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Cultural Competence

One aspect of working in the world of Health Professions that is commonly neglected but extremely important is cultural competence. In class last week, we learned about what cultural competence is and why it is a vital part of being a successful occupational therapist. A person's mannerisms and values are heavily dependent on the culture in which they were born and raised. Culture is made up of language, values, traditions, and behaviors. If we as therapists are only aware and respectful of our own cultural habits, how can we have successful interactions with clients of different backgrounds? Typically when we think of culture, we think of a person's behaviors, practices, and things we can objectively observe. However, we cannot see someone's attitude and core values just by observing them. It is for this reason that we should all become culturally competent, meaning that we should be able to work with people from all different backgrounds in order to achieve the same goal. This can be achieved by simply educating yourself about different cultures, taking into account how to successfully communicate with a language barrier and becoming aware of nonverbal habits and cues. Being a successful health professional goes beyond one's knowledge about your field. We must be respectful of clients from all walks of life in order to provide the best service for all individuals.

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