Cultural Mosaics: How OTs Fit!
About the Project
Project Purpose
The purpose of this webpage is to establish an online portal for occupational therapists (or other health care professionals) that are currently or will potentially work with immigrants or refugees in the city of Edmonton, Alberta. There is an increase in the immigrant population of Edmonton over the past few years due to many employment opportunities and draw of the vibrant cultural background of the city (See Relevant Statistics page for details). Increased promotion of Alberta and Edmonton by the municipal and provincial governments has also contributed to the increased immigration of professionals and their families who were educated outside of Canada.
Why this project?
This project was created for the Online Technology module in the Occupational Therapy program at the University of Alberta. The project developers were students with an interest in cultural and immigrant issues. We recognized that there were a lack of discussions in our coursework that involved cultural awareness and interacting with immigrant populations.
A search of the literature also found studies that suggested other occupational therapy students recognized there were limited opportunities for exposure to cultural issues in education and fieldwork, and that further exposure to multicultural clients is important to increase cultural sensitivity (Murden et al., 2008; Pope-Davis et al., 1993 cited in Yuen & Yau, 1999). Studies also suggested some students felt there was not enough preparation to interact with clients outside of their own culture (Skawaki, 1987 cited in Yuen & Yau, 1999).
Although we could not directly address this potential gap in knowledge with our project, we felt that we could contribute to the availability of resources provided to occupational therapy students who may feel unprepared when interacting with those who are of a different culture on fieldwork or when they are starting out after graduation. We want to provide a portal for occupational therapists who want to increase their own cultural awareness and become informed of immigrant issues. We also want to share knowledge of potential services and resources they could offer their clients in order to better serve clients who may have specific needs.
References
Murden, R., Norman, A., Ross, J., Sturdivant, E., Kedia, M. & Shah, Surya. (2008). Occupational therapy students’ perceptions of their cultural awareness and competency. Occupational Therapy International, 15(3), 191-203.
Yuen, H.K. & Yau, M.K. (1999). Cross-cultural awareness and occupational therapy education. Occupational Therapy International, 6(1), 24-34.
The purpose of this webpage is to establish an online portal for occupational therapists (or other health care professionals) that are currently or will potentially work with immigrants or refugees in the city of Edmonton, Alberta. There is an increase in the immigrant population of Edmonton over the past few years due to many employment opportunities and draw of the vibrant cultural background of the city (See Relevant Statistics page for details). Increased promotion of Alberta and Edmonton by the municipal and provincial governments has also contributed to the increased immigration of professionals and their families who were educated outside of Canada.
Why this project?
This project was created for the Online Technology module in the Occupational Therapy program at the University of Alberta. The project developers were students with an interest in cultural and immigrant issues. We recognized that there were a lack of discussions in our coursework that involved cultural awareness and interacting with immigrant populations.
A search of the literature also found studies that suggested other occupational therapy students recognized there were limited opportunities for exposure to cultural issues in education and fieldwork, and that further exposure to multicultural clients is important to increase cultural sensitivity (Murden et al., 2008; Pope-Davis et al., 1993 cited in Yuen & Yau, 1999). Studies also suggested some students felt there was not enough preparation to interact with clients outside of their own culture (Skawaki, 1987 cited in Yuen & Yau, 1999).
Although we could not directly address this potential gap in knowledge with our project, we felt that we could contribute to the availability of resources provided to occupational therapy students who may feel unprepared when interacting with those who are of a different culture on fieldwork or when they are starting out after graduation. We want to provide a portal for occupational therapists who want to increase their own cultural awareness and become informed of immigrant issues. We also want to share knowledge of potential services and resources they could offer their clients in order to better serve clients who may have specific needs.
References
Murden, R., Norman, A., Ross, J., Sturdivant, E., Kedia, M. & Shah, Surya. (2008). Occupational therapy students’ perceptions of their cultural awareness and competency. Occupational Therapy International, 15(3), 191-203.
Yuen, H.K. & Yau, M.K. (1999). Cross-cultural awareness and occupational therapy education. Occupational Therapy International, 6(1), 24-34.
