Exploring Cultural Competence amongst OT Students.
Pragashnie Govender, December M Mpanza, Tarryn Carey and 3 others
PMID 29097961WHAT IT FOUND
South African occupational therapy students described language and culture as tightly linked.
A majority felt culturally incompetent, yet described using body language, research, learning client languages, and extra time to adapt therapy. Translators were reported to weaken rapport.
Key findings
01A majority of participants felt culturally incompetent, while also describing cultural sensitivity and ongoing learning.
02Participants described language and culture as closely linked.
03Participants used translators, body language, written phrases, digital translation apps, research, colleagues, and extra time to bridge gaps, and said translators could weaken rapport and exclude the therapist.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 21 final year occupational therapy students from one school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, so the views may not apply to other programmes, professions, or countries. Findings are based on what students said in focus groups, not on observations of their actual therapy, so reported competence may not match practice. The students were selected deliberately, not randomly, so the sample may not represent all students. Four of the authors were final year occupational therapy students at the time of the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the students' self-reported cultural incompetence as proof that their training was inadequate. They described cultural sensitivity and ongoing learning, and the study did not observe their actual practice.