How much do I value becoming culturally competent? What actions have I taken recently or in the past when caring for culturally diverse patients that demonstrate my motivation?

Cultural Competence

To understand culture and cultural diversity, you must understand your own culture and beliefs. Utilizing the Staircase Self-Assessment Model as a means of determining your level of cultural competency, write a 1250 to 1500-word essay outlining the six stages: cultural destructiveness, cultural incapacity, cultural blindness, pre-competency, basic cultural competency, and advance cultural competency. Determine your level on the staircase by answering the following questions. Be mindful that your responses will not be judged; only your knowledge of the Staircase Self-Assessment Model will be evaluated:

Step 1:

• How much do I value becoming culturally competent?
• What actions have I taken recently or in the past when caring for culturally diverse patients that demonstrate my motivation?

Step 2:

• How much do I know about my cultural heritage or racial identity and its relationship to my own healthcare beliefs and practices?
• Have I discussed these issues with my parents, grandparents, or other relatives?

Step 3:

• How much do I know about cultural groups that differ from my own?

Step 4:

• How culturally diverse is my social network?
• How many encounters with cultural group members outside my social network do I have? Are these relationships superficial, or do I have social contact beyond the workplace?

Step 5:

• Am I able to independently identify the potential or actual problems that originate from cultural conflicts, or am I surprised by them?
• Do I serve as a culturally competent role model/mentor for others?

Step 6:

• Have I developed problem-solving strategies to manage cultural conflicts?
• Am I able to manage or resolve cultural problems or issues that arise, and what resources do I use?

Once you have completed the self-assessment, address the following questions:

1. Why are self-knowledge and understanding a critical step in achieving cultural competence?

2. How has the “cultural self-assessment” exercise influenced your awareness of personal and professional values, attitudes, and practices, including prejudices and biases?

3. How will your interactions with patients and families change as a result of this self-reflection?
Remember, you answer these questions from your perspective, so there is no right or wrong response. You must address each question. Although the information on your self-assessment paper is strictly confidential, if you do not wish to self-disclose a specific area from the Staircase, indicate that by explaining in detail why you do not want to disclose. You are not required to provide citations/references in this paper. Attention should be paid to grammar, spelling, and punctuation.