Assignment Description:

Part 1: For this assignment, conduct a cultural self-assessment using the Staircase Self-Assessment Model and write a 1250–1500-word reflection essay.

To understand culture and cultural diversity, you must understand your own culture and beliefs. Utilizing the Staircase Self-Assessment Model as a means of determining your level of cultural competency, write a 1250 to 1500-word essay outlining the six stages: cultural destructiveness, cultural incapacity, cultural blindness, pre-competency, basic cultural competency, and advance cultural competency. Determine your level on the staircase by answering the following questions. Please be mindful that your responses will not be judged; only your knowledge of the Staircase Self-Assessment Model will be evaluated:

Step 1:

• How much do I value becoming culturally competent?• What actions have I taken recently or in the past when caring for culturally diverse patients that demonstrate my motivation?

Step 2:

• How much do I know about my cultural heritage or racial identity and its relationship to my own healthcare beliefs and practices?• Have I discussed these issues with my parents, grandparents, or other relatives?

Step 3:

• How much do I know about cultural groups that differ from my own?

Step 4:

• How culturally diverse is my social network?• How many encounters with cultural group members outside my social network do I have? Are these relationships superficial, or do I have social contact beyond the workplace?

Step 5:

• Am I able to independently identify the potential or actual problems that originate from cultural conflicts, or am I surprised by them?• Do I serve as a culturally competent role model/mentor for others?

Step 6:

• Have I developed problem-solving strategies to manage cultural conflicts?• Am I able to manage or resolve cultural problems or issues that arise, and what resources do I use?

Once you have completed the self-assessment, address the following questions:

1. Why are self-knowledge and understanding a critical step in achieving cultural competence?

2. How has the “cultural self-assessment” exercise influenced your awareness of personal and professional values, attitudes, and practices, including prejudices and biases?

3. How will your interactions with patients and families change as a result of this self-reflection?Remember, you answer these questions from your perspective, so there is no right or wrong response. You must address each question. Although the information on your self-assessment paper is strictly confidential, if you do not wish to self-disclose a specific area from the Staircase, indicate that by explaining in detail why you do not want to disclose. You are not required to provide citations/references in this paper. Attention should be paid to grammar, spelling, and punctuation.