International Service Learning Clinical Experiences Improve Health Professions Students’ Medical Spanish and Cultural Competence: A Pilot Study
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document the effects of a 10 day international didactic/clinical experience in Costa Rica on physical therapist (PT) students’ medical Spanish and cultural competence. This research study supports Texas State University’s Latin American Engagement plan.Methods/Description: Study design: pre/post-test. Participants: 12 PT students (6 control, 6 experimental). Instrumentation: Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals - Student Version (IAPCC-SV©) and medical Spanish test. Procedures: Approved by Texas State University IRB. Data collection: Participants completed the IAPCC-SV© (control and experimental groups) and medical Spanish pre-tests (experimental group). The experimental group participated in the international experience and the control group participated in the traditional domestic clinical experience. Upon completion of the international experience, participants completed the IAPCC-SV© (control and experimental groups) and medical Spanish post-tests (experimental group). Data Analysis: An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) compared the IAPCC-SV© post-test scores between the experimental (international educational experience) and control (traditional domestic clinical experience) groups, using the pre-test scores as the covariate. A paired t-test compared the medical Spanish pre and post test scores.Results/Outcomes: Cultural competence. The IAPCC-SV© pre-test adjusted mean score was 60.9. There was a significant difference between the post-test adjusted mean score for the control group (59.6) when compared to the experimental group (71.1, p=.01). Medical Spanish. There was a significant difference between the pre-test mean score (73.8) and the post-test mean score (95.7, p=.01).Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme: Our Leadership Landscape: Perspectives from the Ground Level to 30,000 Feet: Short term international didactic and clinical experiences can improve both cultural competence and medical Spanish skills for PT students. International experiences support the APTA’s strategy to decrease health disparities for racial and ethnic minorities and can create leaders who can directly impact these disparities.References: 1. Committee on Cultural Competence, American Physical Therapy Association, ed. Blueprint for teaching cultural competence in physical therapy education. 2008.