PTR 712 - Culture and Healthcare

This course is designed to develop the physical therapist’s cultural competence in health care. Cultural competence is the willingness and ability of a system to value the importance of culture in the delivery of services to all segments of the population. It entails the use of a systems perspective that values differences and is responsive to diversity at all levels of an organization, i.e., policy, governance, administrative, workforce, provider, and consumer/client. Cultural competence is developmental, community focused, and family oriented. This means that physical therapy students will promote and support the attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and skills necessary to work respectfully and effectively with patients and each other in a culturally diverse work environment. Students should be able to use a variety of methods to collect and utilize accurate demographic, cultural, epidemiological and clinical outcome data for racial and ethnic groups in the service area, and become informed about the ethnic/cultural needs, resources, and assets of the surrounding community. Additionally they will be able to develop structures and procedures to address cross cultural ethical and legal conflicts in health care delivery.

Credits: 2