Training Second-Year MSW Students to Improve Cultural Competency

Background and Purpose

This study reports the results of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health Workforce, Education, and Training (BHWET) program. Specifically, we report the change in cultural and linguistic competency among training program participants. We aim to determine if a training program for second-year MSW students can improve their cultural competency levels across three domains: 1) Physical Environment, Materials, & Resources; 2) Communication Styles; and 3) Values & Attitudes.

Method

Ninety-nine trainees completed the program and took part in the study over a three-year period. The majority of trainees were African-American (58.6%), female (85.9%) and the most typical age category was 25-29 years old (42.4%). This study used one outcome variable, the Promoting Cultural and Linguistic Competency Self-Assessment Checklist for Personnel Providing Primary Health Care Services (PCLC) (Goode, 2009), which was completed by participants at pretest and posttest. The PCLC is a forty-one item scale with three subscales. The Physical Environment, Materials, & Resources subscale has four items measuring the degree to which artwork, reading materials, etc. in the practice environment reflect cultural competence. The Communication Styles subscale has thirteen items measuring the extent to which the practitioner incorporates cultural and linguistic competency into communication practices (e.g. use of translations/interpreters). The Values & Attitudes subscale has twenty-four items which measure acceptance of differing viewpoints on gender roles, family, health practices, etc. Reliability analysis indicated strong internal consistency on each of the subscales and on the overall scale, with Cronbach’s alphas ranging from .753 to .966.

Results

Univariate and bivariate preliminary analyses were conducted, as well as  MANOVA with cohort as an independent variable and each of the three subscales as a dependent variable (environment, communication style, and values & attitudes). Since differences were found by cohort, cohort was entered as an independent variable in the MANOVA to control for the variable. There were statistically significant main effects for Communication Skills, F (3, 91) = 5.81, p = .018, η2 = .059 and for Values & Attitudes, F (3, 91) = 9.26, p = .003, η2 = .091. There were no statistically significant main effects for Environment, F (3, 91) = 2.21, p = .140, η2 = .023. There were significant interaction effects with cohort in the Environment subscale, F (15, 252) = 2.37, p = .045, η2 = .113 and in the Communication subscale, F (5, 252) = 2.77, p = .022, η2 = .130. There was no significant interaction effect between cohort and the Values & Attitudes scale, F (15, 252) = 1.11, p = .363, η2 = .056.

Discussion

Overall, trainees reported gains in communication skills and values and attitudes as it relates to cultural and linguistic competency. Trainees did not report gains on the Physical Environment, Materials, & Resources subscale. It may be that trainees do not have the authority or status at the field placements to influence the items on the subscale which include art on the walls, magazines in the waiting room, and other aspects of the physical environment.