The case for cultural competence in health professions education

Abstract

Health profession schools in the United States have to be able to meet the health and pharmaceutical care demands of a rapidly growing racial and multiethnic population. One tactic is to develop and implement or expand existing resources and didactic courses to address cultural competence in the curricula of every college and school of pharmacy. The curriculum should require a focus on the reality of evidence-based health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations; importance of providing culturally competent care and communication to meet the health needs of diverse patient populations; and exposure to cultural diversity. Students should be grounded in cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. This article establishes a case for integrating cultural competence into the curricula of health professions schools.