In his hometown of St. Paul, Neb., Jesse Hanisch came closest to cultural diversity when he dined on Mexican food, he says.
That’s why a new week-long workshop focusing on cultural competency at UNMC was of such interest to Hanisch, a Caucasian.
“If I were to become a doctor, to better serve the needs of people from different cultures, I’m going to need to be more receptive and understanding of their needs,” said Hanisch, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Hanisch was among 17 undergraduate students who completed the 2002 Cultural Competency Workshop one week ago. The workshop, coordinated through the Rural Health Education Network, was funded through the Nebraska Health Care Cash Fund. The funds are from the state’s settlement with tobacco companies and are awarded on a competitive basis.
Roxanna Jokela, director of RHEN, said another Cultural Competency Workshop will be in May, with a third scheduled for May 2003. The idea for the workshop originated from a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student who expressed concerns that he didn’t possess enough background to adequately treat people of differing cultures.
“Some of the students from rural Nebraska aren’t exposed to cultures other than their own, so their understanding and comfort-level with people who may not look or talk like them is not at an optimum level,” Jokela said. “The Cultural Competency Workshop provides an opportunity for these students to begin to gain an understanding of Latino, Asian, Native American, African-American and other cultures.”
During the conference, the students learned about cultural differences and similarities; studied factors that determine health disparities; completed research projects; shadowed professionals in underserved areas; conducted mock patient interviews; and worked on sensitivity training.
Chelsey Hansel, a University of Nebraska at Kearney junior, said an exercise in which the student participants, all Caucasian, were asked to stereotype themselves was particularly eye-opening.
“You could see how ridiculous the stereotypes really are,” said Hansel, a graduate of Albion High School.
Hansel said she didn’t know much about Native American or Asian-American culture when she came to UNMC last week. The workshop sessions, she said, allowed her to learn about many cultures from several perspectives. That will be beneficial, the pre-medicine student said, wherever she chooses to practice.
“People of different cultures are living in the same communities,” she said. “I’m going to use what I’ve learned at this workshop, that’s for sure.”