It could be hardly doubted that the contemporary world is immensely influenced by the globalization process. In particular, the sphere of healthcare is also vastly impacted by the confronting cultural norms. Accordingly, it led to the invention of the cultural competency, which could be described as the ongoing dynamic process of learning and engaging in cultural differences (Calzada & Suarez-Balcazar, 2014). Based on the hypothetical situation provided by Rodriguez, DeCamp, Richardson, Sugarman, & Barry (2016), this paper aims to discuss the lessons that could be learned from this situation, aspects that could be applied in practice, and the questions for further consideration.
The first lesson that is learned from Jane’s situation is that the medical trainees practicing abroad should understand the culture of the country in which they are training. It includes the awareness of both trainee’s own and local cultural norms as well as the skills to navigate the situations in which those standards are confronted (Rinker, Inoue, & Vargas-Jackson, 2017). Secondly, the best way to provide such navigation is to ask for assistance from the host institution’s advisors and local colleagues. Mutual collaboration between trainees and local staff can significantly increase the development of the cultural competency. Thirdly, even when trainees are adequately prepared by sending and host institutions in aspects of language, history, and cultural norms, it could not cover the variety of possible situations. Therefore, the third lesson is that cultural competency is acquired through the ongoing dialog which is paired with trainees’ learning flexibility.
Further, it is critical to dwell upon the aspects of the situation that could be applied in practice. Firstly, Jane’s example shows that the process of professional training experience and the personal time outside the host institution could not be separated. For Jane (and every trainee in her position) it might be easier to make a clear distinction between those two processes. However, it is not possible since the behavior outside the formal training affects the trainees’ team, their sending institution or sponsors, and the local community as a whole. Therefore, medical students training abroad should always consider their personal time as another aspect of developing their cultural competency. Secondly, when trainees face the confrontation of cultural norms, they should not interpret those situations on their own. In such cases, the feedback from someone who is familiar with both cultures is essential to solving the problems adequately.
However, the situation described by Rodriguez et al. (2016) provides some questions for further consideration and elaboration. As it was mentioned in the study, some host cultural norms should be accepted to train efficiently; others might be discussed on the grounds of mutual respect, and, in some situations, the discussion should be deferred for a while (Rodriguez et al., 2016). Therefore, the question arises: which of those approaches should be applied to every particular situation of cultural confrontation? This problem could be solved by studying the cultural competency models such as skills-based, adaptation, and process-oriented models (Huey, Tilley, Jones, & Smith, 2014). Each of those methods provides different approaches to the situation when cultural norms are confronted. The mentioned models should be further considered as a means of developing the cultural competency.
In conclusion, the complexity of the matters related to the cultural competency should be observed. Even though it is possible to learn some lessons from the situations akin to Jane’s example, the essential skill to be developed is the ability to navigate the ongoing dialog between different cultures. The evolution of the cultural competency is the process in which the whole community should be engaged.
References
Calzada, E., & Suarez-Balcazar, Y. (2014). Enhancing cultural competence in social service agencies: A promising approach to serving diverse children and families. OPRE Report, 31, 1-8.
Huey Jr, S. J., Tilley, J. L., Jones, E. O., & Smith, C. A. (2014). The contribution of cultural competence to evidence-based care for ethnically diverse populations. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 10, 305-338.
Rinker, C. H., Inoue, M., & Vargas-Jackson, R. (2017). Advance care planning: Training and providing an anthropological critique of cultural competence to health care professionals. Anthropology & Aging, 38(2), 4-9.
Rodriguez, J., DeCamp, M., Richardson, G., Sugarman, J., & Barry, M. (2016). Case 1: Developing cultural understanding.Web.