The world is stuffed with many vibrant cultures. It’s not possible to grasp each. But cultivating cultural humility and showing your willingness to find out about your patients’ cultures can go a good distance. On this episode of Off the Charts, we discuss cultural competency vs. cultural humility with Dr. Miguel Ruiz, a HealthPartners hospice and palliative care physician. Take heed to the episode or read the transcript.
Competency vs. humility
When people consider understanding cultures which can be different from their very own, it’s easy to give attention to competence. Cultural competence is knowing facts about one other culture. Someone who’s culturally competent might understand the fundamentals of cultural norms and values, but knowing the fundamentals of a culture doesn’t give the identical level of understanding as someone who’s from that culture – which may result in stereotypes.
Cultural humility shifts the main target to someone’s willingness to find out about one other culture. The important thing tenet of cultural humility is knowing that learning is a lifelong journey. Someone who practices cultural humility says “I seek to learn” moderately than “I already know.”
Learn how to put yourself in a mindset of cultural humility
Setting yourself in the precise way of thinking can enable you practice cultural humility. Before each interaction, it’s necessary to reflect on where you’re coming from and where the opposite person is likely to be coming from.
For instance, a physician preparing for an appointment is able of power, in a well-known space and feeling well. But their patient is likely to be feeling sick, could possibly be in a recent and uncomfortable setting, and will be feeling vulnerable. That patient may also speak a unique language or be a part of a minority group. All of this stuff play a job within the interaction.
By working to approach individuals with cultural humility, it will probably be easier to foster a way of trust and higher communication. Take heed to this episode of Off the Charts to see how cultural humility impacts health care.