Catholic Diocese of Broome

The opening of a new door: learning alongside nursing students.

By: Sr Jennifer Farrell sgs, Nursing Lecturer

Prior to commencing work at The University of Notre Dame, Broome Campus, in

the School of Nursing, I worked for 15 years as a Midwife in remote and city hospitals. I had never worked as a University lecturer and certainly never thought I would ever do so. However, opportunities were presented to me and my personal and professional lives changed direction. In combination with my experiences working alongside Aboriginal people in hospital settings and on primary health care programmes, I began to think more about the way education opens up new possibilities for people from all walks of life. These thoughts crystallised when I attended a student graduation on the Broome Campus in 2007 and saw Indigenous and non-Indigenous students walk across the dais graduating as nurses, teachers and Aboriginal Studies specialists. I wanted to be part of these transformative educational experiences that I could see happening on the Broome Campus.

Having relocated from a hospital life to a University life, my work now revolves around a learning environment where I am privileged to observe students grow in their understanding and acceptance of their own gifted selves. This understanding of self, along with a developing awareness of their own differences, is transforming students into individuals who are eager and prepared to embrace the uniqueness of people they meet. Classroom activities are carried out in a spirit of sharing and support where students demonstrate their ability to work with each other and in teams; important attributes for any good nurse working in a health setting. The students are extending their capacity to care for individuals, showing respect and dignity, while focusing not only on the practical elements of nursing but also on valuing cultural factors which form the uniqueness of each person who presents to the nurse.

Not only are Indigenous and non-Indigenous students exploring their individual strengths and challenges but I am also being called upon to examine my own thoughts about who I am and the role that I play in the lives of others, especially in the lives of students. I was overwhelmed recently when the students were asked to perform a task which included the whole group working together to complete a set activity. The group consisted of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students who, when presenting back to the whole class, demonstrated the way in which each group member undertook a role that clearly emphasised their skills, abilities and knowledge. The students in the group stated the Aboriginal students took on the role of sharing cultural knowledge and experience while the non-Aboriginal students assumed a learning role as they wanted to learn as much as they could from the Aboriginal students. This experience highlighted to me the way two cultural groups can come together in a spirit of reconciliation; where sharing and support are paramount in any exchange between people. The students in this class are an excellent example of how it is possible for people from different cultural backgrounds to come together, to listen to each other and embrace difference, not as a negative force, but as a means of unifying and connecting with all people in our society.