Cultural competency in the physician assistant curriculum in the United States: a longitudinal study with two cohorts

Abstract

Purpose:Many physician assistant (PA) programs have recently integrated cultural competency into their curricula. However, there is little evidence of the longitudinal effectiveness of such curricula on culture competency. This study tested whether the amount of exposure to a cultural competency curriculum affected self-assessments of cultural awareness in two cohorts of students.Methods:Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 students completed a cultural awareness survey at the beginning of the program and retook the survey at three intervals during the first year.Results:Regression analyses confirmed a significant linear relationship (two-tailed 0.05) between the responses and the interval number on all questions for each cohort, with the exception of Question 8, on the ability to identify discrimination, for Cohort 2.Conclusion:Results from Cohort 2 replicated those from Cohort 1, suggesting that cultural awareness among PA students benefits from repeated exposure to lessons on cultural competency. Schools attempting to develop or expand cultural awareness among students should consider integrating cultural competency training throughout the PA curriculum.

Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Student Field Research Experiences in Special Populations

“…These programs have different disease foci, curricula, research concentrations, and components of evaluation [4, 5]. Exposure of students to international and U.S. minority settings confers unique opportunities for students to enhance their learning of disease etiology, disease management in underserved and low-resource settings, cultural competencies, applications of theoretical biomedical sciences, and translation of basic sciences to disease prevention [1, 6, 7]. …”

Effectiveness of case based cultural competency among nurses working in private hospitals of Bangkok, Thailand: A Quasi-experimental study

“… 19 The level of cultural confidence of a person is significantly related to the cultural sensitivity; over-confidence or under-confidence of a person may introduce cultural pain in a person. 20 , 21 …”

Is One Lecture Enough? Self-Perception of Bias and Cultural Training in Medical Education

“…7 A study of PA students that same year assessed whether the frequency of exposure to a cultural competency curriculum affected learners' self-assessed cultural awareness, and the authors suggested that students benefited from repeated exposure to cultural competency instruction. 8 To further study cultural competency and the potential impact of intervention duration, we examined whether a single lecture could affect self-perceived areas of confidence in cultural competency, while simultaneously evaluating exposure to this content prior to graduate training. This study adds to other studies by evaluating the effect of instructional method duration, but it differs in that we studied various types of learners and faculty while following the effect over time.…”

“…7 A study of PA students that same year assessed whether the frequency of exposure to a cultural competency curriculum affected learners’ self-assessed cultural awareness, and the authors suggested that students benefited from repeated exposure to cultural competency instruction. 8…”