Cultural competence comprehends a set of behaviors and attitudes that each and every professional should have or at least develop in order to provide the most effective interaction with others in cross-cultural encounters. Cultural competence has been introduced as a need to improve encounters with people that have struggled obtaining services needed, due to communication barriers or culture bias towards them. It is for this reason that Foundations of Health Services class has integrated this component as part of their course to educate us on the importance on being competent, so we, the future pharmacists can make a difference.
The project consisted on information and examples that showed health care settings scenarios of encounters where there were language barriers, cultural beliefs and culture skills involved. Through these examples I was able to learn how important is to be aware of other cultures and their beliefs, also to be aware of our communication skills, …show more content…
For example, a couple of years ago before moving to the United States I called a health insurance company to check on the status of my application and the person spoke English so fast that I could barely understand what was being said. I proceeded to ask if they could repeat slowly, but they still spoke at their pace. At the end of the conversation they asked if I understood or had any questions for which I ended up saying that I understood. I felt hopeless and disappointed that my issue was not address. These and many other situations are the ones that people encounter every day. This is why becoming competent is important, because is not about professionals providing their service, but integrating this with the necessary skills to communicate effectively with
The project consisted on information and examples that showed health care settings scenarios of encounters where there were language barriers, cultural beliefs and culture skills involved. Through these examples I was able to learn how important is to be aware of other cultures and their beliefs, also to be aware of our communication skills, …show more content…
For example, a couple of years ago before moving to the United States I called a health insurance company to check on the status of my application and the person spoke English so fast that I could barely understand what was being said. I proceeded to ask if they could repeat slowly, but they still spoke at their pace. At the end of the conversation they asked if I understood or had any questions for which I ended up saying that I understood. I felt hopeless and disappointed that my issue was not address. These and many other situations are the ones that people encounter every day. This is why becoming competent is important, because is not about professionals providing their service, but integrating this with the necessary skills to communicate effectively with