CRHESI co-coordinator James Shelley blogs about the concept of ‘cultural humility’… and the perspective it sheds on the idea of ‘cultural competency’:
Applied to healthcare in a cross-cultural context, we might imagine that a true master of cultural competency would be the last person to think of themselves as a ‘master’ at all. In fact, such a person might be hesitant to even self-describe themselves with the word ‘competent’. ‘Competency’ suggests a certain level of achievement, but an appreciation for the subtleties and prevalence of culture leaves one ever-questioning their ideas about what ‘the other’ person — the patient, for instance — truly needs, wants, and believes.
Read the full blog post here.