The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended that greater emphasis be placed on understanding the influence of culture, socioeconomic factors, and racial prejudices on health disparities. This implies that persistent poor levels of wellness in various populations can be attributed to the practitioner's lack of knowledge and or skill with cultural health practices and the appreciation of past experiences of these populations with the health care system. Another factor added to this equation is the awareness of the advancing age of ethnic populations, and the implication of lifelong health practices on health status. Health professional educators are challenged to address these issues in meaningful curriculum that will prepare culturally and age competent practitioners. This paper describes an educational intervention designed to address these concerns: an interdisciplinary service learning course on Hispanic language, culture, and health care concepts. Included will be a discussion of the interdisciplinary course design that fostered collaboration among entry level physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing students. Secondly, the paper will detail the development of an educational partnership with community dwelling older Hispanic adults who became language, age, and cultural mentors. Thirdly, the impact of this course on student knowledge and skill with Spanish, Hispanic culture and perceptions towards older Hispanic adults will be addressed.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation, session attendees will be able to: 1. Describe the significance of a curricular intervention designed to increase student knowledge of Hispanic cultures, acquire and expand spanish language skills, and develop an appreciation of the issues and challenges confronting community dwelling Hispanic elders to the overall health of this population. 2. Describe the process used to develop mentoring partnerships among community dwelling Hispanic elders and entry level nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy students. 3. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a service learning curricular intervention. 4. Identify future curricular interventions based on this educational model
Keywords: Education, Hispanic
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.