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USM's Roxie Black |
November 2007
Roxie Black, Ph.D., Director and Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, is the co-author of a book that emphasizes the increasing role that cultural competence plays in occupational therapy.
In Culture and Occupation: A Model of Empowerment in Occupational Therapy, published by AOTA Press, Black and co-author Shirley A. Wells focus on the cultural changes that have taken place in the United States since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and how advances in communications technology have made it possible to connect with cultures from around the world in an instant. The field of occupational therapy has not been immune to these changes and has had to adapt to a diverse array of clients.
“As the demographics of our society change, and diversity increases in not only ethnicity, but also in religion, sexual identities, socio-cultural and sociopolitical beliefs, age and socioeconomic differences, occupational therapy practitioners and other health care and human service providers must become competent in interacting with clients and colleagues who are different from themselves,” notes Black. “This timely book assists practitioners in moving towards cultural competence by providing a model that encourages them to recognize themselves as cultural beings whose beliefs and behaviors impact their practice, and teaches them about how to gather knowledge and develop cross-cultural skills.”
Both Black and Wells believe becoming culturally competent is now a requirement for occupational therapy professionals, who have opportunities to become leaders as agents for change so that all people, privileged and disadvantaged alike, have equal access to health care, social and political resources, and meaningful occupation. This book provides information, theories, and examples of how this can happen as well as introduces the Cultural Competency Model, which occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants can use to help provide in culturally competent care to all clients.
Students in the Masters in Occupational Therapy program at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College have enjoyed a very high success rate with NBCOT, the national certifying exam. Over 98% of them have passed this rigorous exam, and 100% of graduates in the program have successfully found employment as occupational therapists, most within the state of Maine.
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