Objectives: To determine change in cultural competency knowledge and perceived confidence of second-year pharmacy students to deliver culturally competent care after completing a required cultural competency curriculum.
Design: Cultural competence material was covered in the second-year PharmD curriculum through lectures, laboratories, and an experiential/out-of-class assignment.
Assessment: Eighty-five second-year (P2) pharmacy students completed a survey which assessed influence of classroom activities related to cultural competence. Mean values for knowledge and perceived confidence were significantly higher for posttest compared to pretest (p < 0.01), after cultural competency activities. Focus groups were used to solicit students' opinions on instructional effectiveness, relevance of activities, and areas for enhancement.
Conclusion: The cultural competency curriculum increased pharmacy students' awareness of and confidence in addressing cultural diversity issues that affect pharmaceutical care delivery.
Keywords: assessment; cultural competence; culture; diversity.