Role of Culture in Faculty Development (Healthcare)

Summary: "How Culture Is Understood in Faculty Development in the Health Professions" (Lewis & Steinert, 2020)

• Definition of Faculty Development:

  • Activities for health professionals to enhance knowledge, skills, and behaviors as teachers, leaders, managers, and researchers.

  • Influenced by institutional setting, resources, norms, values, beliefs, and practices.

• Significance of Culture in Faculty Development:

  • Culture cannot be ignored in faculty development due to its implicit influence.

• Key Themes:

  • Culture Mentioned but Not Explained:

    • Frequently mentioned in faculty development but lacks detailed explanation.

  • Culture Focused on Diversity:

    • Aimed at promoting institutional change.

  • Cultural Consideration in International Faculty Development:

    • Not routinely described.

• Diversity Interventions:

  • Focus on addressing diversity in patient populations.

  • Aiming to enhance the cultural competence of faculty members.

• Cultural Competence and Patient Care:

  • Improved cultural competence in health professionals linked to enhanced patient care.

• Need for Rigorous Assessments:

  • Calls for more rigorous, long-term assessments of faculty development effectiveness.

  • Assessment linked to changes in student behavior and patient care.

• Teaching Critical Consciousness:

  • Faculty should be taught critical consciousness to examine potential biases.

  • Understanding how biases impact teaching and learning.

• Intercultural Competence:

  • Defined as the ability to interact effectively in cross-cultural situations.

  • Includes attitudes (valuing other cultures, curiosity, awareness of ethnocentric behaviors) and skills (critical self-reflection, questioning assumptions, tolerance for uncertainty).

• International Programs:

  • Viewed through three lenses: adopted programs, adaptive programs, or true partnerships.

  • Partnership model with equal participation in design and delivery preferred.

  • Many international faculty development partnerships transfer Western educational programs to non-Western countries.

  • Emphasis on considering national, professional, and academic cultures in international programs.