To be honest I really didn't know the correct answer for a lot of the questions from the Provider's Guide to
Quality and Culture quiz, so it doesn't really surprise me that I only got 11 questions right. I have to admit I felt some of the questions in this quiz were hard to understand what they were asking for. I generally dislike questions that ask which of these are NOT. But I tried my best and came out with a pretty bad score if I am to judge myself here.
Now let me be clear. This score does not define me as prejudice or biased in my eyes. I know that I do have tendencies to judge people before I know them, but I like to think I do well at pushing those feelings aside so that I can see what kind of person they are with a clean slate.
I will admit that this quiz did open up my eyes about how little I know of other cultures or heritages than my own. I have a lot to learn if I am going to be a fair and effective healthcare provider. For example I need to learn more about the Muslim religion. Admittedly I know very little about it, for instance I assumed that Muslim women would not make eye contact because they are taught to be submissive. Turns out the reason is that modesty is an important quality in Islamic tradition.
I also got the question "Which of the following is NOT true of an organization that values cultural competence" wrong. Now this one kind of bugs me that I did get it wrong. I picked the answer that healthcare organizations try to hire people with similar cultural backgrounds or heritage as the patients they provide care to. I know that it is true but I can't help but feel that this is a form of prejudice during hiring then. If they are only treating Hispanic people in a certain clinic, they will only hire Hispanics? It just doesn't seem fair to deny other people who are just as qualified for the job because they are not Hispanic. I understand the need for Spanish speaking employees in this situation but I do not think it necessary that every employee fit an exact mold.
I am ready and willing to learn more about the many different cultures and religions within our US population so that I may be a better healthcare provider. I would like be a part of the improvement of our healthcare industry and being culturally competent myself will hopefully bring us one step closer to this goal.
~Samantha
Citations:
http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=3.0.htm&module=provider&language=English , The Provider's Guide to Quality & Culture. Management Sciences for Health
