English 1A
Research Paper
Assignment: After substantial research, make an argument concerning what should be done to resolve a specific conflict between the cultural or religious traditions or values of a particular community, and the rules and expectations of the larger Anglo/Christian dominated American society. The conflict could occur in connection with medicine, transportation, education, the legal system, penal system, or another area that interests you.
[Instructor comments appear in bold, italic font within brackets below.]
The Need For Cultural Sensitivity
In the nonfiction text The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down,
Anne Fadiman brings to light the conflicts between a Hmong family’s cultural
beliefs, and that of the traditional western medical beliefs of the American
doctors they come into contact with. The cultural barriers between the two groups
prevent any positive outcome in the health care of the Hmong family’s
youngest daughter, Lia. This unfortunately results in a tragic end to the young
girl’s life. Fadiman does not blame anyone for the unfortunate events
that occur; after all, there is no one to blame. Each was only doing what they
believed was best for the young Hmong girl. It was the lack of communication
and understanding of what those beliefs were, that helped destroy any hope of
providing effective health care for the Hmong child. This is not an isolated
case that just happened in the small town of Merced, California. [Good
way to use the text we read in class as a springboard into your subject and
argument.] It is a prevalent problem all over the world. It stems
from the lack of cultural sensitivity being sufficiently taught in medical school.
[Strong claim – a good thesis statement.] Teaching
medical students how to be culturally sensitive is not easy in the least, but
there is a tremendous need for it. The United States is a hugely diverse country,
and becoming ever more so by the decades. There are cultures from all over the
world in the United States, and these cultures carry extremely different beliefs
from that of the larger Anglo/Christian American society. In the United States,
the doctors are taught traditional Western medicine. The problem is, Western
medicine is not accepted or practiced in all cultures, and conflicts can arise
if doctors are not sensitive to others’ cultural beliefs that are different
from their own.
Not only does cultural sensitivity need to be better taught in medical school,
there needs to be a lot more value put on it than there currently is. [Good
topic sentence to focus the paragraph.] An article in the Medical
Education journal stated that “although some medical training is beginning
to prepare doctors to work in an ethnically diverse society, there is a long
way to go. Research suggests many practicing clinicians are inadequately equipped
to provide appropriate intercultural care” (Kai et al). Some doctors believe
that there will never be enough training to better prepare them for being culturally
sensitive to everyone. They say that there is not enough time in their already
hectic schedules to be culturally sensitive all the time. [Nice
way to introduce a counterargument, so that you may then address it or refute
it.] But, doctor Michele Borgeson at the University of California
San Francisco, believes that cultural sensitivity does play an extremely important
and crucial part in helping to make health care more effective and appropriate
for all patients, from all cultural backgrounds. In order for this to happen,
there needs to be a change in the curriculum currently being taught in medical
school. If the American doctors in Merced, California would have been better
trained in medical school to be aware of, and sensitive to the Hmong’s
cultural beliefs, the outcome of the young Hmong girl might have been different.
What is cultural sensitivity, and why is it important in the delivery of health
care? Cultural sensitivity is the respect, and the valuing of differing cultural
identities. It is important because there are few places in the world where
the delivery of health care takes place in mono-cultural contexts (Prideaux).
The United States is continually becoming more culturally diverse. In an increasingly
diverse society, doctors and medical staff must learn to value ethnic diversity
in order to deliver effective health care to everyone. It would also help providers
to better understand others’ beliefs to some extent [This
feels a little repetitive, although I think you’re saying doctors need
to not only value diversity, but be educated about it, and apply their knowledge,
yes?], which would aid in building a strong doctor-patient relationship.
The American Academy of Pediatrics agree that physicians need to “...take
into account the beliefs, values, actions, customs, and unique health care needs
of distinct population groups. Providers will thus enhance interpersonal and
communication skills, thereby strengthening the physician-patient relationship....”
The relationship between the doctor and the patient, including the patient’s
family, is extremely important. In the case of The Spirit Catches You And
You Fall Down, we see that the relationship between the American doctors
and the Hmong family was weak because of the lack of communication, understanding,
and respect. Anne Fadiman shows the lack of communication when she stated that
“Dan had no way of knowing that Foua and Nao Kao had already diagnosed
their daughter’s problem as [soul loss]. Foua and Nao Kao had no way of
knowing that Dan had diagnosed it as epilepsy...” (28). [Good
specific example to illustrate your point.] Neither knew, because
no one had bothered to ask. This may seem like a small miscommunication, but
it is actually the whole reason why Lia Lee didn’t receive the optimal
care she deserved, thus resulting in the tragic end of her young life. If Lia’s
doctors would have had some sort of cultural sensitivity training in medical
school, the relationship between the American doctors and the Lees might have
been different, which would have possibly resulted in better health care for
Lia.
How does one effectively teach medical students to be culturally sensitive?
What some experts suggest is that in order to understand and appreciate another’s
cultural beliefs and practices, students need to first look at their own cultural
beliefs and practices. Professor David Prideaux states that there are at least
three key elements in teaching cultural diversity:
Students should have opportunities to discuss and reflect upon their own cultural
identities. They should interact with others who will represent and explain
their own differing cultural identities. Finally they should be prepared for
the delivery of health services in a manner which values, respects and enhances
the cultural identities of those under their care.
Training at some point, should also look critically at each student’s
assumptions and attitudes about people different from themselves. This would
involve teaching the students to recognize stereotyping, prejudice and racism
(Kai et al). Students also need to be able to understand the strengths and weaknesses
of their own culture and cultural identity. When this is achieved, only then
can students begin to understand that one culture is not normal or dominant,
stronger or superior than the other. Most doctors agree that prejudice and racism
have no place in the medical field, yet they appear frequently (Borgeson) [A
specific example would help make your argument stronger here].
Only when these issues are addressed will their there be any progress in the
training of cultural sensitivity in medical school.
Although medical schools seem to lack sufficient cultural sensitivity and
cultural diversity training, there are some effective teaching strategies out
there. [Great transition sentence. Your essay flows smoothly from
paragraph to paragraph.] A nurse from Sequoia Hospital in Redwood
City felt well enough prepared through the nursing school she attended. She
recalls an assignment where she had to pick a culture different from her own
and learn about it. She then needed to represent that culture in a skit that
accurately portrayed ways in which the cultural beliefs of the group might be
properly accommodated in the hospital. Nurse Jones also remembers being taught
things about certain cultures’ religious beliefs, their birth and death
rituals, and beliefs that might be different from her own. She claims that this
helped her to be more open and more respectful to people that were different
from herself. Doctor Michele Borgeson at the University of California San Francisco,
also felt well prepared to handle cultural issues. She felt that there was a
lot of value given to cultural sensitivity in her medical training. But, she
also says that “growing up in a culturally diverse society, attending
medical school at the University of Miami, doing [her] residency at the University
of California San Francisco, and marrying a man of a different culture, might
have something to do with [her] being culturally sensitive as well, but never
the less, [she] realize[s] the importance of respecting others’ cultural
beliefs when caring for [her] patients” (Borgeson). This positive aim
in teaching student to be culturally sensitive is not just being done in the
major metropolitan cities located in the United States. A study done at the
University of Leicester Medical School in the United Kingdom, showed that most
students were aware of their responsibility to consider cultural issues in caring
for patients (Dogra) [Quality research – the personal interviews
as well as the research study]. This is good news, and shows that
the issue of delivering culturally effective health care is on the right path
[The issue is on the right path? Awkward metaphor]. Had any of
this training been given to the American doctors described in The Spirit
Catches You And You Fall Down, the delivery of the health care they gave
Lia would have been different. As Fadiman explains: “All of them had spent
hundreds of hours dissecting cadavers...but none of them had had a single hour
of instruction in cross-cultural medicine” (61). [Great way
to wrap up the paragraph, showing the significance of your argument.]
Although the cultural training that is currently being provided in some medical
schools and nursing schools is effective to a certain extent, understanding
a person’s culture is not enough. [Another excellent transition
sentence.] An article in the Medical Education journal stated,
“Although many curricula may include some reference to culture, few training
programs appear to have implemented any comprehensive multicultural health care
component...” (Kai et al). Cultural sensitivity needs not only to be taught
in medical school, but residency training and continued medical education as
well. Both Nurse Jones and Doctor Borgeson admit that issues such as stereotyping,
prejudice, and racism were never addressed in their medical training. And, nothing
at all is mentioned about culture in their continued education training.
[Interesting] A public health nurse from Oakland, California admits
that she was not prepared at all to deal with people from other cultures that
were different from her own. She found it very hard to be culturally sensitive
at first. She assumed that the people she was going to serve in her community
would accept the care she had been taught to give them (Quinn).
Students also need to realize that an individual’s idea of what his
or her culture is might not be the same as the cultural group’s idea;
therefore addressing the patient as an individual is very important. Medical
staff should encourage patients to describe their cultural characteristics and
health beliefs during encounters. This is exactly what the doctors in The
Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down did not do. Fadiman explains that
the reason why the doctors never asked the Hmong how they treated their illnesses
was because the Hmong dressed in American clothes and had driver’s licenses
(112). Assuming what the patient’s cultural beliefs are, based on the
way they dress, how they live, or how they appear to be, is stereotyping, and
can lead to ineffective health care for the patient. It is very clear that there
needs to be much more done in training students how to be culturally sensitive
than what is currently being done in medical school today, especially if doctors
and health professionals recognize the fact that being culturally sensitive
has a positive effect on the patient’s outcome.
Although some doctors and health care professionals realize that being culturally
sensitive is important in the delivery of health care, most say it’s not
as easy as it sounds. [Good – you’re returning to an
opposing argument to address it fully.] There are many reasons
why medical schools are hesitant in teaching medical students to be culturally
sensitive. Medical schools argue that integrating cultural sensitivity into
an already over packed curriculum is going to be a challenge in itself. Doctor
Borgeson says that “doctors that practice Western medicine are taught
in medical school that figuring out the cause of the illness, which is always
biological, is their number one priority.” Doctors usually don’t
have the extra time in their hectic schedules to learn about a person’s
cultural beliefs. As it is, doctors only have fifteen minutes to: gather information
on the patient’s medical history, diagnose the patient, and either give
medication or come up with a treatment plan. If the patient does not speak English,
a translator must be found. Language barriers often cut into precious time when
trying to get to the root of a problem (Borgeson). Doctors in rural parts of
America argue that their local communities have few ethnic minority groups,
so the training of cultural sensitivity would be irrelevant (Kai et al). Tala
Montoya, a long time nurse and nursing instructor, admits that “the current
medical system in the United States is not tolerant of all cultural issues.
There are laws that need to be followed here, and some of the things that are
done in other cultures are considered against the law in the United States.”
[As an example,] In The Spirit Catches You And
You Fall Down, Dr. Neil Ernst reported Lia’s parents to Child Protective
Services because they were not giving Lia the prescribed medication properly,
which was considered child abuse, which is against the law (58). All medical
staff are required by law to report any suspicion of child abuse, or their medical
license could be put in jeopardy. So, regardless of how culturally sensitive
a doctor or nurse is trained to be, there are laws and values that are supported
by the people that practice Western medicine in the United States. [An
important paragraph – you outline all the major arguments against more
cultural sensitivity training, and they’re serious arguments. Now you
can counter them or concede partially, but returning to your thesis.]
Training students to become culturally sensitive is not going to be an easy
task. Not only are there laws that need to be followed, but not everyone can
be trained to be culturally sensitive. [Moreover,] Becoming culturally sensitive
is an individual choice; no matter if it is taught in medical school or not.
[Yet] Psychologists agree that although certain prejudices are hard to change,
it can be done through extensive cultural and cross cultural training (Spector).
One problem is, doctors usually assume that the patient has come to their hospital
to seek their advice, and that the patient will automatically agree with the
diagnosis and treatment plan the doctor prescribes. In The Spirit Catches
You And You Fall Down, Fadiman explains that young doctors are frustrated
by the lack of acceptance of Western medicine by the Hmong. Doctors have been
taught in medical school that Western medicine is the only legitimate way to
care for health problems (76). But, doctors need to understand that Western
medicine is a culture in itself. How can other cultures be expected to respect
the beliefs of Western medicine if the doctors of Western medicine don’t
respect other cultures? There needs to be some sort of compromise. Like the
obstetrician in The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down says: “Sometimes
you can find middle ground and try to understand where they are coming from,
which is hard, but not impossible” (75). Dr. Borgeson says that “becoming
culturally sensitive takes time and experience in the health care field. Over
time you begin to realize that there isn’t just one way of doing things,
and if you value your career as a doctor, you’ll realize that really quickly.”
In an increasingly diverse society doctors must learn to value and respect others’ cultural belief systems. This will allow them to deliver the most effective health care possible. Medical students need to accept that as future doctors they have a responsibility to be aware and respectful of their patients’ cultural beliefs. Teaching students the importance of being culturally sensitive when caring for their patients is a crucial step in helping them provide effective health care for everyone, regardless of their differing cultural identities. Culturally effective health care must also be integrated into all levels of medical training: both the curricular and clinical phases of medical school, residency training, and in continuing medical education. The lack of cultural sensitivity being taught in medical schools is the reason why there isn’t effective health care for people that have cultural beliefs different from that of the more dominant American society. Some in the medical field feel that there will never be enough training to better prepare them for the issues that surround differing cultural beliefs [Or, apparently, that training doesn’t help, or that there isn’t time to apply their training, or other training is higher priority…]. Others have a more optimistic out look, and are doing everything they can to change the current curriculum in medical schools and nursing schools around the world. An article in the Medical Education journal stated, “Change is needed in medical education. Gradual change is preferable to radical change, because it allows the medical schools to see the success in a series of small changes” (Kai et al). Although this will not be an easy road, and will take time for the training to show an impact in the delivery of health care, we can see that now is the time for change. Now is the time to begin providing culturally effective health care for everyone. Hopefully after this is achieved, there will be no more tragic cases like that of Lia Lee.
Works Cited
American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Pediatric Workforce. “Culturally
Effective Pediatric Care: Education and Training Issues.” Pediatrics
103 (1999):167-170 Ebsco Host Academic Search Elite. Chabot College Lib.,
Hayward, Ca. 30 Oct. 2003 <http://search.epnet.com/>
Borgeson,Michele MD, University of California San Francisco. Personal Interview.
4 Nov. 2003
Dogra, Nisha., and David Stretch. “Developing a questionnaire to assess
student awareness of the need to be culturally aware in clinical practice.”
Medical Teacher 23 (2001) 59-64. Ebsco Host Academic Search Elite.
Chabot College Lib., Hayward, Ca. 30 Oct. 2003 <http://search.epnet.com/>
Fadiman, Anne The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. New York:
Farrar, Straus
and Giroux, 1997.
Jones, Marcy L. Nurse, Sequoia Hospital. Personal Interview. 28 Oct. 2003
Kai, Joe, et al. “Learning to value ethnic diversity-what, why, and how?
Medical Education 33 (1999)616-623 Ebsco Host Academic Search Elite.
Chabot College Lib., Hayward, Ca. 30 Oct. 2003 <http://search.epnet.com/>
Montoya, Tala Nursing Instructor, College of San Mateo. Personal Interview.
1 Nov. 03.
Prideaux, David. “Cultural identity and representing culture in medical education. Who does it?” Medical Education 35 (2001): 186-187 Ebsco Host Academic Search Elite. Chabot College Lib., Hayward,Ca. 30 Oct. 2003<http://search.epnet.com/>
Quinn, Julianna Public Health Nurse, Alameda County. Personal Interview. 10
Nov. 2003.
Spector, Rachel E. Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness. 4th
ed. Stamford: Appleton and Lange, 1996
Instructor end comment:
[An impressive, thoughtful paper! Your research is excellent, and while you can’t expect to answer all the problems of Western Medicine in one paper, you make a strong case for the value of improving cultural sensitivity training in medical education. Your paper is exceptionally well organized, and you weave examples from our class text in beautifully with your evidence from other sources. I really enjoyed reading this.]
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