Determining the sufficiency of cultural competence instruction in pharmacy school curriculum

Objective. To assess the change in the level of cultural competency and knowledge of health disparities among students in the third year of the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program at the University of Florida and to explore the demographic correlates. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 3 consecutive academic years. Chi-square tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate regression were used for data analysis. Results. Following the inclusion of relevant instruction, there was some increase in knowledge of health disparities and self-awareness, but no significant increase in cultural competency skills. More students reported receiving relevant instruction within the pharmacy school curriculum than outside the curriculum. Conclusion. Current effort to incorporate cultural competence and health disparities instruction into the pharmacy curriculum has met with some success. However, there is a need to establish standards on how much relevant training is required and further explore ways to effectively incorporate it into pharmacy education.