A Reflection as a Health care Professional -A Summary

This final blog reflects my experience as a non-practicing massage specialist post-covid-19 knowledge gained as a healthcare leader. In my first Master of Health Studies course MHST 601, I learned about key components in the units of critical foundations in health disciplines. The concepts include improving my professional practice regarding digital social media, blogs, resume and curating health information in a eportfolio. Resources posted on my resource page are included on the new website that I curated through Wix.com. I blogged about what health is, the definition of health, and how the Canada Health Act might be modernized, access to health care, and compared healthcare practices in provinces with my partner Letitia McDougall, who lives in Ontario. I synthesized information, data, and research to understand how Covid-19 impacted lives through a socio-economic lens, the determinants, and influences of people's health, and Covid-19 created more health issues for people with chronic diseases. During this course, I looked at the prevention and management of health care determinants with vulnerable populations and how my role interacts and compares with classmates’ professions in other provinces. Finally, I look toward the future directions as a health professional leader in healthcare post-covid-19.

Professionalism and Social Media

As a healthcare professional, I use social media to have appropriate professional networks and a positive identity and communicate respectfully and ethically in all my discussions. This reflects professional healthcare ethical standards that regard autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. As an employee at Canada Post as a casual letter carrier and belonging to the Canadian Union Postal worker (CUPW), I am visible to the public and expected to adhere to Canada Post's professional standards. Since the beginning of this course, I have edited my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles to reflect my current education and profession.

Curation of Resources

During my academic studies and learning about information curation, I searched for credible online resources through clinical research. In addition, I would investigate who is writing the content, their credentials and profession, affiliation, experience, and knowledge of the topic. Finally, I stored my curated resources in one drive-personal file on my laptop. Throughout this course, I used computer tools such as Word, Outlook, Grammarly, Microsoft, Excel, and PowerPoint to curate information.

Universal Health and Determinants

The universal health care system is financially managed individually for each province of Canada, and anyone who needs urgent medical care can access services such as doctors or emergency care. However, our system is not universal because it excludes medical treatments and other expenses. In addition, there has yet to be an update of the current health definition, and the 1948 definition by the World Health Organization (WHO) describes “health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (Langmaid, 2021).

Even though Canadian taxpayers pay into the health care system to have the benefits of free health care, they are set back if they must pay out of -pocket for private services; these include massage therapy, physiotherapy, mental health services, psychologists, counselors, chiropractors, dental, pharmaceutical, home care and special equipment. Therefore, the definition of health needs to be changed and is being promoted by advocates in health policy and ongoing health research. Universal health care is all-inclusive, and not having to pay for health care services is not dependent on household income, social status, or where a person resides for receiving public health care through health care insurance (Bryant, 2016). In Canada, the main determinants of health can be viewed from evolutionary aspects such as health care, individual lifestyles, and behaviors, politically from the economy or socially.

As a healthcare professional, I must be adequately trained to understand diversity and ethical and systemic racism to promote healthcare wellness in the field. For example, in B.C., the regulatory college for massage therapists is called the College of Massage Therapists of B.C. Their website is constantly updated with current information regarding safe cultural practices.

Chronic Disease and Massage Therapy

The most common diseases I have encountered during my practice in massage therapy were hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis, cancer, ALS, and multiple sclerosis. In Canada, 1.5 million people live with cancer, the number one leading cause of death; heart disease was Canada’s second leading cause of death, and the third cause of death was Covid-19 (Statistics Canada, 2023). These chronic conditions are relevant in massage therapy because people seek relief from pain, help with anxiety or depression, feel more relaxed, help with mobility issues, and improve their lifestyle. In addition, many clients seek massage therapy for therapeutic benefits, lymphatic drainage, aromatherapy, and holistic purposes. According to the College of massage therapists in B.C., practitioners collaborate with other healthcare professionals regarding patient care and refer to specialized services for resources and support (CMTBC, 2018).

Marginalized populations, vulnerable groups, and people with disabilities

According to the statistics, the current population of B.C. is approximately 5.3 million, and we are the 3rd most extensive populous in Canada (Wikipedia, 2023). Therefore, I am informed of current statistics and understand marginalized groups, especially after Covid-19, to know the best practices as a healthcare professional. B.C. has five different districts that manage health care. Compared with my classmate Letitia McDougall in Ontario, using the social-ecological framework to the Covid-19 pandemic in long-term care in Ontario, she touched on the community level of influence for the Province of Ontario. While the Covid-19 pandemic affected all of Canada, specific populations saw a far more significant impact, such as seniors, essential workers, and those living with disabilities. The Covid-19 pandemic worsened these impacts, but the inequities across this group existed well before the global pandemic hit. This has changed my understanding of people living in poverty, LGBTQ2+, people with disabilities immigrants regarding health issues and perspectives for accessing services and being treated equally in healthcare.

Indigenous People

I am a Cree woman from Saddle Lake First Nations. I worked in a healing medical clinic owned and operated by a First Nations physician, a holistic practitioner, an acupuncturist, a social worker, and a massage therapist. We provided holistic services in two clinics, worked with low-income and homeless and volunteered in the community with Indigenous people on and off reserves. Through my academic journey, I learned about the history of Indigenous people, the Truth and Reconciliation Act, Residential school systems, colonization, and Indigenous people's ongoing health care issues. In addition, cultural awareness is still a key component when working with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people. This reduces the discrimination, stigma, and racism that still exists in Canada regarding the mistreatment of Indigenous people for the prevention and healing of these groups. Now more than ever, healthcare professionals are being trained to reduce the stigma and racism toward Indigenous people. B.C. is recognized for its high standard of health care. As a non-practicing massage specialist now living in B.C., the college respects Indigenous people and provides cultural information on its website and promotes awareness for practicing massage therapists and about being culturally sensitive regarding Indigenous people in B.C. and honoring their healing space (CMTBC, 2018).

Future Directions

Massage therapy is an integrative health solution for people who seek relief from pain, relaxation to destress, and holistic purposes for well-being. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, massage therapy was not deemed an essential service, and the research on the effects of Covid-19 is still being reviewed. Current evidence shows that health determinants peeked throughout the pandemic. Nevertheless, action needs to be taken for regulation in all professions of this necessary health care service, which improves people's mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. From a socioeconomic view, the multilevel model of health and the effects of Covid-19 impacted the healthcare system. Healthcare professionals are academically taught the importance of being culturally aware of the history of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people for integrated connections and healing in communities.

As a First Nation healthcare professional, learning more in-depth about the Canada Health Act, the determinants of health, the history of colonization, and vulnerable populations post-covid-19, was crucial to increase my awareness and skills as a healthcare leader. In addition, the knowledge gained from evidence-based research about Covid-19 and its effects. The classroom forum discussions also helped me prepare for future research, understand how necessary curating information is, and provided me with learned concepts in the critical foundation in health disciplines course.

Resources

CMTBC (2018, November 30). Guidelines for Foundational Knowledge in Massage Therapy Educational Programs. College of Massage Therapists in British Columbia. https://cmtbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-11-30-GFK-2018-clean.pdf

Langmaid, J. (2021, May 19).What is the definition of Health? [Video] YouTube. https://youtu.be/deBntVAMgFI

Statistic Canada (2023, Mar 06). Leading causes of Death, total population by age group. Government of Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310039401

Wikipedia. (2023). British Columbia. Retrieved March 19, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia