9. CULTURAL AWARENESS
The 5 Factors of Culturally Appropriate Care
When we work with people belonging to diverse background, we should become culturally
competent. Following the 5 factors for becoming culturally competent:
1. Value Diversity/Awareness and Acceptance of Differences
● Understand the way the person/client defines health and family
2. Self-Awareness
● Understand how one’s own culture influences and how one thinks and acts
3. Being conscious of the dynamics inherent when cultures interact
● Two people may misjudge the other’s actions based on cultural expectations. They
will bring culturally prescribed patterns of communication, etiquette and problem
solving.They may bring stereotypes or underlying feelings about working with
someone who is different of their cultural differences
● misinterpretations or misjudgments may occur
4. Knowledge of Other/Client’s Culture
● Internalizing cultural knowledge and become familiar with aspects of culture
5. Adaptation of Skills
● The bottom line is we should be open-minded, respectul and non-judgmental, or, at
least, we should be conscious of our prejudices as first step to change them
10. CULTURAL AWARENESS
Bref self-Assessment Questionnaire
-Just to reflect-
● Am I conscious of my culture?
● Am I conscious of the other culture?
● How many peculiarities of the other-culture I know?
● Am I able to improve my knowledge of the other-culture peculiarities?
● Every day to wonder to yourself: “What did you do to improve my knowledge of the
other-culture peculiarities, today?” and try to find always something else of new to
answer…
● Am I satisfied with my results?
● Can I get better?
