Using the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competency Training (TACCT) to inventory a medical school's curriculum: Case study

Abstract

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Liaison Committee on Medical Education mandate that cultural competency be taught in medical schools. This paper presents a case study on how to assess cultural competency in the medical school curriculum by the use of a version of the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competency Training (TACCT) adapted for quantitative and qualitative data collection. A committee, trained to use the tool, conducted interviews with pre-clinical and clinical (clerkship) course directors. Interviews were conducted with 19/21 pre-clinical and 10/10 clinical course directors. Qualitative data were categorised by items 'taught or 'not taught'. Data were tabulated by the mean percentage responding 'yes' to any item 'taught'. For any 'yes' response for pre-clinical courses, the mean range was 0–53 per cent and for clinical courses, 0–80 per cent. For each 'yes' response, the interviewer asked if the content was formally evaluated. Of the total items taught, there was a range of 0–21 per cent evaluated during the course. Qualitative comments were solicited throughout the interviews. Conducting face-to-face semi-structured interviews is a process that is invaluable as a method of collecting data on cultural competency content taught and evaluated in the curriculum. These interviews also facilitated bridging gaps, addressed misconceptions, and forged future collaboration with course directors on how to teach cultural competence.