Beyond Cultural Competence: Critical Consciousness, Social Justice, and Multicultural Education

In response to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education mandate that medical education must address both the needs of an increasingly diverse society and disparities in health care, medical schools have implemented a wide variety of programs in cultural competency. The authors critically analyze the concept of cultural competency and propose that multicultural education must go beyond the traditional notions of "competency" (i.e., knowledge, skills, and attitudes). It must involve the fostering of a critical awareness--a critical consciousness--of the self, others, and the world and a commitment to addressing issues of societal relevance in health care. They describe critical consciousness and posit that it…

• UO
  University of Michigan
• MS
  Medical School, University of Michigan
• LC
  Laboratório Central de Microscopia Eletrônica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina