Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

The relationship between cultural competence among healthcare professionals and the quality of health care ultimately provided to patients is internationally recognized. It is incumbent upon educators, therefore, to utilize the appropriate teaching tools to create learning and growth in the area of cultural competence among students who represent our future healthcare leaders and practitioners. California State University at Northridge currently educates over 40,000 students representing 93 countries. The department of Health Sciences serves approximately 5000 diverse students annually. Within the department, the Health Administration program educates future healthcare administrators, whereas the Radiologic Sciences program prepares students for careers in the imaging field. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this study compared the divergent approaches taken by the two distinct programs to teach cultural competence to students and assessed proficiency levels among students completing their respective programs. A qualitative methodology was used to compare and contrast curricular methods as well as to investigate their impact on students’ cultural competency levels. The aim of this study was to make recommendations to improve the teaching practices of faculty, thereby improving the outcomes of student knowledge, skills and attitudes as they relate to cultural competence.