A gain in cultural competence through an international acupuncture elective.

OBJECTIVE This study describes an international acupuncture elective and its impact on medical students' development of cultural competence. METHODS Collaborating with Chinese colleagues, we created a 4-week elective that teaches medical students about acupuncture in its native cultural environment. Three focus groups were conducted to elicit students' experiences. RESULTS Students' reflections indicated that studying an alternative medical system in its own cultural setting helped them become open to other medical beliefs and realize the importance of culture in health care delivery. Further, being linguistically isolated allowed students to personally experience what it is like for those patients with limited language proficiency. CONCLUSION Studying an alternative medical system while immersed in another culture maybe an effective way to enhance cultural competence.