Nonprofit Programing
Internal Staff Training on Multicultural Competence
The problem.
The organization recognized a need to strengthen multicultural competence among its medical staff. Because providers work with patients from diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, the organization wanted to ensure that its medical team had the knowledge and skills to provide culturally responsive, respectful, and effective care. They were seeking a training program that could help staff better understand the ways that culture and identity can influence patients’ experiences, communication, health beliefs, and interactions with the healthcare system.
The strategy.
To address this need, we facilitated a series of racial-cultural lab groups designed to create a structured and supportive space for participants to explore race, culture, identity, and bias. Led by a trained expert in race and identity, participants engaged in guided reflection and group discussions that encouraged them to examine their own identities, assumptions, and experiences while developing greater awareness of how these factors can influence interactions with colleagues and patients. The facilitated group format allowed participants to learn from one another, engage in meaningful dialogue, and build greater self-awareness and cultural responsiveness in their professional practice.
The results.
The racial-cultural lab groups created a structured opportunity for medical staff to engage in facilitated conversations about race, culture, identity, and bias. Participants were encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and assumptions while building greater awareness of how unconscious biases and cultural differences can influence interactions with patients and colleagues. While developing multicultural competence is an ongoing process that requires sustained learning and organizational commitment, the program helped establish an important foundation for this work. By creating space for open dialogue, self-reflection, and shared learning, we helped the organization take meaningful initial steps toward building greater cultural awareness and responsiveness among its medical staff.