Nursing

Cultural competency training a must for NJ physicians

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, April 14, 2005

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In the future, the cultural competence of the nation's physicians may face the same scrutiny as that of nurses, according to the Medical Education Congress. Leading the initiative, New Jersey passed a law requiring all licensed physicians to complete cultural competency training. The training will teach physicians about the different cultural belief systems and traditions of various populations that may affect patient healthcare decisions. Also considering mandated cultural-competency training for physicians are California, Arizona, New York, and Illinois.

Training tip: When implementing competency and cultural sensitivity training into your organization, first issue a newsletter with quizzes and interesting statistics about diverse local and world populations to spotlight and celebrate diversity. Then, create and a PowerPoint presentation regarding different cultural and diversity issues to staff. Some of the topics to cover include the definition of cultural diversity, the values of various cultures, and their different communication styles. Kick off your cultural diversity training program by showing the presentation to staff during a live session.

Editor's note: The above tip was given by Wendy L. Fisher, RN, BS, patient education coordinator at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta, NY. The entire article is featured in the March 2005 issue of HCPro's <Competency Management Advisor>.



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