An Elective Course to Train Student Pharmacists to Provide Culturally Sensitive Health Care

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Cultural Competency in Healthcare
• Community Health

Background:

• Student pharmacists require training to provide culturally sensitive care.
• Community health screenings necessitate effective patient communication and clinical skills.
• Addressing health disparities among diverse populations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an elective course for student pharmacists.
• To enhance students' knowledge, self-confidence, and skills for culturally sensitive patient care.
• To prepare students for community health screenings with diverse patient groups.

Main Methods:

• A one-credit-hour elective course was developed for second- and third-year pharmacy students.
• The curriculum covered chronic diseases in minorities, cross-cultural communication, and health screening equipment.
• Knowledge, self-confidence, clinical, and communication skills were assessed via pre-post surveys and compared to a control group.

Main Results:

• Students in the elective course showed significantly higher knowledge scores than the control group.
• Elective participants reported increased self-confidence, communication, and clinical skills.
• All students in the course experienced a rise in knowledge, with second-year students matching third-year confidence levels.

Conclusions:

• The elective course effectively improved pharmacy students' preparedness for culturally sensitive healthcare.
• Enhanced knowledge, clinical skills, communication abilities, and self-confidence were key outcomes.
• The course successfully equipped students for community health screenings involving diverse populations.