Cultural humility is a term that reminds us to work in a reflective and person-centred way. Similar to other terms that are used such as cultural awareness, cultural competence or cultural sensitivity, the intention of cultural humility is to support us to maintain respect and dignity in all of our interactions. In order to do this well we need to recognise and value diversity and have an awareness of our own assumptions, biases and prejudices.<\/p>\n
Increasing awareness about our own cultural background and history are important elements of practicing cultural humility. This helps us to change our understanding of our own culture as \u201cnormal\u201d to situating it within a broader context within which we understand our identity to be shaped by multiple contexts and experiences. We understand that we do not have a single cultural identity; our gender, race, disability, language, sexuality and sexual identity, formative and ongoing experiences are just some of many influences that shape who we are.<\/p>\n
As we develop our awareness of our own complex and intersecting identities it becomes clear that we can never expect to know everything about somebody else\u2019s culture. We understand that it is not possible, or helpful to stick rigidly to generalisations or expectations about any given person. Instead we need to be sensitive and aware of the limits of our knowledge. This understanding reminds us of the importance of being reflective and acting in a person-centred way.<\/p>\n
One of the privileges of teaching about cultural humility is that doing so offers ongoing insights that support our own learning and reflection. We understand that it is natural to have blind spots and to make mistakes. This is because it cannot be possible to know everything or even to understand fully how our own experiences have shaped our understanding and world view. From this position of recognising our limitations as simply human, cultural humility supports us to be open;<\/p>\n
Cultural humility helps us to understand that two people of the same race, religion or with the same disability may share some characteristics but will also differ in many ways. It helps us to recognise that each person has a uniquely individual experience. For this reason, we need to use reflection and a person-centred approach. These are the tools that will help us to connect with the person in front of us and understand some of their experiences and ideas.<\/p>\n
At Newcastle School of Dental Sciences we recently updated our training about cultural humility which is delivered to Stage 1 students on the Dental Surgery and Dental Therapy courses. We presented this training to teaching staff at our recent Education Development Day. Our aim is to support staff and students to use reflection and challenge our assumptions so that we can all learn and apply the principles of cultural humility and person-centred care to the best of our ability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cultural humility is a term that reminds us to work in a reflective and person-centred way. Similar to other terms that are used such as cultural awareness, cultural competence or cultural sensitivity, the intention of cultural humility is to support … Continue reading