Cultural competency for new practitioners

Cultural competence is using an understanding of a culture’s behaviors, attitudes, and policies to create favorable interactions with patients in cross-cultural situations.1 Cultural competence also encompasses building rapport, gaining patients’ trust, and developing strategies to combine a patient’s culture and positive therapeutic outcomes.1,2 New practitioners may find it quite challenging to function as a competent health care provider in a culture that is not their own. Effective communication skills, coupled with open-minded understanding, are the cornerstone on which cultural competence can be built. As pharmacy students, new practitioners received training on the importance of and techniques associated with favorable patient communication. However, overcoming cultural barriers may be problematic for some new practitioners who have not had in-depth training with or exposure to diverse cultures in their pharmacy education or post-pharmacy school experiences. Enhancing students’ exposure to diversity within schools of pharmacy is a main goal for the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). ACPE accreditation standards for professional pharmacy programs require institutions of pharmacy education to create a teaching environment that values diversity and provide instruction about working with diverse colleagues and patients.3 The means with which pharmacy educators choose to accomplish these ends are less clear, leaving new practitioners with varied experiences in cultural competency training.