Cultural Competence Writ Large: Modeling Inclusion throughout the Student Learning Experience

• Published in: The Journal of health administration education 2017-11, Vol.34 (3), p.407-435
• Main Authors: Hewitt, Anne M., Johri, Nalin, Wagner, Stephen, Beamer, Glenn, Sakowski, Julie, McDermott, Patrick
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Competence; Curricula; Educational Strategies; Graduation Rate; Learning; Learning activities; Students; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0735-6722; 2158-8236

Leading healthcare sector and professional organizations share a common goal: to establish and ensure a culturally competent workforce. A large, urban master's in health administration (MHA) program, offering both online/hybrid and on-campus options, has served a significant minority student population for more than 20 years. The program recently engaged in a discovery and reflective process to identify cultural competency strengths and weaknesses within the curriculum. The Seton Hall cultural competence inventory and review initiative included findings from (a) an analysis of application, enrollment, and graduation rates; (b) self-assessment tools completed by faculty, students, and alumni; (c) a curriculum assessment of faculty cultural competence teaching strategies and learning domain coverage; and (d) an inventory of diversity and inclusion program activities. Students indicated that program, faculty, advisors, and staff encouraged and demonstrated cultural competencies and helped prepare them to be culturally competent health professionals. Students were less clear on the linkage between cultural competence, inclusion, and diversity within the MHA curriculum. Alumni responses closely paralleled the student findings and supported culturally sensitive faculty and an inclusive and diverse program environment. Faculty indicated an even stronger perception that the MHA program experience, including curriculum content and learning activities, sufficiently prepared students to be culturally competent for the future. Authors present new cultural competency quality-improvement goals. These findings suggest that health management faculty remain influential in preparing culturally competent graduates.