Cultural Competence In Professional Culture

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Culture is defined as the traditions, believes, habits, folklore and history shared by a group of people. Culture is shared by people of the same ethnic origin, language, nationality or religion. Indeed, is a set of principles that form the base of what we are and affects how we express ourselves, as a group and as individuals. We all develop in some type of culture. Our surroundings determine what we learn, how we learn, and the rules to coexist with others. These rules are passed on from one generation to another and they are most of the time adapted to time and places. Likewise, developing careers with cross-cultural skills creates a “professional-culture”, one that supports principles, values and healthy habits to offered patients. A professional …show more content…

Acknowledging the beliefs, language and norms of the patients is an essential aspect to consider when assessing patients. For instance, when a foreign client visits a pharmacy store, they should be provided a translator. A translator facilitates the process, helping both the provider and client come across more clearly. When a client is provided with a translator, they frequently leave satisfy, since they are able to understand what it’s being giving to them; and that satisfaction becomes a two-way street because, if a client is satisfied, the provider is satisfied as well. Also acknowledging a patients’ religion practices is beneficial. For example, a Muslim woman must likely would like to be seeing by a female physician. Moreover, a vegetarian Buddhist would not accept a diet that incorporates animal products, on the other hand, they would find it offensive and disrespectful. Therefore, being culturally sensitive reinforces cultural competence; it helps providers work effectively in a cultural diverse …show more content…

A common misunderstanding, for example, happens when the provider is insensitive to the patients’ needs. When a patient is unable to understand the provider, it causes a health literacy gap, as a result, treatment could be affected and the patients’ health could get compromise. In other words, “Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (Parker and Ratzan, 2000). Patients with a low health literacy often struggle to understand medical terms; they easily misinterpret information and causes of their health issues. Hence the importance of properly communicating with a patient, in manner that they

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