Track 2-5b
Research

Evaluation of a Multicultural Curriculum in a Family Practice Residency

Methods of Evaluation:
HealthPartners’ Family Practice Residency developed and implemented a three-year multicultural curriculum for residents and faculty, which we evaluated with three approaches. All evaluation methods were repeated near the beginning of the curriculum, or when new residents started (initial) and at end of the curriculum or when residents graduated (final).

1. Five Levels of Cultural Competence.
   a. Participants’ self-evaluations of Levels, both achieved and desired.
   b. Faculty’s evaluations of residents’ achieved Level of Cultural Competence.
2. Participants’ self-evaluations of each objective for Level 3.
3. Ethnosensitivity questionnaire.
   a. Participants’ responses on Likert Scale.
   b. Faculty’s evaluation of residents’ being ethnocentric or ethnorelative.

Results of Evaluation:
Residents’ and faculty’s self-evaluations of their achieved Level of Cultural Competence increased significantly after the curriculum, from 2.75 to 3.85. Also, residents and faculty’s self-evaluations of their achievement of Level 3 objectives increased significantly after the multicultural curriculum. Faculty’s evaluations of residents’ achieved Level of Cultural Competence correlated with the resident’s final self-evaluations at r=.507. With regards to the ethnosensitivity questionnaire, over half (58%) of residents and faculty agreed with more ethno-relative statements and disagreed with more ethnocentric statements over time, 15% agreed with more ethno-relative statements abut still agreed with some ethnocentric statements, and 12% continued to agree with ethnocentric statements while 12% were already ethnocentric. Faculty’s evaluations did not correlate with residents’ responses to questionnaire.

Conclusion:
Residents’ and faculty’s evaluations of residents’ cultural competency increased after a longitudinal multicultural curriculum. These evaluation methods may be useful for other programs.

Kathleen A. Culhane-Pera, MD, MA
Director of Multicultural and International Family Medicine
Health Partners' Family Practice Residency
640 Jackson St.
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (612) 602-7556
Fax: (612) 222-1305
culha001@umn.edu

I am a family practice physician with a master’s degree in anthropology at HealthPartners’ Family Practice Residency in St. Paul MN. As Director of Multicultural and International Family Medicine, I coordinate and implement the multicultural curriculum, as well as see patients and administrate the residency track at a community health center with Latino and Hmong patients. I have taught aspects of cross-cultural medicine, including patient-centered communication for 6 years, and have made multiple national presentations about teaching multicultural medicine. In addition, I am on the Board of Directors for the Center for Cross-cultural Health in Minnesota, am co-chair of the Group on Multicultural Health Care and Education for the Society of Teachers’ of Family Medicine, am Vice-president of the Board of Directors for Hmong Cultural Center Inc., and am an advisor to the Hmong Health Care Professionals Group in Minnesota.  NEXT >

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