Cultural Self-Awareness Workshop

Abstract

OPEN ACCESSApril 6, 2009Cultural Self-Awareness Workshop Donna Elliott, MD, EdD Donna Elliott, MD, EdD Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.1128 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail AbstractCultural competence education begins with a focus on building cultural self-awareness and acquiring cultural knowledge as the first stages in a developmental process that leads to cultural competence. The explanatory model of illness and the philosophy of patient-centered care guide this progression. Cultivating effective cross-cultural communication skills requires an understanding of culture that includes both the physician's and the patient's perspectives. A culturally competent practice of medicine requires that physicians be aware of how their own assumptions, values, and beliefs influence the provision of clinical care. This 2-hour workshop lays the foundation for future growth by allowing learners to explore the different ways in which cultural constructs shape their cultural identities, experiences, and perceptions. The workshop begins with the exploration of the culture of the individual learner and then explores the culture of the group as a whole. Additionally, this exploration begins to connect these identities, experiences, and perceptions to the effect of culture on the patient-physician interaction. The session works best with a medium-sized group (20–24 learners). Ideally, the group should consist of individuals who work together on a regular basis to promote comfort, honest answers, and open dialogue. Logistically, a large room is needed due to the setup of one of the session's exercises. This workshop has been used with Year 1 medical students for 7 years at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. It has consistently received favorable ratings from students (4.05 on a 5-point Likert scale). Educational Objectives By the end of this session, learners will be able to: Reflect on and share their individual culture and identity.Discuss ways in which culture impacts their lives.Promote an understanding of culture and its many expressions.Demonstrate an awareness of the ways a physician's culture and perceptions may impact the ability to provide culturally competent medical care. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Cultural Competence Faculty Guide.doc To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. CitationElliott D. Cultural Self-Awareness Workshop. MedEdPORTAL. 2009;5:1128. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.1128 Copyright & Permissions© 2009 Elliott. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike license.KeywordsIdentitySelf-AwarenessCross-CulturalHumanistic EnvironmentRace RelationsACGMECultureSocial Identification Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...