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Cultural competence is critical to successful practice in all areas of social work practice and advocacy including in mental health practice, child welfare, education, work with low-income individuals in community agencies, hospital social work, health literacy, and hospice.
- Thematic Analysis
- What Factors/Skills Do You Think Could Improve Cross-Cultural Health Care?
- What Was The Nature of The Training?
- How Would You Improve The Cultural Competence of Your Organization?
Participants responded to four open-ended questions on cross-cultural health care delivery. They were asked to reflect on ways to improve cross-cultural health care and the extent to which they perceived their organizations to be suitably performing in this area. Each question and the associated response themes are presented below.
Education/training
Many (n= 31) participants believed that formal cross-cultural education and training would indeed improve their organization’s capacity to provide cross-cultural health care. Most of the suggestions were oriented to learning about multi-cultural customs. Some felt that this education should be mandatory or at least regularly provided to staff. Two participants felt that education and training should have a particular focus on systemic issues experienced by patients from minority backgrounds.
Interpreter services
The second most common response theme was having interpreter services available and accessible to all patients. Some participants also suggested that that there should be more bi-lingual professionals.
Diversification of staff
One participant expressed that organizations should aim for cultural diversity when recruiting staff.
This open-ended question followed the initial yes/no question, “Did your health care training include a cultural awareness/competence component”, to which 57.1% (n= 32) participants affirmed that they had received some form of cultural training as part of their professional education. The thematic responses from these 32 participants are illustrate...
Further education/training
Most participants believed that cultural competence training should be “regular” (Interpreter) and “mandatory” (Registered Nurse). More specifically, several participants suggested that training should involve “speakers from different cultural backgrounds” (Hospital/Clinic Administrator). “It would be helpful to have training/discussions with people from different cultures/ethnic backgrounds who are willing to meet with health care staff in order to learn about their cultures/norms and how he...
Staff diversity
Although few participants commented on staff diversity, disagreement was evident. Three participants believed that their organization would be more culturally competent if there was greater cultural diversity among staff members. “Increase the number of staff members of color and staff members who are multi-lingual” (Mental Health Professional). In contrast, two participants stated that cultural background was not the main priority when hiring new staff members. “I hire the best person for th...
Already competent
Several participants believed that their respective organizations were already meeting cultural competence principles. “My clinic provides excellent services and a willingness to diversify amongst multiple different cultures” (Medical Assistant). “I feel we provide all cultures with adequate care” (Physician).
- Stephane M. Shepherd, Cynthia Willis-Esqueda, Danielle Newton, Diane Sivasubramaniam, Yin Paradies
- 2019
Mar 1, 2022 · Cultural competence in social work practice has been cited as crucial in the pursuit of ethical and professional standards. Still, conceptual, and practical questions remain for defining, imparting, and assessing skills of social work professionals in this key area.
Cultural competence, sometimes referred to as cultural competency, ethnic competence, cross-cultural competence, or multicultural competence, has become an essential element of social work at every level of the field, from direct practice to social policy.
Nov 27, 2020 · The findings emphasized the multifaceted nature of cultural competence and highlighted (a) areas for growth in feelings of inadequacy, (b) frustration with fundamental organizational barriers, and (c) prejudice from clients.
- Michelle Melendres
- 2020
Jul 2, 2020 · In this issue, eight manuscripts help to advance the knowledge base of social and emotional competence by focussing on constructs ranging from school engagement to anxiety, with research designs varying from correlational to experimental, and with samples ranging from primary students to adults.
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Apr 24, 2022 · The current paper examines five relevant approaches that have emerged from personality (global traits), social (social cognition), clinical (social skills interventions), developmental (social information processing), and industrial/organizational (situation judgment) areas of psychology.
