Five strategies to develop cultural competence among allied health occupations students.

Five strategies to develop cultural competence among allied health occupations students. The development of cultural competence cultural competenceSocial medicine The ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with persons from cultures and/or belief systems other than one's own among allied healthoccupations students is one of the greatest instructional challengesfacing career and technology educators in the 21st century. As ourpopulation becomes more diverse and multicultural, high school studentsin career and technical programs must understand and gain anappreciation for those who come from different backgrounds in order tobe productive and competent in the workplace as well as in society.Single lessons or units on cultural considerations are not adequate toaddress the multitude of issues surrounding diversity, ethnicity,religion and culture. Allied health occupations educators must use a variety ofstrategies throughout the school year to assist students in gainingcultural competence. Here are five strategies that I have used to helpmy students become knowledgeable, respectful, and sensitive to theuniqueness of all their clients. These strategies could easily bemodified and incorporated into any career and technology course offeringthat focuses on customer relations--for example, cosmetology cos��me��tol��o��gy?n.The study or art of cosmetics and their use.[French cosm��tologie : cosm��tique, cosmetic; see cosmetic + -logie, -logy. , protectiveservices and culinary arts, just to name a few. Incorporate Multiculturalism in Curriculum The first teaching strategy in creating culturally competentcaregivers is to incorporate multiculturalism throughout the entirehealth occupations curriculum. Texts, videos and other instructionalmaterial should explore the viewpoints of various cultures andillustrate role models from diverse backgrounds. Utilize members of thecommunity as guest speakers to share their culture and religion withstudents. I'll never forget one class's first encounter withthe impact that religion has on health care decisions. While watching anethics video that showcased a five-year-old girl who had been seriouslyinjured in��jure?tr.v. in��jured, in��jur��ing, in��jures1. To cause physical harm to; hurt.2. To cause damage to; impair.3. in a car accident and needed a blood transfusion blood transfusion,transfer of blood from one person to another, or from one animal to another of the same species. Transfusions are performed to replace a substantial loss of blood and as supportive treatment in certain diseases and blood disorders. to survive, theclass became outraged that the girl's family refused the bloodtransfusion and allowed the girl to die. After researching thefamily's culture and religion, students learned that this is justone of the many religious-based decisions that impact health care andthey accepted the family's decision as appropriate consideringtheir beliefs. Appreciation for Your Students' Own Culture The second strategy is to have students gain an appreciation fortheir own culture. During the first few weeks of the school year, I hosta Cultural Celebrations Day in which students bring their parents toschool and together they share their cultural, ethnic, and religiousbeliefs, rituals, and celebrations. Having students relate to each otherand accept individual differences is the basis for developing culturalcompetence. This is also a great way to get parents involved in yourclass, promote individual uniqueness, as well as establish acceptancefor others. One student brought in his family's genogram and sharedwith the class how his great-grandparents emigrated from another countryafter being held prisoner during the World War because of their beliefs.Although students empathized with their classmate's family, it wasnot until watching Operation Iraqi Freedom on the classroom news channeland hearing about prisoners of war prisoners of war,in international law, persons captured by a belligerent while fighting in the military. International law includes rules on the treatment of prisoners of war but extends protection only to combatants. that they gained a true appreciationfor the struggles that some family members have endured for the freedomwe enjoy today. Explore Other Cultures The third strategy involves exploring the views of people fromother cultures. Students select a country and create an A-Z notebooktitled, "Cultural Considerations in ... " and present theirnotebooks to the class. Using the alphabet alphabet[Gr. alpha-beta, like Eng. ABC], system of writing, theoretically having a one-for-one relation between character (or letter) and phoneme (see phonetics). Few alphabets have achieved the ideal exactness. as a guide, students mustidentify at least one issue related to caring for a client in thatparticular country. Exploring around-the-world issues such as"B" birth and "D" death rituals, "C"childrearing practices, and "N" nutrition not only getsstudents interested, but it also motivates them to learn. Mary selected the country of Jamaica because her family hadparticipated on a missionary visit the previous summer. As a part of herpresentation, Mary's mother came and spoke about religious beliefsand cultural issues that impact health care. Together, thismother-daughter team had baked "rockcake," which theyexplained was a popular food in this country. Dressed in Jamaicanattire, they shared numerous artifacts artifactssee specimen artifacts. including sugar cane and broughtthe history of Jamaica Jamaica, one of the largest Caribbean islands, was inhabited by arawak natives. When Christopher Columbus arrived at the island, he claimed the land for Spain. Still, it was not truly colonized until after his death. and present culture to life. After students'presentations, these notebooks remain in the class for students toreference as they write their nursing care plans for their clients fromdifferent countries. Assign Students to Different Cultural Group Facilities The fourth strategy is to assign students to clients in clinicalfacilities who are from a different cultural group than the student.While caring for a geriatric geriatric/ger��i��at��ric/ (jer?e-at��rik)1. pertaining to elderly persons or to the aging process.2. pertaining to geriatrics.ger��i��at��ricadj.1. client in a long-term care facility long-term care facilityn.See skilled nursing facility. duringthe month of January, Anna learned a great deal from Miss Helen. Annathought that Miss Helen had forgotten to turn her calendar to the nextmonth when she began telling Anna that Christmas was almost here again.While trying to explain to Miss Helen that Christmas was in December,Anna soon learned that Miss Helen was a Ukrainian immigrant andcelebrated American Christmas in December and Orthodox Christmas inJanuary. Not only did Anna become excited to know that some peoplecelebrate Christmas more than once a year, she learned firsthand first��hand?adj.Received from the original source: firsthand information.first traditions and celebrations about the Ukrainian culture. Culturalencounters can be one of the most powerful and effective ways to developcompetence among students. Provide Multicultural Perspectives The fifth strategy is to involve community members and groups fromvarious cultures into the classroom to provide multiculturalperspectives. During one unit on developmental disabilities developmental disabilities (DD),n.pl the pathologic conditions that have their origin in the embryology and growth and development of an individual. DDs usually appear clinically before 18 years of age. , our guestshared with students how hard it is to find language interpreters toassist family members and clients in understanding physician orders andtreatment plans. One student in my class named Maria shared with theguest that she spoke fluent Spanish and also had a brother withDown's syndrome. Maria was elated e��lat��ed?adj.Exultantly proud and joyful.e��lated��ly adv.e��lat when our guest offered her apart-time job starting at $20.00 per hour as a Spanish interpreter. Allof her classmates Classmates can refer to either: Classmates.com, a social networking website. Classmates (film), a 2006 Malayalam blockbuster directed by Lal Jose, starring Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Indragith, Sunil, Jagathy, Kavya Madhavan, Balachandra Menon, ... quickly became motivated to consider their family andlife experiences as valuable resources and to utilize them to thefullest. Summary Cultural competence is a skill of great importance for all highschool career and technical students, but especially for allied healthoccupations students as they embark upon their health care careers.Caregivers must recognize differences and must plan client care that isreflective of the individual's cultural, ethnic, and religiouspreferences. By doing so, students benefit in gaining culturalcompetence as they more readily earn the respect of their clients andquickly develop rapport The former name of device management software from Wyse Technology, San Jose, CA (www.wyse.com) that is designed to centrally control up to 100,000+ devices, including Wyse thin clients (see Winterm), Palm, PocketPC and other mobile devices. . Weaving weaving,the art of forming a fabric by interlacing at right angles two or more sets of yarn or other material. It is one of the most ancient fundamental arts, as indicated by archaeological evidence. cultural considerations throughout the curriculum,appreciating your own culture, researching unfamiliar cultures, planningcultural encounters, and involving community members are just a fewexamples of strategies that can help develop cultural competence amongallied health occupations students. In these few examples, one caneasily see how students learned valuable foreign language, history,science, as well as healthcare lessons that they can apply to both theirhealth care career and future life experiences. Penny Makuchal has taught Allied Health Occupations at theWorcester Career and Technology Center In Maryland since 1995. Shereceived her Master of Science degree In nursing and master'sdegree master's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree.Noun 1. In education simultaneously from Salisbury University Salisbury University is a public university in Maryland. Currently, Salisbury University offers 45 distinct undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The President of the University is currently President Janet Dudley-Eshbach. , where sheis also a part-time nursing Instructor.