Beyond Cultural Competence in OT

The term cultural competence can feel too soft and narrow to really push our profession towards equity and justice.

But, the article we are reviewing today, brings up several essential points for discussion.

The mention of OT in the article is grim. The article highlights “culturally blind” attitudes of OTs that failed to change after cultural competence training.

This is a stark reminder of the need for change—and the multi-layered work needed to make change happen. Ultimately, the article attempts to put forth an understanding of cultural competence that is both expansive and dynamic, but also able to be operationalized into practice.

After we review the article, we are honored to welcome Khalilah R. Johnson, PHD, MS, OTR/L to discuss what this research means for your OT practice and for our profession.

1. You will be able to identify antecedents to cultural competence for health care providers.

2. You will recognize the defining attributes of culturally competent OT care.

• Intro

• Breakdown and analysis of journal article

  • Some background on cultural competence

  • Some pitfalls of the term “cultural competence”

  • What was the intent of this research?

  • What were the methods?

  • What were the results?

  • Occupational therapy and cultural competence

  • Conclusions and discussion

  • Takeaways for OT practitioners

• Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with guest Khalilah Johnson)

  1. Can you tell us the story of how you found OT?

  2. Can you tell us about your current work and projects, related to our topic today?

  3. Let’s start by unpacking the term cultural competence and what it means to you. Did the article align with your understanding of it?

  4. The article highlighted research with a group of occupational therapists who exhibited cultural blindness (and who failed to change after cultural competency training.) It felt to me like an important piece of research to really reflect on. Do you agree?

  5. I want to talk about the strengths of this article and the concept of cultural competence—and also critique it.

     • What did you think was useful from this article?

     • Do you have any critiques of this article?

     • What are the limitations and potential harms of focusing on cultural competence?

  6. What is one thing you would like each OT practitioner to do differently after listening to this podcast?

  7. What is one thing you would like to see change on a macro level for the occupational therapy profession?

Primary

• Cultural competence in healthcare in the community: A concept analysis

Additional

• Moving from cultural competence to cultural humility in occupational therapy: A paradigm shift

• Barriers and facilitators to cultural competence in Rehabilitation Services: A scoping review

Additional Reading Mentioned in the Episode

• Attitudes and beliefs of occupational therapists participating in a cultural competency workshop (2010)

• Occupation, well-being, and culture: Theory and cultural humility (2013)

• Approaches to culture and diversity: A critical synthesis of occupational therapy literature (2015)

• Teaching Authentic Cooking Skills to Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Active Engagement

• Dr. Alyassah Sewell’s work on quantifying/measuring structural racism

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Khalilah R. Johnson serves on the board of the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD).