOSM’s 3-hour e-learning program, learn about microaggressions, their impact and relation to healthcare disparities, and strategies for responding to them to promote safe learning and work environments. Eligible for 3 MOC Section 1 credits.

 

Additional tools and resources: