NMSU’s College of Health and Social Services addresses cultural competency

It’s shift change at the hospital and registered nurse Jessica Fernandez is reviewing her list of clients and their conditions. They include Mr. Hightower, an attorney with an infected spider bite who regularly uses herbal treatments; Mrs. Johnson, an elderly woman with mobility problems awaiting placement at a long-term care facility; and Maria Garcia, a young woman with diabetic skin ulcers whose grandmother only speaks Spanish.

Although Jessica is from a different cultural background than her clients, she has a genuine interest in who they are and their well-being, and her clients think that is hard to come by. Previous providers often didn’t consider their cultural backgrounds when providing care and it usually ended in disaster.

Take Maria Garcia, whose previous health care providers didn’t make an effort to include her grandmother in Maria’s care. Her grandmother didn’t understand how to help Maria do skin care and now Jessica is teaching them both how to prevent ulcers.

Although the scenario above is fictional, cultural differences affect every aspect of a person’s life, including health care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes this, and in an attempt to close the cultural gap, the department prioritizes federal funding to programs that provide cultural competency education. This makes health care providers aware of their clients’ cultural backgrounds and teaches them how to incorporate clients’ cultural values, beliefs and practices when providing health care.

Understanding these issues, New Mexico State University’s College of Health and Social Services has taken steps to educate students to become aware of their own and others’ cultural backgrounds when they enter the health care field. The education will help nurses and other students become more responsive to clients, reach underserved populations in New Mexico and help health care organizations stay competitive with services, says Irene Hurst, an NMSU associate professor of nursing.

Cultural competency education is a priority in the college’s nursing department. It is a key component of the Roadrunner Program, a 16-month accelerated nursing program funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The program is for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in another field and would like to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While learning at an accelerated pace, students in the program incorporate culture concepts in all aspects of their coursework.

“It is important that health care professionals work effectively with clients from culturally diverse backgrounds,” says Hurst, who serves as the culture consultant for the Roadrunner Program. “Nurses should communicate effectively with their clients in a way that is non-judgmental to develop a plan of care in partnership with clients, increasing the likelihood that clients can follow the care.”

Hurst also says it is equally important that nurses are as culturally diverse as their clients, and in the Roadrunner Program, at least half of its participants are minorities.

“We want our nurses to be representative of the populations we serve,” she says. “We should benefit from the richness of our diversity to ensure our clients benefit from it.”

Throughout the program, students discuss and apply cultural concepts in the classroom and in a clinical atmosphere. They examine their own attitudes, beliefs and values when approaching clients in a hospital setting, and at weekly clinical meetings they share their experiences to further the learning process.

“Health care professionals that even begin to actively think about cultural competency are opening up opportunities to make patients feel more deeply understood and cared for,” says Sonia Choo, a Korean-American and a participant in the Roadrunner Program. Because of her cultural background, Choo says people react to her in surprising ways. She is curious about how people interpret human behavior and interaction and even wonders about her own interpretations.

The college’s Department of Health Science also recognizes the need for culturally competent health care professionals. The department partners with the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine to operate the Southern Area Health Education Center (SoAHEC) and the Border Health Education Training Center (BHETC). They coordinate culturally competent regional resources and training centers for youth, the health workforce and New Mexico communities.

“In order for health professionals to assist their customers better, they need to be able to deal effectively with the unique needs of each individual in order to create a partnership,” says Benjamin Jacquez, SoAHEC/BHETC director. “This will create healthier individuals, families and communities.”

SoAHEC/BHETC created a series of intensive culture workshops to raise awareness about one’s own assumptions and biases and their potential impact on client service. SoAHEC/BHETC offers workshops in the Roadrunner Program, which teach students how to step outside their own cultural viewpoints and view the world from their client’s perspective.

“The cultural workshop piqued many insightful discussions about this complex issue that allowed for self-reflection,” says Choo.  The workshops helped her to realize the ultimate goal is for everyone to have a full appreciation of cultural differences, and she says that is the best way for her to incorporate these culture concepts.

Hurst is pleased with the students’ reactions to these programs. “The most rewarding things are the commitment and passion of these students to want to be the best nurses and their ability to work with these concepts,” she says.

With programs like these, Hurst and the other faculty hope to reduce differences in health care outcomes among different populations, but she says it is still a learning process. “We are constantly learning. We meet people from all walks of life, and we learn just as much from our clients as they learn from us.”

For more information about the Roadrunner Program, call (505) 646-4793. For more information about cultural competency training, call (505) 646-3441.

First photo is available at http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/roadrunner_01.jpg.
CUTLINE:  Participants in New Mexico State University’s Roadrunner Program work through exercises to understand culture concepts in health care. (Courtesy photo)

Second photo is available at http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/roadrunner_02.jpg.
CUTLINE:  Participants in New Mexico State University’s Roadrunner Program work through exercises to understand culture concepts in health care. (Courtesy photo)

Natisha Hales
September 2, 2005

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