Bannis, Alicia

As the culturally diverse healthcare population in the United States rises, the demand for healthcare providers who are knowledgeable in providing culturally competent care increases. Community health care providers are mandated to make cultural competence a priority in their clinical practice. This mandate challenges healthcare professionals to increase their knowledge of cultural diversity and caring behaviors and provide appropriate health care services to meet the needs of racially and ethnically diverse clients. For this project, an assessment of community healthcare providers’ self-perception of cultural competence and perceived knowledge of caring behaviors was untaken while posing the question: “How does a two-month education program on cultural competency and caring enhance cultural sensitivity and increase understanding of caring behaviors for physicians, nurse practitioners and community health nurse in a community health clinic?” The effectiveness of this education program was evaluated using a quantitative one-group pretest/post-test survey design. Project results from the post-test found a general improvement in self-perception of cultural competence and perceived knowledge of caring behaviors among participants, which suggests that the education program was successful.