Community Health Programs
University Credit or CEUs or CECHs Opportunities
New Online summer course:
Cross-Cultural Health Communication
HED 495/595 Section 733 (3 credit)
July 6-Aug. 14, 2009 (postponed)
Instructor: Dr. Margarita Refugia Olivas, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, UW-La Crosse
Who Should Enroll:
Any healthcare provider seeking to improve his/her ability to provide quality healthcare to people of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds while at once gaining valuable skills that can assist one’s career placement and advancement.
Benefits of this Course:
- Gain confidence for communicating with people of different racial/ethnic cultural backgrounds
- Gain understanding for overcoming misconceptions, prejudice and/or stereotypes
- Gain sensitivity to cultural differences that can build trust between healthcare providers and patients
- Gain “people skills” that can be applied in all settings
- Gain critical thinking skills that allow for learning about self and others.
- Gain skills to assist with Career development: With the growing diversity in our society, cultural competence will be a plus when seeking employment and/or seeking career advancement.
Course Objectives:
Focusing on US-American domestic cross-cultural communication healthcare issues, this 6 week online course will provide students information necessary for developing cross-cultural healthcare communication competencies/skills. The course highlights communication as an essential human activity that can bridge cultural differences. Students will learn both theories and practices of cross-cultural healthcare through critically analysis of case studies. Students will also engage in various writing assignments and discussion via 2DL, thereby assisting them with their cross-cultural communication skill building. Students will have the opportunity to select one cultural group as their focus for the class final project. By the end of the course students will be able to:
- identify healthcare cross-cultural issues arising in the workplace,
- understand the importance of identity in healthcare cross-cultural interactions,
- demonstrate their self-reflexive skills to understand their cultural identities,
- evaluate and assess (in) appropriate cross-cultural communication,
- understand theoretical approaches that will enhance their cross-cultural communication competency skills
- gain communication skills that will enhance student’s ability to assist in the creation and maintenance of safe communication expression healthcare environments.
Topics to be Covered:
- Healthcare Communication Concepts
- Communication and Time Orientation
- Perceptions of Pain
- Religious and Spiritual Beliefs
- The Role of Family
- Gender Differences
- Workplace Relationships
- Child Birth
- End of Life
- Mental Health
- Traditional Medicine: Practices and Perspectives
- Cultural Profiles
- Do’s and Don’ts of Providing Culturally Competent Care
Cross-Cultural Health Care Communication Competency Requires "Competency":
(This competency requires people to overcome fear and discomfort and become fluent in four areas)
- Knowledge - Factual information that assists in reducing stereotypes, myths, and negative perceptions of healthcare approaches specific to cultural beliefs, values, and norms.
- Understanding – The development of empathy through awareness and comprehension of how one’s cultural values, beliefs, and norms impact their healthcare choices and daily interactions.
- Acceptance - The ability to respect and afford others the opportunity to include their values and beliefs in their healthcare choices.
- Behavior – One’s ability to effectively verbally and nonverbally communicate with people who are different from oneself within healthcare settings.
Brief list of student responsibilities (1 page PDF)
For credit information, questions or to register, contact:
Karen Hansen, 608.785.6513 or hansen.kare@uwlax.edu