The Healthcare Professional's Guide to Clinical Cultural Competence

This book serves as an introduction to a framework designed to develop cultural competence (a set of behaviours, attitudes and policies that allow professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations). The content, reading level, and pedagogy focuses on learning and acquiring the necessary skills to identify and deal with a diversity of cultures encountered in any health care setting. Appendices present information about particular groups, rather than by ethnicity or religion which can be very limiting. Our appendices present information by "populations" as they are clinically encountered (e.g. beginning of life / end of life etc.) Unique approach: looks at populations the way health care workers encounter them, not by ethno-cultural/religious labels Multidisciplinary approach to writing reflects a variety of perspectives and direct front-line experience Discussion is broad and inclusive, integrating different perspectives, but also makes visible the different paradigms used to approach the topic Case studies and questions encourage critical thinking and dialogue