Towards (re)conciliation: (re)constructing relationships between indigenous health workers and nurses

Currently in Australia, both Aboriginal and non-aboriginal Australians are attempting to reconcile themselves with a history of colonization/invasion, which resulted in human rights violations against Australia's indigenous p eople. Australian nursing has to examine its past in relation to the treatm ent of Aboriginal Australians. Relationships between nurses and Aboriginal health workers are the most commonly occurring professional relationships b etween nurses and Aboriginal people and are of key importance to the succes sful delivery of health services to Aboriginal communities. This qualitativ e study, grounded in feminism, aimed to explore the professional relationsh ips between Aboriginal health workers and nurses and to develop insights wh ich could assist the Australian nursing profession through a process of rec onciliation with Aboriginal Australians, Feminist analysis of narrative tex t revealed several key themes as being crucial to this process. These were: learning to know and understand; towards workplace equity; and skill shari ng - learning from each other. Implications for nursing, in its journey tow ard reconciliation with Aboriginal Australians, are drawn from this study.