GVMagazineSpring2016 - (Page 24)

Cultural competency in health care [ INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TRAIN AS PATIENTS ] by Michele Coffill | photos by Jess Weal He ran through his lines like a professional actor and understood the role well. Jason Hanna, an international student from Lebanon, was set to portray "Greg," a man seeking medical treatment after suffering an allergic reaction while mowing his lawn. "I kept saying to myself, 'I'm Greg, not Jason,'" Hanna said. 24 Spring '16 He dressed for the part, wearing a hospital gown over his shorts, and sat on the examination table. The door opened and an upper-level nursing student walked in, offering her hand and introducing herself. "And I said, 'Hi, I'm Jason,'" Hanna said. Despite the minor flub, the rest of the exercise went smoothly, Hanna said. He is one of 15 international students who work as standardized patients (SPs) in the simulation center at the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences. SPs are people trained to portray a patient in a simulated health care setting. Through the SP program, Grand Valley students who are majoring in nursing, social work or health professions have opportunities to practice and develop skills in a clinical setting. Program director Cindy Bartman said bringing international students into her pool of about 200 SPs elevates the learning experience for students. "This is a really unique part of our program and goes along with our commitment to diversity," Bartman said. "The richness of diversity international students bring is tremendous, adding cultural competency to the many skills taught in the simulation center." The partnership between the SP program and the Padnos International Center began last year. Libby Jawish, international student integration coordinator, said the program goes beyond helping international students find a job. "We have a few nursing and health professions majors, but not many," Jawish said. "Through their work with Cindy, they get to experience a different part of campus." International students are restricted by their visas to securing only campus jobs. Students who are SPs can work as much or as little as their schedule allows. Typically, SPs will portray the same patient for three or four different rotations of students during a three-hour block. Bartman and others fill about 600 SP opportunities each semester. For a SP, the simulations range in degree of complexity. One day could mean wearing street clothes and meeting social work students for interviews.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GVMagazineSpring2016

Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Q&A Faite Mack
Arts
Saddle up: professor leads research on speech therapy technique
Sustainability
Cultural competency in health care
Hot ideas and inventions
Focal Point
Research
Life before Louie: making a mascot
Alumni News

GVMagazineSpring2016