Essay On Cultural Competence

Words: 567
Pages: 3

Culture can be defined as the belief, values, religion, and principles of a certain group of people. Cultural competence on the other hand is the ability to learn and understand the various cultural differences that exist such as language and religion. Being culturally competent is essential because it can make a significant difference in our society by bringing unity amongst diverse group of people. It also ensure that health interventions are properly delivered and evaluated. In order to be culturally competent, individuals need to be willing to learn with an open mind. In the case of Baylor University, the degree program designers have successfully added a community based cultural competence to their curriculum and content as well as an international summer study abroad program. This is a very laudable achievement. In addition, other measures that can be taken include the introduction of a diversity week and adoption of a cultural household / individual. A good way to enhance cultural competence in college students is by …show more content…
For example, The National Center for Cultural Competence have some tools that can be used in the assessment of cultural competence. The department of community health education at Baylor University, can create a survey specifically for measuring the student’s level of competence. Another method of assessing students is by regular class discussions and presentations. This will progressively assess the development of cultural proficiency. Organization of a cultural exposition towards the end of the training program, where students in the community health education program can showcase what they have learnt in the cultures. For example, they can create health information hand bills in the local language using individuals that are popular in the local environment, they can also dress and communicate in the local language on the day of the “cultural