PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF A TRAINING IN CULTURAL COMPETENCE FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

This paper is coming from a collaboration between University of Florence and Public Health and University Hospital Careggi of Florence. Cultural relationships have been in-depth analyzed in schools, even though the first places met by migrants in host communities are probably health services. While many projects and trainings have been addressed to educational communities, the same cannot be said for social and health services. In Toscana Region, even if there are sensitiveness toward migrants’ difficulties, there was only one training for nurses in last years. Our contribution is founded on studies about Cultural Competence (Suarez-Balcazar, Balcazar, Taylor-Ritzler, Portillo, Rodakowski, & Martinez, 2011). Results suggest that after a training knowledge, skills and awareness raise, and that the perception of lack of organizational support grows. We may observe, as well, that awareness seems increased in participants since their decision to attend the training. Studies about cultural competence in Italy are a field that have to be deepened and improved, particularly among health professionals.