Cultural competence experience enhances organizational cultural competence in health-related academic units

Objective: To describe how health-related post-secondary academic units are applying competencies towards organizational cultural competence maturity. Methods: Administrators from health-related academic units, categorized as community health and physical and mental health, identified how 63 criteria statements from the Dotson model were applied in their units using a 7-point Likert-like scale. Total scores (x±sd) of criteria statements across and within 4 domains were computed for overall cultural competence. Differences in mean total and domain scores were tested with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), respectively. Diversity planning, curriculum assessment, and student assessment for cultural competence (yes or planning/developing, and no/don't know) served as organizational cultural competence experience indicators. Organizational experience was further categorized: Yes = programs that do all three organizational cultural competence experience indicators; No = programs that do less. MANOVA tested for differences in domain scores by categorized organizational experience. Results: Based on a 20% response rate (n=85), overall cultural competence score was 286.1±48.6, or 76% of the maximum potential score. MANOVA for domain scores by categorized academic home was significant (p = 0.013). Overall cultural competence score and domain scores were significantly higher for units in the “Yes” organizational experience category (p = 0.005 and p = 0.028, respectively). Bonferroni post-hoc analysis revealed the units scored higher within the organizational accountability (p = 0.003) and communication domains (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Health-related academic units that engage in diversity planning, and curriculum and student assessments have higher levels of organizational cultural competence.