Seventeen undergraduate students took part in the first Cultural Competency
Workshop Jan. 6-11 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Students from Nebraska Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Hastings College and Midland Lutheran
College attended the workshop, which was coordinated by the UNMC Rural
Health Education Network. During the workshop, the students learned about
cultural differences and similarities; studied factors that determine health
disparities; completed research projects; shadowed professionals in underserved
areas; conducted mock patient interviews; and worked on sensitivity training.
Some of the students from rural Nebraska arent exposed to cultures
other than their own, so their understanding and comfort-level with people
who may not look or talk like them is not at an optimal level, said Roxanna
Jokela, director of RHEN. The Cultural Competency Workshop provides an
opportunity for these students to begin to gain an understanding of Latino,
Asian, Native American, African-American and other cultures.
The workshop was funded in part through the Nebraska Health Care Cash
Fund. Those funds come through the states settlement with tobacco companies
and are awarded on a competitive basis.
Jokela said another Cultural Competency Workshop will be conducted in
May of this year, with a third scheduled for May 2003. The idea for the
workshop originated from a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student who expressed
concerns that he didnt possess enough background to adequately treat people
of differing cultures.
Jesse Hanisch, a junior University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, said
he came closest to cultural diversity in his hometown of St. Paul, Neb.,
when he dined on Mexican food. Thats why the Cultural Competency Workshop
was of interest to Hanisch, a Caucasian.
If I were to become a doctor, to better serve the needs of people from
different cultures, Im going to need to be more receptive and understanding
of their needs, said Hanisch, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Chelsey Hansel, a University of Nebraska at Kearney junior, said an
exercise in which the student participants, all Caucasian, were asked to
stereotype themselves was particularly eye-opening.
You could see how ridiculous the stereotypes really are, said Hansel,
a graduate of Albion High School.
Hansel said that she didnt know much about Native American or Asian-American
culture when she came to UNMC. The workshop sessions, she said, allowed
her to learn about many different cultures from several perspectives. That
will be beneficial, the pre-medicine student said, wherever she chooses
to practice.
People of different cultures are living in the same communities, she
said. Im going to use what Ive learned at this workshop, thats for
sure.
The students who attended the workshop, listed alphabetically by hometown,
included:
Adams: Nichole Ebbers, junior, Nebraska Wesleyan
Albion: Chelsey Hansel, junior, UNK
Albion: Kristin Maricle, junior, Nebraska Wesleyan
Beatrice: Holly Portwood, sophomore, Hastings College
Elkhorn: Amanda Kruse, freshman, Nebraska Wesleyan
Fort Calhoun: Michael Kelly McCarthy, junior, Midland Lutheran
Grand Island: Tiffany Peterson, junior, UNL
Hastings: Bryce Noll, sophomore, Hastings College
Humphrey: Brad Greisen, junior, UNK
Imperial: Jessica Schutte, sophomore, Midland Lutheran
Mullen: Michael Simonson, senior, UNK
ONeill: Autumn Hanson, sophomore, Midland Lutheran
St. Paul: Jesse Hanisch, junior, UNL
Seward: Dara Greene, senior, UNL
Valentine: Ryon Parker, senior, Hastings College
Wahoo: Aaron Lanik, junior, Midland Lutheran
Wymore: Krystal Behrends, senior, Nebraska Wesleyan