Teaching for Cultural Competence in Non-diverse Environments

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present teaching strategies to enhance students’ cultural competence in non educational settings. Methods: Utilizing Purnell’s cultural competence model and Lattanzi’s cultural ladder the authors describe teaching strategies used to promote students’ understanding of the complex nature of culture and how the multiple layers of culture influence the healthcare professional-client relationship. presented. Results: Students adjusted client interventions and plans of care when confronted with various cultural characteristics of their clients. Integrating cultural issu that include cultural differences. The Purnell model demonstrates the complex nature of culture and the difficulties in understanding the various dimensions of culture. cultural sensitivity and awareness, then working toward integration of cultural concepts in clinical interactions. of these cultural models, the authors layered cultural dime awareness of culture’s influence on clinical interactions. invaluable immersion experiences for cultural competence, fac dimensions within the academic curriculum to prepare students for the multicultural client population they may encounter as healthcare practitioners. INTRODUCTION With the United States becoming increasingly diverse, health care professionals face a greater multicultural clientele necessitating that healthcare education programs prepare them to deliver culturally congruent care by including multicultural content in their curricula.1-3 Such education is most effective when individuals make connections with their personal experiences,4 yet this proves challenging in health care professional education when the student population is significantly less racially, and ethnically diverse than the client population they treat. care professionals possess higher levels of education than the general public as only 24.4% of the U.S. population in 2006 he a bachelor’s degree or higher.10,11 Despite the limited diversity in health care professional classrooms, educators are encouraged to implement teaching strategies that promote students’ understanding of diversity and culturally congruent care. The terms diversity and culture are not interchangeable, though are sometimes used that way. ‘difference from’ or unlikeness.12 Various professional groups recognize diversity as it refers to human groups with respect to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, veteran status, age, socioeconomic status, and disability.13-14 For the purpose of this paper, diversity represents the difference between, as well as within human groups, as they relate to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, veteran status, age, socioeconomic status, and disability. Vol. 7 No. 4 ISSN 1540-580X -Diverse Environments