Cultural competence is the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs of patients. At UF Health, we recognize health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and needs of a diverse patient population can help produce favorable health outcomes.

Our patients are at the heart of everything we do at UF Health. Our top priority is to provide the highest-quality care and the best possible experience for every patient, family member and visitor who walks through our doors.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health promotes its Physician’s Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care, a self-directed training course for physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners on linguistic and cultural competence in health care.

With growing concerns about racial and ethnic disparities in health — along with the need for health care systems to accommodate increasingly diverse patient populations — cultural competence continues to become a matter of national concern. This e-learning program equips health care providers with competencies that will enable them to better treat the increasingly diverse U.S. population.

This guide offers a wealth of information on key cultural and linguistic concepts in a practical and meaningful way, using case studies, pre- and post-tests, self-assessment exercises and more. The program is accredited for physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, providing instant online grading and up to nine CME/CEU hours at no cost.

In general, the curriculum is designed to:

• Define issues related to cultural competency in medical practice.
• Identify strategies to promote self-awareness about attitudes, beliefs, biases and behaviors that may influence clinical care.
• Devise strategies to enhance skills toward the provision of care in a culturally competent clinical practice.
• Demonstrate the advantages of adopting the national CLAS standards in clinical practice. CLAS stands for culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

Cultural competence is a continuous learning process.