Cultural competency

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There is a rapidly increasing cultural, linguistic and religious diversity in New Zealand. Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and African peoples face barriers to access and inequities in health care provision in New Zealand compared to other groups in our society.

Providing culturally competent care is central to the provision of quality, equitable and culturally safe for clients and families from CALD backgrounds. To achieve this, health practitioners need to be culturally competent and skilled in cross-cultural interactions with clients from backgrounds different from their own. 

Cultural competence requires an ongoing development of:

• cultural awareness
• sensitivity
• knowledge
• skills

 

Cultural competence checklist

It is inevitable that all of us will hold some prejudices, stereotypes, or have beliefs that remain within the shadows of our awareness. It is the consistent attempts to identify and manage these that nurture development in cultural competency and acceptance of diversity. Below are some questions for reflection:

1. How self-reflective are you about your interactions with clients from other cultures or minority ethnic groups?
2. Do you recognize prejudices you may hold about certain ethnic groups, or their practices and beliefs?
3. Can you identify how ethnocentric you might be in your interactions with clients from different cultures?
4. Can you greet people from any other culture in their own language (verbal or non-verbal)?
5. Do you assume that they need to understand how your system works?
6. Do you know anything about where they come from and the circumstances under which they might have migrated?
7. Do you know anything about their traditional health practices and expectations?
8. Are you able to accommodate any of the diversity in your interventions?
9. How does your ethnic identity affect your decisions with clients and others?
10. How often do you attend functions or take part in any activities involving people from minority ethnic groups?
11. Have you read any books/articles or seen any films recently about people from other cultures, particularly minority ethnic cultures?
12. Do you respect client’s religious or spiritual beliefs that are different from your own? Are you able to incorporate these comfortably in interventions when appropriate?
13. Have you discussed any cross-cultural issues that might have arisen in your work, with a colleague or supervisor?
14. Have you attended any training or sought education on cross-cultural issues?
15. Have you ever challenged a racist attitude by someone, or realized you might have made/thought one?
16. How much do you value the metaskills of ‘compassion’, ‘neutrality’, ‘non-judgement’, ‘acceptance’ and ‘listening’ in your practice?

(Camplin-Welch and Jackson, 2006)

If you rated yourself positively on less than 12 of the above questions, then it is suggested that you take the eCALD course on Cultural Competency which can be accessed here [link to eCALD course]. This course offers learning in the four areas of sensitivity, awareness, knowledge and skill with video scenarios and exercises on skills in practice. It is the first of a comprehensive series of courses on working with CALD clients/patients, managers and teams. Courses on specific areas of practice and interest are available through the eCALD website [link to eCALD courses] and include learning material, video scenarios and exercises.