Why Cultural Safety in Rural Healthcare Starts with Listening

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By Bonnie Euler| Published 25 March 2026

Cultural safety in rural healthcare isn’t a checklist, it’s a conversation. And for Dr Sarah Jane Springer, it’s one that starts and ends with community.

Sitting down on the It Takes Heart podcast, Dr Springer shares a journey shaped by connection to Country, to people and to purpose. As an award-winning rural generalist and proud First Nations doctor, her story is a powerful reminder that healthcare is at its best when it’s built with, not just for, the communities it serves.

A foundation shaped by community

Growing up in Mudgee, her early experiences of rural healthcare weren’t just clinical, they were deeply personal. From caring for family at a young age to navigating the healthcare system herself, those moments laid the foundation for a career driven by equity, compassion and curiosity.

“Cultural safety, by definition, can only be defined by the people… receiving the care.”

Rethinking what care really means

It’s a simple idea, but one that challenges the way systems have traditionally been designed. Too often, cultural safety is spoken about at a high level, written into policies, embedded in frameworks, but not always lived in practice.

Sarah Jane invites us to think differently.

True cultural safety in rural healthcare means asking the right questions and being ready to hear the answers. It means creating space for patients and communities to share their experiences and ensuring their voices shape the care they receive. Without that, even the most well-intentioned systems can miss the mark.

A pathway built on determination

Her journey into medicine wasn’t straightforward either. In fact, she didn’t initially see it as a possibility.

“If you tell me that I can’t do something, I will show you that I will do it.”

That determination carried her from a small country town into a career spanning rural, remote and regional Australia. Along the way, she’s seen firsthand the gaps that exist and the incredible impact that thoughtful, community-led care can have.

Challenging the system to do better

What stands out most is her commitment to doing things differently. Not just working within the system, but gently challenging it. Asking how it can be better. Who it’s missing. And what it would look like if communities were truly at the centre.

“Our systems continually are created not for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

It’s an honest reflection and an important one. Because meaningful change starts with recognising where we are and where we need to go.

Building a more connected future of cultural safety

For cmr, this conversation feels close to home. Every placement, every connection, every conversation is an opportunity to support a healthcare workforce that feels valued, understood and empowered to make a difference.

Because when healthcare professionals are supported to show up with care, curiosity and respect, better outcomes follow, for everyone.

And perhaps that’s what cultural safety in rural healthcare really comes down to: listening deeply, acting thoughtfully and building systems that reflect the people they serve.

Watch Season 3, Episode 37 of It Takes Heart with Dr Sarah Jane Springer

More about Sarah Jane’s organisation of choice, Australian Indigenous Doctors Association

The AIDA is a not-for-profit, member-based, professional association supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students and doctors. Their purpose is to contribute to equitable health and life outcomes and the cultural wellbeing of Indigenous people.

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