Cross cultural communication to help physician assistants provide unbiased health care

Teaching cross cultural communication typically involves instruction in differences between groups. As part of this course in cross cultural communication, six specific underserved population groups are introduced to students as a cultural experience. Additionally, instruction is provided to sensitize students to their personal biases and prejudices through videotaped mock interviews. The combination of instruction and experience forms a paradigm for teaching cross cultural communication in a way that has personal and immediate impact on faculty members and students. The model, "Differences + Discomforts = Discoveries," inhibits factionalizing and promotes depth of knowledge about underserved groups as well as personal awareness of prejudicial feelings. As a result, students learn techniques to provide unbiased health care to these, and other, populations.