CPE cultural immersion through a country exchange program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Pastoral Care Research

Background:

• Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs aim to train chaplains for diverse healthcare settings.
• Cultural competence is crucial for effective patient care in multicultural environments.
• Houston Methodist Hospital System (HM) offers international CPE exchanges to foster cultural understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a country exchange cultural immersion program for CPE students.
• To identify key themes and outcomes experienced by students participating in the cross-cultural program.
• To assess how the program contributes to the professional development of chaplaincy students.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).
• 17 CPE students (Mexico and US) participated in semi-structured interviews.
• Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded by a research team to identify emergent themes.

Main Results:

• Thirteen distinct themes emerged from the student interviews.
• The program was highly successful in helping students overcome comfort zones.
• Students reported increased compassion, confidence, and competence in working with diverse populations.

Conclusions:

• The cultural immersion program significantly enhances CPE students' ability to engage with patients, families, and staff from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• The program's outcomes align with Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) Level IIA Outcome Indicators, demonstrating its effectiveness in developing key competencies.
• This initiative provides a valuable model for training culturally competent chaplains in global healthcare settings.