STIC - Health Care:
Work Search (Module 2)
Cross-Cultural  Problem-Solving
(Topic
3)
Content
General knowledge of cross-cultural issues and information
on behavioural employment interviewing would be an asset.
This lesson was developed with materials from the Ministry
of Citizenship and Culture, 1987 Multicultural Healthcare: Culture
Simulator Training for Health Care Professionals. Delivery
Make as many copies as necessary of the following handouts  :
- Handout 1 Vignette #1 - the Pisanis
- Handout 2 Vignette #2 - the Laus
- Handout 3 Vignette #3 - the Kims
- Handout 4 Problem-Solving Observation Checklist
Materials needed: access to a board.
Methodology
Introduction
(15 minutes)
Have participants discuss the questions
below in small groups. Each group then shares answers with the rest
of class.
- How do cultural differences impact on
health care practice?
- List the areas in which cultural differences
are experienced most acutely in health care.
- What kinds of problems could arise if
health care providers fail to consider cultural differences
when dealing with patients?
Pre-Tasks
1. (10 minutes)
Introduce the lesson by explaining
that most job interviews now include a phase that assesses the
applicant's ability to deal with problems in job-related situations.
The applicant is presented with a hypothetical situation in which
a problem is manifested. The applicant has to define the problem
and explain the steps they would take to deal with the problem. Add
that Canada is a multicultural country and health care providers
serve not only newly arrived immigrants and refugees, but also many
second and third generation Canadians who have maintained the beliefs
and practices of their parents and grandparents. Understanding cross-cultural
differences is thus an important part of a health care professional's
ability to problem-solve.
2. (15 minutes)
Explain the problem-solving
approach to class. Go through the following steps:
- Sense a problem
- Define the problem
- Identify alternative solutions
- Consider the consequences of the different
solutions
- Choose a solution
- Carry out the plan
- Evaluate the outcome.
Tell participants that this lesson focuses on Steps
B to E. Steps A, F and G can only be implemented in real life situations.
3. (15 minutes)
Distribute Handout 1. Have participants
read Vignette #1 - the Pisanis and then answer the question which
follows the vignette. Point out to participants that answering this
question will help them to define the problem. Stress to participants
that they should avoid guessing. They should try to be clear on why
they select a particular explanation. 4.
(20 minutes)
Have participants form groups of
three or four. Each group has a short discussion about the explanations
selected by individuals in the group. The group should arrive at
a consensus by debating the merits of their various positions.
5. (15 minutes)
Have each group share
the explanation it selected with the rest of the class. Encourage
participants to give reasons for the explanation they selected. 6.
(15 minutes)
Go through each of the four explanations
with the class using the information from the Rationale and Analysis
sections of the facilitator's notes for the vignette. Point out the
shortcomings of Explanations A, C and D. Explain why B is the most
likely answer-use the information in Analysis to give a detailed
explanation.
7. (15 minutes)
Discuss with the class how the
problem depicted in the vignette can be solved. Point out to participants
that to do this, Steps C to E in the problem-solving approach outlined
in 1 above should be kept in mind. The discussion questions in
the facilitator's notes can be used to guide the discussion. Encourage
participants to draw on their own experiences in considering solutions.
Task
(45 minutes)
1. Inform participants that the role-play
they will be taking part in occurs in the later phase of a job interview
for a health care position. The interviewers have already asked the
interviewee about his/her education, qualifications, and work experience.
They are moving on to assess the interviewee's problem-solving skills
in a situation involving individuals from a specific cultural group. 2. Form groups of three or four. Designate each group
as an A group or as a B group; you should have an even number of
groups, i.e. 2, 4, or 6 groups. In each group, appoint one participant
to play the role of the interviewee; the other participants play
the role of the interviewers. All the A groups work with the Vignette
in Handout 2 and all the B groups work with the Vignette in Handout
3.
3. Participants in each group should first discuss the
vignette, guided by the questions provided on their handout. Then
they should practise role-playing the interview, according to the
instructions on their handout. They may find it helpful to write
a script.
4. Ask an A group to present their role-play to the class.
Have the members of B groups critique the performance of the interviewee
using the observation checklist (Handout 4). Then ask a B group to
present their role-play and have the members of A groups critique
the performance of the interviewee.
5. Conduct a class discussion on the explanations given
and solutions proposed for the problems depicted in the vignettes
by the students playing the role of interviewee. Comment on the performance
of the interviewees, their strengths, and the areas where improvement
is needed.
Post-Task
(45 minutes)
1. Participants work in small groups (three to four)
according to sub-sector. This task requires one participant to
role-play a health care professional, one to role-play a patient
with a problem, and one or two to be observers.
- The "patient" decides on a simple problem
to take to the health professional.
- The health care professional helps the
patient solve the problem.
- The observer notes the skills used by
the health care professional, including problem-solving, interpersonal
skills such as active listening, and use of clarification language.
At the end of the problem-solving process, the observer(s) should
give the health care professional and patient feedback on what
skills were observed.
- Give the groups the following questions
to discuss at the end of the interview:
- How did the "patient" feel during the
interview?
- Did the patient feel the problem was resolved?
If not, why?
- Discuss any specific recommendations the
participants may have for the health care professional.
 Downloads
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Work
Search: Topic 3 [220 KB, 14 pages]
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