An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Introduction The United States has a trust responsibility to provide health care to members of the 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes and Villages through the Indian Health Service, an agency tasked with promoting AI/AN health and cultural connectedness. Despit...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Association of American Medical Colleges
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | MedEdPORTAL |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11506 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849772823195680768 |
|---|---|
| author | Alec J. Calac Hailey A. Baker Daniel J. Calac |
| author_facet | Alec J. Calac Hailey A. Baker Daniel J. Calac |
| author_sort | Alec J. Calac |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction The United States has a trust responsibility to provide health care to members of the 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes and Villages through the Indian Health Service, an agency tasked with promoting AI/AN health and cultural connectedness. Despite the presence of a comprehensive health care system in 37 states, physicians and allied health professionals receive minimal health professional education regarding the sociocultural factors affecting AI/AN health. This module addresses the underrepresentation of AI/AN health professional curricula and promotes a greater understanding of AI/AN health determinants and cultural constructions of health for individuals with limited exposure to these topics. Methods We developed a 60-minute interactive session aimed at increasing trainees’ understanding of AI/AN traditional healing practices across the medical education continuum. The session consisted of a PowerPoint presentation, one video, and multiple small-group discussion exercises. The session was evaluated with pre- and postsurveys and implemented four times at medical school seminars. Results There were 37 respondents in total. Analysis of pre/post survey responses to confidence in meeting each learning objective showed a significant increase in confidence for each of the three learning objectives (p < .01). Respondents were very interested in how traditional healing improved health intervention outcomes and showed interest in connecting AI/AN patients to these services. Discussion This module's positive reception indicates that it can serve as an important educational tool for learners involved in AI/AN-focused clinical care. Learners were able to explain how traditional healing practices are important in promoting AI/AN health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-515b192184d64af2b2ec5b866c533c29 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2374-8265 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Association of American Medical Colleges |
| record_format | Article |
| series | MedEdPORTAL |
| spelling | doaj-art-515b192184d64af2b2ec5b866c533c292025-08-20T03:02:14ZengAssociation of American Medical CollegesMedEdPORTAL2374-82652025-03-012110.15766/mep_2374-8265.11506An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native CommunitiesAlec J. Calac0Hailey A. Baker1Daniel J. Calac2Third-Year Medical Student, University of California, San Diego, School of MedicineFourth-Year Medical Student, University of Minnesota Medical SchoolChief Medical Officer, Southern California American Indian Health CenterIntroduction The United States has a trust responsibility to provide health care to members of the 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes and Villages through the Indian Health Service, an agency tasked with promoting AI/AN health and cultural connectedness. Despite the presence of a comprehensive health care system in 37 states, physicians and allied health professionals receive minimal health professional education regarding the sociocultural factors affecting AI/AN health. This module addresses the underrepresentation of AI/AN health professional curricula and promotes a greater understanding of AI/AN health determinants and cultural constructions of health for individuals with limited exposure to these topics. Methods We developed a 60-minute interactive session aimed at increasing trainees’ understanding of AI/AN traditional healing practices across the medical education continuum. The session consisted of a PowerPoint presentation, one video, and multiple small-group discussion exercises. The session was evaluated with pre- and postsurveys and implemented four times at medical school seminars. Results There were 37 respondents in total. Analysis of pre/post survey responses to confidence in meeting each learning objective showed a significant increase in confidence for each of the three learning objectives (p < .01). Respondents were very interested in how traditional healing improved health intervention outcomes and showed interest in connecting AI/AN patients to these services. Discussion This module's positive reception indicates that it can serve as an important educational tool for learners involved in AI/AN-focused clinical care. Learners were able to explain how traditional healing practices are important in promoting AI/AN health.http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11506American Indian or Alaska NativeCultural HumilityIndian Health ServiceIndigenousNative AmericanTraditional Healing |
| spellingShingle | Alec J. Calac Hailey A. Baker Daniel J. Calac An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities MedEdPORTAL American Indian or Alaska Native Cultural Humility Indian Health Service Indigenous Native American Traditional Healing |
| title | An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities |
| title_full | An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities |
| title_fullStr | An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities |
| title_short | An Introduction to Traditional Healing in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities |
| title_sort | introduction to traditional healing in american indian and alaska native communities |
| topic | American Indian or Alaska Native Cultural Humility Indian Health Service Indigenous Native American Traditional Healing |
| url | http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11506 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alecjcalac anintroductiontotraditionalhealinginamericanindianandalaskanativecommunities AT haileyabaker anintroductiontotraditionalhealinginamericanindianandalaskanativecommunities AT danieljcalac anintroductiontotraditionalhealinginamericanindianandalaskanativecommunities AT alecjcalac introductiontotraditionalhealinginamericanindianandalaskanativecommunities AT haileyabaker introductiontotraditionalhealinginamericanindianandalaskanativecommunities AT danieljcalac introductiontotraditionalhealinginamericanindianandalaskanativecommunities |