Resident Case Studies Sought for Expanded ASCO Case Studies in Cultural Competency Compilation
The Cultural Competency Case Study Subcommittee of ASCO’s Diversity and Cultural Competency Committee (DCCC) announces it will hold its third Cultural Competency Case Study Competition – this time specifically for residents – for the 2020-2021 academic year. The contest is open to individuals who are currently participating in an optometric residency as of July 1, 2020, through any of ASCO’s 23 accredited schools and colleges. The subcommittee will choose a winning case study along with several additional case studies for inclusion in an expanded version of the ASCO Case Studies in Cultural Competency compilation, to be published late summer/early fall 2021. One grand-prize winner will be awarded a $750 travel voucher award to Academy 2021 and several runners-up will receive a complimentary resident registration to Academy 2021.
The original case-study compilation was created in 2014 by the DCCC to augment the ASCO Guidelines for Culturally Competent Eye and Vision Care document and serve as a resource tool for institutions to promote cultural competency across the curriculum. For this competition, entrants will be asked to describe a single patient-based encounter in detail, in any aspect of clinical education, and how cultural competency played a role. Submitted case studies should offer details regarding patient-centered attitudes exhibited; knowledge, skills and sensitivity demonstrated; the cultural background of the participants; and the cultural awareness/competency issue being highlighted. Case studies should describe how the situation was handled, what was done correctly and what possibly could have been done differently or better, and, most importantly, what can be learned from the experience.
Subcommittee chair Dr. Michael McGovern (SUNY, College of Optometry) expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming round of competition, “The Cultural Competency Case Study Subcommittee looks forward to working with the Residency Affairs Committee and the 2020-21 residents to expand the case-study compilation. The goal is to enhance the collection by providing an even more diverse selection of cases focused on culturally-competent care, through either a patient encounter which was handled perfectly from a cultural competency and sensitivity perspective, or one that wasn’t but offered a teachable moment.”
The winning submission and several other highly-rated entries will be collected into an expanded compilation that is made available to faculty and students at ASCO schools and colleges. The subcommittee will also be reviewing the case studies currently found in Case Studies in Cultural Competency for clinical modernization (medical references) and appropriate use of cultural references.
Dr. McGovern remarked: “We all have much to learn when it comes to understanding and appreciating other cultures and marginalized groups. This collection of case studies is an important and powerful resource for all of us – students, residents and even those who have been practicing for decades. My suggestion is for the residents to familiarize themselves with the current collection and then think about their own clinical experiences where cultural competency was an important factor in the care provided. They should then consider creating a case-study submission so that we can all learn from the experience. It would be wonderful to expand the collection by adding cases pertaining to areas not contained in the current compilation (e.g., persons with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum, LGBTQIA+, religious groups, biracial and blended families, etc.).”
The submission window opened August 1 and will continue through 5pm ET on November 1, 2020. All case-study submissions become the property of ASCO for use in the compilation, other publications, and for educational uses such as workshops.
For additional information about the application process or Case Studies in Cultural Competency, please contact Ms. Carol Brubaker at cbrubaker@opted.org.