How to Develop Your Cultural Competence as a Healthcare Worker

Cultural competence in healthcare is a hot topic for prospective employers and can be a game-changer when trying to secure your dream job. It’s probably a term you’ve heard before, but what exactly is cultural competence and why is it important in healthcare? In this article, we will explain what makes culturally competent healthcare so important and give you some examples of cultural competence in healthcare.

Understanding Cultural Competence in Healthcare

Cultural competence is a complex concept that involves a number of different dimensions. These dimensions include:

• Cultural awareness: Understanding and appreciating cultural differences.
• Cultural knowledge: Having knowledge of different cultures and their customs, beliefs, and values.
• Cultural skills: Being able to communicate effectively with people from different cultures.
• Cultural encounters: Having positive interactions with people from different cultures.

Understanding these dimensions and applying them to healthcare can not only help you improve patient care, but also help you stand out in a healthcare job interview!

Why Is Cultural Competence Important in Healthcare?

In today’s increasingly diverse healthcare landscape, cultural competence is essential for providing high-quality care to patients from all backgrounds. Cultural competence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from different cultures. It involves respecting and appreciating cultural differences, as well as being able to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds. By developing your cultural competence, you can improve the quality of care you provide to patients and contribute to a more inclusive healthcare system.

The benefits of cultural competence in healthcare include:

• Improved patient outcomes: Studies have shown that culturally competent healthcare can lead to better health outcomes for patients from diverse backgrounds. This means you can serve your patients better when you understand the nuances of their culture and where it may differ from yours.
• Increased patient satisfaction: Patients who feel that their cultural needs are being met are more likely to be satisfied with their care. Patient satisfaction is one way that business units are evaluated, both internally and externally. That means providing culturally competent healthcare can help your team shine above the rest. Not only is this great leverage for promotions, but it also enables you to get a new healthcare position.
• Reduced healthcare disparities: Cultural competence can help to reduce health disparities between different groups of people. Understanding the why behind the health choices your patients make is essential to helping them develop and sustain healthy habits.
• Enhanced healthcare team collaboration: Cultural competence can improve communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds. You can disagree less and collaborate more when you understand the culture of your colleagues.

Cultural competence is essential for providing high-quality care to patients from diverse backgrounds. By developing cultural competence in healthcare, you can work toward improving patient outcomes, increasing patient satisfaction, reducing healthcare disparities, and enhancing healthcare team collaboration.

Developing Cultural Competence in Healthcare

So now that you know why it’s important, let’s talk about how to develop cultural competence in healthcare. Developing the ability to provide culturally competent healthcare is an ongoing process that requires a commitment to learning and growth. Here are some strategies that can help you to develop your cultural competence:

Increase Your Cultural Awareness:

• Learn about different cultures’ health needs through continuing education courses.
• Travel to new places and explore their local healthcare options.
• Interact with people from diverse backgrounds and ask respectful questions about their beliefs and values.
• Attend cultural events to discover more about the communities your patients depend on for social support.

Develop Effective Communication Skills:

• Learn to listen actively, especially to those from different cultures than you.
• Use clear and concise language with those who have a different primary language than you.
• Be mindful of nonverbal communication and how that might be perceived differently by different cultures.
• Learn more about the communication needs of people from different cultural backgrounds through continuing education.

Respect Cultural Differences:

• Avoid making assumptions about different cultures.
• Be open-minded and ask questions when you aren’t sure.
• Be respectful of cultural traditions that may affect the normal healthcare workflows and timing.
• Be aware of your own cultural biases and be open to constructive criticism that may help you improve your cultural competence in healthcare.

Seek Out Mentorship and Training:

• Find a mentor who has demonstrated exceptional cultural competence in healthcare.
• Take cultural competency training courses and see what training your employer offers.
• Join a cultural competence group or start one within your healthcare organization.

By following these strategies, you can improve your cultural awareness, communication skills, and respect for cultural differences.

Challenges of Cultural Competence in Healthcare (and Strategies for Overcoming Them)

Developing cultural competence in healthcare can be challenging, but it is essential for providing high-quality care to patients from all backgrounds. Some of the challenges that healthcare professionals may face include:

• Language barriers: Experiencing difficulty communicating with patients who do not speak the same language.
• Cultural misunderstandings: Misinterpreting the meaning of cultural cues or behaviors.
• Stereotyping: Making generalizations about people from different cultures.
• Resistance to change: Struggling to adapt to new cultural perspectives.

To overcome these challenges, healthcare professionals can:

• Use interpreters: If a patient speaks a different primary language than you, be sure to use interpreters to facilitate accurate communication.
• Be aware of cultural stereotypes: Challenge stereotypes and avoid making generalizations about people from different cultures.
• Remain open-minded and willing to learn: Embrace new cultural perspectives and be willing to change your own beliefs and behaviors.
• Learn foreign languages: This can improve communication with patients from different cultural backgrounds.

Developing cultural competence can be challenging, but it is essential for providing high-quality care to patients from all backgrounds. By overcoming these challenges, healthcare professionals can improve their cultural competence and provide more effective care.

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Examples of Cultural Competence in Healthcare

Cultural competence in healthcare can feel like a vague term, especially because no healthcare professional ever intends to provide biased care. However, many times we can unintentionally project our biases during patient care interactions and healthcare decisions. Even the medical model itself has inherent bias against certain cultures. Therefore, it’s important to understand what true culturally competent healthcare looks like. 

Here are some examples of cultural competence in healthcare:

A physical therapist asks a patient about their beliefs regarding independence and how their family will play a role in their discharge home. The goals are adjusted based on the patient’s beliefs and needs.

A nurse advocates for a patient who believes it is best to use nonpharmacological pain management strategies before trying medication. She talks to the attending physician about potential medication adjustments.

A physician assistant uses an interpreter service to communicate with her patient whose primary language is Spanish. The patient speaks some English, but the provider wants to ensure the patient is able to ask any questions they may have.

An occupational therapist is working with a patient whose religion dictates that anyone outside the family cannot assist with bathing and dressing. The OT trains a patient’s family on adaptive bathing and dressing techniques rather than completing these tasks during the session.

A case manager asks the patient if they would like anyone else to be involved with their discharge planning from the hospital. The patient asks for their fiancé to be involved and signs the appropriate forms for the case manager to communicate with them.

These are just a few examples of how healthcare professionals can demonstrate cultural competence. By incorporating these practices into their daily work, healthcare professionals can improve the quality of care they provide to patients from diverse backgrounds.

Develop Your Cultural Competence in Healthcare

Developing cultural competence is essential for providing high-quality care to patients from all backgrounds. By following the strategies outlined in this article, healthcare professionals can improve their cultural awareness, communication skills, and respect for cultural differences. This will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes and a more inclusive healthcare system. Not to mention, it’s a great skill to add to your resume!

Want more healthcare career tips? Check out the iHire Resource Center.