Cultural Competency

Cultural Awareness and Responsiveness Training Opportunities, Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits, and Resources

Why cultural awareness and responsiveness are important

The cultural background of the members of your patient community can impact how they respond to, accept, and manage their health care needs. It can impact:

• Adherence to care plans
• Proactive health measures
• Unconscious biases
• Patient trust

As a service to our providers, we have curated a collection of no-cost CME-accredited classes and learning resources that support continuing education in this area. All courses have been vetted or recommended by leading best practice organizations for practitioners and health care professionals.

No-cost training resources for CME

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health: Think Cultural Health Training

• 9 hours of CME credits offered
• Certificate provided upon completion
• Website: https://cccm.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/

This online cultural competency training offered by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health is accredited for American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA) Category 1 Credit. You can earn up to nine no-cost CME credits (physicians and physician assistants) or nine contact hours (nurse practitioners) while exploring engaging cases and learning about cultural competency in health care.

The Fenway Institute: National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center

• CME credits offered
• Various training topics
• Website: https://www.lgbthealtheducation.org/#learn

The Health Education Center offers no-cost webinars, publications, and talks led by clinicians and leading researchers on providing supportive LGBTQIA+ health care.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health: Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals

• 4 to 5.5 contact hours for counselors, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Other professionals may earn a Statement of Participation.
• Website: https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/education/behavioral-health

This e-learning program is designed to assist behavioral health professionals with increasing their cultural and linguistic competency.

Learning and supportive resources

The following resources are not available for continuing education credit; however, they are recommended resources for improving cultural responsiveness.

Georgetown University: National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC): Distance Learning

• Free to access
• Various training topics
• Curricula and learning tools include relevant materials, articles, and publications, and they provide users with instructional and self-discovery strategies.
• Website: https://nccc.georgetown.edu/resources/distance.php

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health literacy training

• Various health literacy topics
• Website: https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/gettraining.html

National Institutes of Health: Medline Plus HealthReach multilingual patient education materials

• Various multilingual and multicultural health information and patient education materials
• Website: https://medlineplus.gov/languages/languages.html

Cultural competence for treating immigrant and refugee populations

A collection of resources to help inform treatment for immigrant, refugee, and ethnic populations:

• National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15675062/
• National Association of Social Workers: https://www.naswnyc.org/page/111/Direct-Practice-with-Immigrants-and-Refugees-Cultural-Competence.htm
• American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/topics/immigration/immigration-report-professionals.pdf (PDF)

American Public Health Association: Racism: Science & Tools for the Public Health Professional

• Educational resources to help you understand and address health inequities
• Website https://ajph.aphapublications.org/

The Joint Commission: Health Care Equity Accreditation Standards

• Patient-centered cultural competency communication resources that include tips for communicating health information
• Website: https://www.jcrinc.com/products-and-services/advisory-services/health-care-equity 

Language Access and Interpreter Services — Understanding the Requirements

• There are no standards that prohibit a bilingual practitioner from communicating directly with a patient in another language while providing care, treatment, or services. However, it is recommended that the organization have a process to make sure that communication with the patient in the non-English language is effective and meets the patient's needs.
• Website: https://www.jointcommission.org/standards/standard-faqs/hospital-and-hospital-clinics/rights-and-responsibilities-of-the-individual-ri/000002120/