HSCI 715 Cultural Competency in Health Sciences

This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to critically analyze cultural perception of health and illness as a component of the holistic delivery of health care. The student is expected to develop knowledge and respect for cultural differences among patient populations and to foster culturally sensitive and appropriate methods of health care delivery.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

This course equips the student with the knowledge and skills to identify key cultural concepts and respect cultural differences related to health beliefs and practices, while fostering culturally sensitive and effective health care delivery. The content of this course is essential in preparing the student to address diverse patient needs, promote equitable health outcomes, and integrate holistic approaches within his or her individual discipline. By exploring personal biases, cultural influences on health, and strategies for cultural competence, the student develops the critical awareness needed to excel in the evolving field of health sciences.

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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, this Discussion will offer the opportunity for each student to select a topic from the readings and foster an understanding of the current state of health care in relation to cultural competence. In a thread, the student will write an introduction on his/her cultural background, interests in health science, and a learning opportunity or learning expectation from the course. In the same thread, the student will also post a paragraph on his/her selected priority population and cultural health topic for the Cultural Paper: Final Submission Assignment. This thread should be at least 500 words. Each student must reply to at least 2 peer posts with critical observations and suggestions for improvement on the topic selection in at least 350 words. Topics will be approved or revisions suggested by the instructor after the module has closed.

Video Discussions (2)

Video Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, for these Video Discussions, the student will post a clear, concise, and engaging video summary of the Seminar Brief Assignment that was submitted in the previous module. Videos should be between 2–5 minutes and summarize the key components of the specific research contained in the Seminar Brief Assignment. These videos are an opportunity to present the research in a structured, professional, and succinct manner for the class. The student must then post 4 replies of at least 350 words. Two of the replies should be made to threads posted by one’s fellow students. The other 2 replies should be to comments posted by the student’s colleagues on his or her original thread, substantially continuing the discussion. If there are no replies to the original thread, the student may elect to post 2 additional replies to other submissions. Each reply must be supported by personal evaluation or reflection and incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation, aside from the course text and/or the Bible, published within the last 5 years in APA format. All posts should meet all other writing expectations.

The student will write a 6–8-page reflection-based paper in current APA format that focuses on the student’s personal health traditions and any biases that may influence those traditions. To complete this assignment, the student will use an assessment tool from the course text to conduct a thorough review of the student’s cultural heritage, norms, and traditions. The student will also complete at least 3 implicit association tests (IATs) through a provided link and submit evidence of each completion. The paper should reflect on the biases revealed in the IATs and beyond and comprehensively review how those biases relate to professional practice. The student is encouraged but not required to use references and must follow other writing expectations.

The Cultural Paper will be completed in 3 parts. The Cultural Paper will be a research-based paper in current APA format that will focus on delivering competent care or conducting training for competent care for a recognized sub-population in the United States (identified in Discussion: Introduction and Paper Topic Selection). The paper will include a comprehensive review of the health traditions, biases, and healing traditions of the selected population, as well as how research can be appropriately applied to provide culturally competent care. All submissions must include an APA title page and references that meet all requirements. First-person pronouns should not be used, and the assignment must meet all other writing expectations.

Cultural Paper: References Assignment

For this assignment, the student will develop a reference list in proper APA format with at least 10 scholarly references that are no more than 5 years old that support the selected topic. The student will include a 250–300-word annotation for each entry in the reference list that includes the relevance of the resource and application to the selected topic. Keywords are not necessary for the annotations.

Cultural Paper: Introduction and Outline Assignment

For this assignment, the student will develop an introduction of at least 500 words and a rough outline of the paper with at least 3 main points and at least 3 subpoints for each main point.

Cultural Paper: Final Submission Assignment

For this assignment, the final paper will include the various concepts determined in the topic submission and outlined in the previous assignments. The paper must be at least 12 pages (excluding the title page and references) and include at least 10 scholarly references that meet all requirements, in addition to the course textbook and the Bible.

These assignments will offer the opportunity for each student to select a topic from the readings and foster an understanding of the current state of health care in relation to cultural competence. Each brief will also serve as the foundation for the Video Discussions in the subsequent module. The student will write a 1.5–2-page brief paper in current APA format that focuses on a current topic from the readings. Each brief must clearly state the topic, describe the current research from the selected readings, and expand on the topic with appropriate analysis and notes on the strengths and weaknesses of the research from the literature. The paper must include at least 5 scholarly references in addition to the course textbook and the Bible. The submission should include an APA title page and references that meet all requirements. First-person pronouns should not be used. The assignment should follow all other writing expectations.

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned modules. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 25 multiple choice and true/false questions, and have a 50-minute time limit. The exception will be Quiz: Developing Cultural Competency, which will be open-book/open-notes, contain 2 essay questions, and have a 50-minute time limit.