Experiential Learning and Cultural Competence: What Do Participants in Short-Term Experiences in Global Health Learn About Culture?

Improving cultural humility in physical therapy students: What is faculty's role?

BACKGROUND

Clinician bias contributes to health disparities; therefore, educational standards and professional expectations incorporate cultural humility. Vague standards and numerous pedagogical methods make implementing an effective and uniform curriculum challenging. Classroom and clinical faculty's attitudes and behaviors are pivotal; however, evidence on roles beyond instruction is lacking.

PURPOSE

This study explored physical therapy (PT) students' perceptions of faculty's role in improving their cultural humility.

METHODS

This study was rooted in a phenomenological approach that incorporated elements of both descriptive and interpretive phenomenology. Thirteen first-year PT students participated in one-on-one interviews which underwent reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Reflexive thematic analysis generated two hundred-ninety codes, six categories, and one overarching theme. Dissonance emerged between students' perceptions of faculty's role and the explicit and implicit curriculum.

CONCLUSION

Explicit messaging from classroom instruction and implicit messaging from clinical encounters and unspoken attitudes, values, and behaviors were disparate. Faculty role modeling, diversity, cultural awareness, and perceived comfort interacting with a diverse patient population improved students' self-confidence and cultural humility. Professional development including field experience with a cognitive apprenticeship approach, and standardized, discipline-specific cultural humility competencies may provide uniform and clear guidelines.

Perceptions of Global Health Engagements in Relation to the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Kenyan Health Care Workers and Administrators in Western Kenya: Protocol for Multi-stage Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

There has been significant interest in global health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) among individuals living in high-income countries (HICs) over the past 30 years. Much of the literature on global health engagements (GHEs) has been presented from the perspective of individuals from HIC participants. Local stakeholders such as health care workers and health care administrators represent critical constituencies for global health activities, yet their perspectives are under-represented in the literature. The purpose of this study is to examine local health worker and administrator experiences with GHEs in Kenya. We will explore the perceived role GHEs play in preparing the health system to address a public health crisis, as well as their role in pandemic recovery and its aftermath.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to 1) examine how Kenyan health care workers and administrators interpret experiences with global health engagements as having advantaged or hindered them and the local health system to provide care during an acute public health crisis and 2) to explore recommendations to reimagine GHEs in a post-pandemic Kenya.

METHODS

This study will be conducted at a large teaching and referral hospital in western Kenya, with a long history of hosting GHEs in support of its tripartite mission of providing care, training, and research. This qualitative study will be conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, in-depth interviews (IDIs) will be conducted to capture participants' lived experience in relation to their unique understandings of the pandemic, GHEs, and the local health system. In Phase 2, group discussions, using nominal group technique (NGTs) will be conducted to determine potential priority areas to reimagine future GHEs. In Phase 3, IDIs will be conducted to explore these priority areas in greater detail to explore potential recommendations for potential strategies, policies, and other actions that might be employed to achieve the priorities determined to be of highest importance.

RESULTS

Study activities will commence late summer 2022, with findings to be published in 2023. It is anticipated that findings from this study will provide insight into the role GHEs play in a local health system in Kenya, and provide critical stakeholder and partner input, from persons hitherto ignored in the design, implementation, and management of GHEs.

CONCLUSIONS

This qualitative study will examine perspectives of global health engagements in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic among Kenyan health care workers and health care administrators in western Kenya using a multi-stage protocol. Using a combination of in-depth interviews and nominal group techniques this study aims to shed light on the roles global health activities are perceived to play in preparing health care professionals and the health system to address an acute public health crisis.

CLINICALTRIAL

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

PRR1-10.2196/41836.

Relationship between cultural intelligence and learning organization

Human capital is one of the critical resources for organizations around the world, and it requires significant learning and development (L&D) investments as a structured approach to become a learning organization. The study evaluates the relationship between cultural intelligence and learning organization by analyzing 364 responses received from employees-working across Indian organizations from varied sectors. The dimensions used for measuring learning organization in the study are – information sharing and accessibility, systematic problem solving, acceptance of error and experimenting with new approaches. Results demonstrate a significant positive relationship between learning organization and its four dimensions and cultural intelligence. The findings have implications for organizations to inculcate learning organization disciplines for improved cultural intelligence while also bridging the gap in the existing literature.

'Teaching in Circle' with student nurses contributes to experiential understanding of cultural safety

BACKGROUND

Cultural safety is mandated for Australian nursing practice and education. Cultural safety privileges the knowledge of the client, who determines whether healthcare is culturally safe. Understanding, and learning cultural safety requires critical self-reflection to expose clinicians' assumptions, unconscious biases, beliefs and actions and their impact on clients. More research is required on best-practice strategies on how students learn about cultural safety in nursing education. Experiential pedagogical methods may be one such strategy to promote understanding of principles that underpin safe environments.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the influence of 'Teaching in Circle' to enhance students' understanding of cultural safety within the classroom environment.

METHODS

Students in first year undergraduate Bachelor of nursing units participated. Teachers facilitated tutorials using a respectful adaptation of 'Teaching in Circle' methodology; was underpinned by principles of Yarning, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples way of learning and communicating in groups. Students developed principles to guide the facilitation of a more culturally safe classroom, providing written feedback on the environment and their participation in the circle.

RESULTS

Student feedback was reflected in three themes: 'Journey through unfamiliar territory'; `More personable way of learning and sharing' and 'Relational engagement creates safety'. Student perspectives resonated strongly with the principles of cultural safety or lack of, within healthcare settings. The method both disrupted normative classroom/learning environments and supported experiential learning about the principles of cultural safety.

CONCLUSIONS

'Teaching in circle' provided an experiential means of enhancing first year nursing students understanding of the principles of cultural safety. This learning should be embedded in nursing curriculum and ongoing education, to prepare nurses to provide culturally safer care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The study supports similar research calling for innovative learner-focused, experiential methods for the development of the practice of cultural safety in Australian nursing education.