A review on cultural competency in medical education

Abstract

Cultural competency is a wide notion with a variety of academic bases and differing perspectives on how it should be implemented. While it is widely acknowledged that cultural competency should be an element of general practise, there is a paucity of literature in this area. It has been commonly claimed that cultural competency is a fundamental prerequisite for working well with persons from different cultural backgrounds. Medical students must learn how to connect successfully with patients from all walks of life, regardless of culture, gender, or financial background. Hence, National Medical Council (NMC) has included cultural competence as a course subject in the curriculum of medical education. The opportunities and concept of Competency Based Medical Education, the inclusion of cultural competency in medical course by NMC, various models and practice skill of cultural competence in medical education are discussed in this paper. This study will be useful to researchers who are looking at cultural competency as a research variable that influences study result.

Keywords: Competency-based medical education; cultural competence; culture awareness; healthcare quality; medical education; national medical council.