CULTURAL COMPETENCY
To be culturally competent, you must have:
1. Cultural awareness- becoming aware and respectful of clients’ culture by examining one’s own cultural biases and cultural background.
a. Beware of imposing your own beliefs, practices, etc. onto your clients; this is cultural imposition.
2. Cultural knowledge- gains education on the worldviews of various cultures, because these views help an understanding of what your clients value and the perspectives they hold on life.
a. Beware of unconscious incompetence, which is not being aware that you have no cultural knowledge.
3. Cultural encounters- actively participating in face-to face interaction with people from other cultural backgrounds.
4. Cultural skill- capably obtaining cultural data when assessing clients’ health history and present health.
a. Be sure to ask and understand how they view their own health problems, how the family members view the health problem(s), the treatment that they desire, and the type of relationships that are present in the family.
5. Cultural desire- wanting to take part in seeking cultural competence.
a. Remember to speak with words from the heart that shows sincere caring. (Campinha-Bacote, 2003)
Helpful cultural competency link: http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=5.0.htm&module=provider&language=English&ggroup=&mgroup=
Professionals in the community:
Traci Harrod
Intercultural Consultant and Health Advisor Preceptor
St. Alphonsus Hospital and Medical Group
1055 N. Curtis Rd.
Boise, ID 83706
[email protected]
208-914-5252
Jenny Lingle, RN (coordinates initial medical screen for new refugees and immunizations)
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho
777 N. Raymond
Boise, ID 83704
[email protected]
208-514-2510
To be culturally competent, you must have:
1. Cultural awareness- becoming aware and respectful of clients’ culture by examining one’s own cultural biases and cultural background.
a. Beware of imposing your own beliefs, practices, etc. onto your clients; this is cultural imposition.
2. Cultural knowledge- gains education on the worldviews of various cultures, because these views help an understanding of what your clients value and the perspectives they hold on life.
a. Beware of unconscious incompetence, which is not being aware that you have no cultural knowledge.
3. Cultural encounters- actively participating in face-to face interaction with people from other cultural backgrounds.
4. Cultural skill- capably obtaining cultural data when assessing clients’ health history and present health.
a. Be sure to ask and understand how they view their own health problems, how the family members view the health problem(s), the treatment that they desire, and the type of relationships that are present in the family.
5. Cultural desire- wanting to take part in seeking cultural competence.
a. Remember to speak with words from the heart that shows sincere caring. (Campinha-Bacote, 2003)
Helpful cultural competency link: http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=5.0.htm&module=provider&language=English&ggroup=&mgroup=
Professionals in the community:
Traci Harrod
Intercultural Consultant and Health Advisor Preceptor
St. Alphonsus Hospital and Medical Group
1055 N. Curtis Rd.
Boise, ID 83706
[email protected]
208-914-5252
Jenny Lingle, RN (coordinates initial medical screen for new refugees and immunizations)
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho
777 N. Raymond
Boise, ID 83704
[email protected]
208-514-2510
and and and and
What is a refugee?
Refugee: a person who has left their homeland or previous places of relocation and cannot or will not return to that country or area because of oppression and discrimination (Refugee Health, 2011). This persecution can consist of murder, rape, torture, inadequate food supply, or other unsafe living conditions (Smith, 2011). Refugees often are suddenly forced to leave their homes with little prior planning (Smith, 2009), so providers should be sensitive to the stress that this can cause.
Care for refugees
When providing care for refugees, the principles of culturally competent care should be applied in order to achieve effective outcomes. Providers should be sensitive to the unique needs of this population. Many refugees have experienced severe trauma in their pasts, so providers need to be sensitive to this fact while caring for a patient from this population. One difficult aspect of providing care for refugees is that while they may all fall under the classification of refugees, they may come from very different backgrounds. Refugees may come from cultures that function in much different ways than western society. Providers should be mindful of the different cultural tendencies that may be presented in a patient. Some cultures may be more collective and community oriented. Providers should be mindful of family dynamics, as well as male and female roles within a given culture. Refugee communities can also appear unified to an outsider, but have strong divisions within (Smith, 2009). Providers need to be sensitive to these and all of the other potential dynamics that a refugee patient may present with.
List of Countries of Boise Refugees and Links to More Information
Afghanistan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190998
Bhutan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190991
Burma- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190993
Burundi- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190992
Colombia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969926
Congo- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190994
Cuba- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969927
Eritrea- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1968032
Iran- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969896
Iraq- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190997
Liberia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969924
Russia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190999
Somalia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190996
Sudan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1970165
Togo- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190995
Uzbekistan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=191000
Vietnam- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1968847
Refugee: a person who has left their homeland or previous places of relocation and cannot or will not return to that country or area because of oppression and discrimination (Refugee Health, 2011). This persecution can consist of murder, rape, torture, inadequate food supply, or other unsafe living conditions (Smith, 2011). Refugees often are suddenly forced to leave their homes with little prior planning (Smith, 2009), so providers should be sensitive to the stress that this can cause.
Care for refugees
When providing care for refugees, the principles of culturally competent care should be applied in order to achieve effective outcomes. Providers should be sensitive to the unique needs of this population. Many refugees have experienced severe trauma in their pasts, so providers need to be sensitive to this fact while caring for a patient from this population. One difficult aspect of providing care for refugees is that while they may all fall under the classification of refugees, they may come from very different backgrounds. Refugees may come from cultures that function in much different ways than western society. Providers should be mindful of the different cultural tendencies that may be presented in a patient. Some cultures may be more collective and community oriented. Providers should be mindful of family dynamics, as well as male and female roles within a given culture. Refugee communities can also appear unified to an outsider, but have strong divisions within (Smith, 2009). Providers need to be sensitive to these and all of the other potential dynamics that a refugee patient may present with.
List of Countries of Boise Refugees and Links to More Information
Afghanistan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190998
Bhutan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190991
Burma- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190993
Burundi- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190992
Colombia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969926
Congo- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190994
Cuba- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969927
Eritrea- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1968032
Iran- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969896
Iraq- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190997
Liberia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1969924
Russia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190999
Somalia- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190996
Sudan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1970165
Togo- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=190995
Uzbekistan- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=191000
Vietnam- http://guides.boisestate.edu/content.php?pid=26378&sid=1968847