The cross-cultural field excursion initiative: An educational approach to promote cultural competency in student pharmacists

As the demographics in the United States (US) are becoming increasingly diverse, it is essential that pharmacists provide culturally competent care to the diverse patient populations they serve. Cultural appreciation is highlighted in the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education’s (ACPE) curricular guidelines and addressed in the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) supplemental objectives to guide curriculum development.1 and 2 Therefore, Colleges of Pharmacy are charged with employing effective strategies to help student pharmacists develop cross-cultural skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cross-cultural field excursion initiatives as a means to encourage cultural competency in student pharmacists. Eighteen student pharmacists participated in a field excursion to Kalaupapa, Molokai to explore the cultural implications of Hansen disease on the population of Hawaii. The excursion included the writing of a pre-trip research paper, a visit to Kalaupapa, Molokai and a presentation to their classmates upon return. Following this experience, 17 of the 18 participants took part in focus group discussions to explore the primary research question “Are cross-cultural field excursion initiatives a viable way to increase cultural competency in student pharmacists?” The findings suggested that an educational format that combines independent research, a field excursion, post-trip presentations and focus-group discussions does promote cultural competency and that the experiential nature of this initiative had a significant impact on the participants. Further research is needed to determine whether the knowledge gained from this experience is carried forward and applied to their clinical practice.