The design and evaluation of an interprofessional elective course with a cultural competence component

Faculty from the Colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Allied Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati collaborated to create an elective course that focused on providing students the opportunity for interprofessional education (IPE) and cultural competence training. The course was designed around the educational principles described in the literature as most effective for IPE: interpersonal and small-group skills, face-to-face interaction, positive interdependence, individual accountability and group processing. Impact of the course was assessed using two questionnaires focusing on interdisciplinary interactions and cultural competence, respectively. The Student Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) and Inventory for Assessing The Process of Cultural Competence Among Health Care Professionals-Revised (IAPCC-R) were administered to students prior to the start of the course and at the end of the course. The SAQ results indicated that students perceived the course to be beneficial in the following areas: interprofessional team work, professionalism, self-confidence, communication skills, and improved understanding of the roles of health professionals and the impact of each profession on patient care. The course also promoted students' progress on their personal and professional journeys toward cultural proficiency as noted by changes in their pre//post-course IAPCC-R scores. Students moved from being culturally aware to becoming culturally competent. The design and evaluation of this class can be used as a model by other universities to promote interdisciplinary team skills in health professions students and to provide additional opportunities for cultural competence training.