The Influence of a Mexican Cultural Immersion Experience on Personal and Professional Healthcare Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of a cultural immersion experience on personal and professional healthcare practices of occupational therapists. The experience, a 10-day course in Oaxaca, Mexico, exposed participants to alternative and complementary medicine through interactive sessions with Mexican indigenous traditional healers. The literature indicates that cultural immersion experiences can increase the perceived cultural effectiveness of healthcare professionals. Three focus groups were conducted with eight occupational therapists and two occupational therapy fieldwork students who had participated in the course. Themes were coded based on responses to each question by two graduate students and a qualitative researcher. Four major themes emerged regarding the influence of a cultural immersion experience on personal and professional healthcare practices of occupational therapists: (1) Natural Remedies; (2) Mind, Body, Spirit Connection; (3) Increased Openness; and (4) Challenges of Integrating Traditional and Western Medicine. The themes derived from this study confirmed the advantages of a cultural immersion experience on both the personal and professional views and practices of occupational therapists. Cultural immersion courses can assist occupational therapists to better understand different cultural views of health, disability and healing in order to provide quality occupational therapy care in a multicultural society. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cultural immersion in the education of healthcare professionals: a systematic review

“…All 9 of the articles demonstrated growth in the perceptual domain [8,9,11-17]. After having been outsiders in a foreign country or culture, participants reported having a newfound ability to examine the validity of intrinsic values, socio-political issues, and privileges of their own societies [9,11-13,15,16].…”

“…They became more aware of negative issues such as poverty, sub-standard living environments, racial segregation, discrimination, and inequity [11,13,14]. Participants described an increased sense of connection among body, spirit, mind, and the world around them [8,9,15-17]. The immersion experience allowed students to discern an increased ability to approach others different from themselves [16].…”

“…The immersion experience allowed students to discern an increased ability to approach others different from themselves [16]. Increased perceptiveness led to increased openness, appreciation of basic necessities, and decreased prejudice [12,14,17]. Students reported a heightened awareness of preconceived assumptions, beliefs, unprocessed feelings, and insecurities [9,11,15,16].…”

“…Five articles revealed growth in cultural dissonance [8,12,14,15,17]. Eight emerging themes were related to disagreements with the cultures in which the participants were immersed.…”

Social and Cultural Concepts Module: Curricula to Foster Cultural Responsiveness

“…Much of the literature regarding exposure to diverse communities was about participants travelling internationally outside of the U.S. Crowe, Sanchez, Weber, and Murtagh (2016) examined the influence of a cultural immersion experience on personal and professional healthcare practices among occupational therapists (n=8) and occupational therapy students (n=2). The immersion experience was a 10-day course in Oaxaca, Mexico where the participants were exposed to alternative and complementary medicine through interactive sessions with traditional healers.…”