A student׳s perspective of learning in a global classroom course

Due to increasing diversity in patient populations, cultural competence has become an essential skill necessary for pharmacists to provide individualized patient care. In order to develop cultural competency, pharmacy schools have integrated global education into the curriculum through various avenues including international experiences and in-class discussions. However, several barriers, such as travel costs and lack of access to diverse patient groups, may hinder students from achieving adequate cultural exposure within existing avenues. A live, interactive global classroom course was initiated between the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and Peking University to help overcome some of these barriers. This article will describe a student׳s perspective regarding three key insights obtained from participating in the course: the varying training models for pharmacists, the different scope of practice of pharmacists, and the communication and culture disparities between US and China.