Each month, PA College highlights a different aspect of diversity in our community to help us connect with each other and better appreciate and understand our differences, and also to assist our students with becoming culturally competent healthcare providers.
Differences in characteristics such as culture, religion, race, ethnicity, ability, and disability impact how patients view health care and how they are able to interact with health care systems and employees. Having an understanding of the diversity within our communities is an essential component of providing culturally competent care. According to the American Hospital Association, cultural competence, "describes the ability of systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including the tailoring of health care delivery to meet patients' social, cultural and linguistic needs." Becoming culturally competent helps improve patient outcomes. By highlighting various aspects of diversity in our communities, the Health Sciences Library aims to improve the cultural competence of our students, faculty, and staff.
For information related to cultural competence and multilingual resources, visit our Cultural Diversity guide.
