Cultural Competence

In today’s multicultural society, cultural competence will play an increased role in the physical therapists’ daily routine from the classroom to the clinic. Cultural Competence: A Lifelong Journey to Cultural Proficiency provides a comprehensive, theoretical and practical approach to increasing knowledge and awareness, improving attitudes, and providing the necessary skills for practicing cultural competence each day. Dr. Ronnie Leavitt, along with a group of contributors with a range of backgrounds, both in physical therapy and the social sciences, provides an evidence-based text looking to explore practical applications in a wide array of settings. Cultural Competence addresses cultural competence by discussing the special considerations one needs to learn about rather than specific population groups. Also discussed is how different theorists describe cultural competence, as well as methods of measuring cultural competence and government policies regarding cultural competence. Chapter Topics include: Relationship between poverty and health Health disparities between populations Cross-cultural communications Health beliefs and behaviors associated with disability and rehabilitation Community based rehabilitation and how to address cultural competence in developing nations Service learning and cultural competence Cultural Competence: A Lifelong Journey to Cultural Proficiency is the ideal text for physical therapy students and clinicians, occupational therapy students and clinicians, and other rehabilitation professionals looking to begin a journey towards understanding how to take into account a patient’s cultural background in the classroom or clinic.