Cultural Competence in New Zealand and Canada: Occupational Therapy Students' Reflections on Class and Fieldwork Curriculum

Abstract

The first year of a twin study undertaken between two occupational therapy programs in Canada and New Zealand is described. The primary aims of the study were to illuminate the lived experiences of students as they learn about cultural difference and had contact with clients of differing cultural backgrounds to themselves during fieldwork placements. While there are similarities between educational programs and the demographic profiles of the two cohorts of students, there are curricular differences primarily based on the described socio-political content of the two countries; Aotearoa/New Zealand as a bicultural society and Canada as multicultural. The paper discusses how these cultural differences interweave with other aspects of the students' educational program, as perceived and experienced by the students. Narrative data was thematically analyzed to reflect the experiences and the attendant thoughts and feelings of the participants.

Enhancing Cultural Competence Among Hospice Staff

“…Many authors have described and prescribed cultural competence pedagogy specific to different professional disciplines such as medicine 4 , nursing, [8][9][10][11] social work, 12-14 psychology, 15 and occupational and physical therapy. [16][17][18] Others have suggested that cultural competence education is particularly salient for multidisciplinary teams. [19][20][21] Literature specific to development of cultural competence among hospice providers is beginning to appear.…”

“…Within these moreengaged interventions there is also a range, from special clinical experiences designed to take advantage of different communities close to home 29 to those that provide experiences in international travel and living abroad. 16,17,30 In theory, the more active engagement the teaching method requires, the more opportunities there are for knowledge, awareness, affective, and skill-oriented learning and the more occasions to use inquiry-centered strategies.…”

Working with populations from a refugee background: An opportunity to enhance the occupational therapy educational experience

“…Fieldwork education is a large part of the occupational therapy curriculum. It is the foundation on which students build their education and careers; it enables students to become competent therapists in various areas of practice and facilitates the development of effective practice habits (Bonello, 2001;Crowe & Mackenzie, 2001;Forwell, Whiteford & Dyck, 2001;Pope-Davis, Prieto, Whitaker & Pope-Davis, 1993).…”

Multicultural Training in the United States: A Survey of Occupational Therapy Programs

“…In Whiteford and Wright-St. Clair's (2002) longitudinal phenomenological study, students identified hands-on experiences with diverse populations as the most effective cross-cultural learning approach. Training approaches using ethnographic interviewing (Wongsaroj, 2000;Yuen & Yau, 1999), field immersion in international contexts (Ekelman, Dal Bello-Hass, Bazyk, & Bazyk, 2003), or the use of case stories (Forwell, Whiteford, & Dyck, 2001) have also been reported as effective training methods for limited samples.…”