Cultural Competency

I just finished reading the article we had for this week on "cultural competency." Here are some random thoughts and ideas to incorporate into our ASB week.

1. I thought that much of the advice that the article gave to health care professionals was painfully obvious. I mean, it's not too hard to realize that doctors should treat their patients with kindness, friendliness, and respect. I would hope that patients don't have to be Latino to merit this sort of considerate care!

2. That being said, I see the point that the article is making. Many people coming from Latin American cultures expect more of a personal relationship with their doctors. As I'm sure many of you who have spent time outside of the US know, not everywhere has the rushed, "efficient" approach to doing business that we do.

3. I think we should keep this article in mind when we're presenting our health projects. It's important to establish a connection with the people we hope to serve. Throwing information in their faces isn't going to accomplish anything, so we should make sure to approach each interaction with a friendly, approachable, respectful attitude. That sounds easy, but I think we will find it hard to keep up sometimes, especially after a series of long days and travel.

4. And, maybe most importantly, we should make sure not to be judgmental. Not only would a judgmental mindset limit our interaction with others and thus the service we can give, it would be a serious detriment to the learning we can gain from this trip! I hope to approach the whole week with a very open, observant mind.