Respecting Client and Staff Diversity
Respecting Client & Staff Diversity
Module Description
This module provides a framework for dealing with diverse clients/individuals and
staff.
Belief systems, cultural practices, respect and sensitivity to cultural issues, gender
issues and sexuality issues are included.
Awareness and use of effective strategies to appropriately deal with client and staff
diversity are emphasized.
Module Outline and Instructor Resources
This module consists of 5 competencies for students to master.
These competencies are listed on the following slide and will be addressed
throughout the remainder of the power point.
Each competency is taught through a series of units which include suggested
assignments for students to complete to learn the competency. Feel free to use the
assignments or develop your own.
Module Outline and Instructor Resources
Find these learning activities and resources on the website or create your own.
The Course Outline also has documents that the instructor can use in teaching the
lesson.
These competencies are listed on the following slide and will then be addressed
throughout the remainder of the Power Point.
Module Competencies
Describe one’s personal belief system.
1. Explain the belief systems and practices of diverse cultures.
2. Explore personal responsibility as a healthcare employee to treat each person as
an individual (customer service).
3. Discuss the appropriate workplace expectations to interact with team members
and care for clients/individuals from diverse cultures, genders, age groups and/or
sexual orientations.
4. Using a problem solving process applied to healthcare situations, describe how
healthcare employees can respect client and staff diversity.
Competency 3
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Competency 3
Explore personal responsibility as a healthcare employee to treat each person as an
individual (customer service).
• Discuss cultural stereotyping.
• Identify personal cultural prejudices.
• Identify cultural interactions with team members and clients.
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Recommended Content
The ancients first formed cultural stereotypes when they came upon a new race or
tribe. They quickly had to decide if the people were safe to encounter. Since there
wasn’t much time to determine if the group was safe or not, judgments where made
towards the race or tribe as a whole, and not on an individual basis.
These assumptions, or stereotypes, were then passed down from generation to
generation and still impact our lives today. Books and films have supported the
aspect of cultural stereotype.
For example, they may depict the black man as a great basketball player or the
black woman who is a servant for a white woman.
Eagle Feather Research Institute
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Cultural blind spot syndrome is a belief that “just because the client looks and
behaves much the way you do, you assume that there are no cultural differences or
potential barriers to care.”
For example, white American nurses may assume that white American patients
believe in the same cultural values as they do. This assumption is false.
White Americans come from many different ethno-cultural backgrounds—Irish,
Russian, German, Jewish, and English to name but a few. In addition, white nurses
and patients may also belong to different subcultures that have different values.
Juliar, K. (2003).
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Through the discussion of this portion of the module, assumptions of stereotyping
will be discussed with the students. This is an area in which many students will
have personal experience to share. The discussion can be lively and needs to be
controlled with respect and sensitivity.
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Communication barriers can lead to a great number of misunderstandings. In the
module entitled “Communications in Health Care Settings”, communication is taught
at length.
However, as communication relates to stereotyping and prejudices, let’s look at just
two barriers to communication.
1. Foreign languages and dialects
2. Street talk, slang and idioms.
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Foreign Languages and Dialects
Some facts:
• Over 6,000 different languages and dialects are spoken today.
• The number of people in America who speak a language other than English is
growing.
• 10% of the population speak more than just English.
• The English language has more than 25,000 different words.
• The most widely spoken language is Mandarin Chinese.
Juliar, K. (2003).
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Definitions of Dialect
“A distinctive way a language is spoken or written in a given locality or by a group
of individuals.”
“A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar,
or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary
language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists.”
“The language peculiar to the members of a group, especially in an occupation;
jargon”.
Juliar, K. (2003).
Stereotyping and Prejudices
Street Talk, Slang, Idioms and Medical Terminology
Street talk, slang, and idioms are expressions that may be used by people that can
sometimes create a language barrier.
For example, if you are from a white middle class family, you may not understand
that when an African-American person uses the word “hood” they are referring to
their neighborhood or that the “Amen Corner” refers to the corner in the church
where the older women of the church sit.
Juliar, K. (2003).
Identify cultural interactions with team
members and clients
Recommended Content
The curriculum breaks down cultural interactions with team members into four parts.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Conversations – verbal and non-verbal
Thoughts regarding interactions
Feelings evoked by the interactions
Physical interactions – touch related to the physical care of a client
Tips on presenting the material
These four areas of interaction with team members can provide for some interesting
stories from the students.
Competency 3: Personal Responsibility and
Customer Service
Recommended Learning Activities
Assignment
Resources
Notes
RCS Competency 3 Cultural Prejudice
Assignment on website
Reflection on cultural prejudice and
how it feels.
RCS Competency 3 Unique Potato
Exercise
Assignment on website
Bring a bag of potatoes
Students choose a potato and describe
the uniqueness of it.
RCS Competency 3 Website – Keirsey
Temperament Sorter II
The Keirsey Inventory Sorter:
This is a 70 question personality
inventory. Students reflect on how to
communicate with others according to
their results.
Competency 4
Competency 4
Discuss the appropriate workplace expectations to interact with team members and
care for clients/individuals from diverse cultures, genders, age groups and/or sexual
orientations.
• Discuss workplace expectations for team members and clients of divers cultures,
genders, ages and sexual orientations.
Workplace Expectations
Recommended Content
This competency addresses respect in the workplace, from respect with team
members to respect with patients/clients of diversity.
Diversity as defined by how the patient/client differs from the healthcare provider.
Different age, skin color, class, religion, education level, language, sexuality, etc.
can be differing factors.
The curriculum also addresses respectful communication with team members and
patients/clients from various cultures.
Workplace Expectations
Respectful communication includes, but not limited to:
•
•
•
•
•
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Written communication
Age appropriate and gender appropriate communication
Requesting clarification, if needed
Validating the feelings of a patient/client
Competency 4: Workplace Expectations
Recommended Learning Activities
RCS Competency 4 Transcultural
Interaction Diary
Assignment on website
Students journal after each encounter with
someone who is culturally diverse and
reflect on the positive and the negative in
the encounter.
RCS Competency 4 5 Scenario
Cultural Diversity Ethics
Assignment on website
Student reflects on a child having marks
from “coining” on their skin and whether to
report it.
Competency 5
Competency 5
Using a problem solving process, applied to healthcare situations, describe how
healthcare employees can respect client and staff diversity.
• Discuss the problem solving process as applied to respecting client and staff
diversity.
Problem Solving as Applied to Diverse
Cultures
Recommended Content
The problem solving process can be broken down into the following 5 steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify the problem
Gather information
Create alternative solutions
Select and act on solution
Evaluate and revise as needed
Competency 5: Problem Solving
Recommended Learning Activities
Assignment
Resources
Notes
RCS Competency 2, 3, 4, 5.
The Spirit Catches You and
You Fall Down Learning
Activity
Book by: Fadiman, Anne
(1997)
Students read the book “The Spirit Catches you
and you fall down” and answer questions
regarding the Hmong people and the cultural
problems they had with the healthcare system and
doctors in the United States
RCS Competency 5
Scenario Diversity Case
Study
Assignment on website
An interesting case study of a Muslim woman
picking up a Prescription from a pharmacy.
References
Berman, A., Snyder, S.J., Kozier, B., and Erb, G. (2008).Culture and heritage. In A. Berman, S.J. Snyder, B.
Kozier, and G. Erb (Eds.). Kozier and Erb’s Fundamentals of nursing: Concepts, process, and practice (8th
ed.) (pp. 311-329). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Bosenberg. M.(2011, March 2). The Population Baby Boom of 1946-1964 in the United States Retrieved from
http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/babyboom.htm
Culture Diversity Organization. (1997-2008).Transcultural nursing: Basic concepts and case studies. Retrieved
from http://www.culturediversity.org/index.html
Eagle Feather Research Institute
http://eaglefeather.org/pages/about.php
References
Freire,P. (n.d.). The Politics of Education. Retrieved from
http://renew.education.ucsb.edu/downloads/overheads_handouts/class.pdf
Juliar, K. (2003). Minnesota Healthcare Core Curriculum (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Publishers
Kane, S. (n.d.). Generation Y. Retrieved from http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/a/GenerationY.htm
Kelly, R.T. (2006). Cultural and ethnic considerations. In B.L. Christensen and E. O. Kockrow (Eds.). Foundations
and adult health nursing (5th ed.) (pp. 124-148). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, Mosby
References
Nemours Foundation. (1995-2011). Culture shock. Retrieved from
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/culture_shock.html#
New World Encyclopedia. (2007). Culture. Retrieved from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Culture
Potter, P.A. and Perry, A.G. (2009). Culture and ethnicity. In P.A. Potter and A.G. Perry (Eds.). Fundamentals of
nursing (7th ed.) (pp. 106-120). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, Mosby
Thielfoldt, D. and Scheef, D. (2004, August). Generation X and the millennial: What you need to know about
mentoring the new generations. Retrieved from http://apps.americanbar.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.html
Author: Dede Carr, BS, CDA, LDA; Pat Reinhart, RN
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