International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship · 2007 · 17 citations · 9 references
Family MedicineSouth Asian CultureEast Asian StudiesEducationCultural FactorCultural StudiesCultural DiversityKorean PatientsLanguage StudiesCross-cultural IssueCultural PracticeShort-term Immersion ExperienceWorld CulturesCross-cultural StudiesSouth KoreaWeek Exchange ProgramOriental MedicineCultural SensitivityCultureCross-cultural AssessmentCross-cultural PerspectiveWest Meets EastEthnographyIntercultural CommunicationCultural Psychology
The purpose of this study was to explore American student perceptions of caring for Korean patients during a 2 week exchange program. Perceptions of Korea/Koreans focused on five areas: respect, hospitality and gift giving, ability to speak English, hierarchical relationships, and being protective. Their perceptions of personal change focused in four areas: valuing personal cultural experiences, increasing cultural awareness and compassion, seeing people from other ethnic groups as individuals and developing interest in oriental medicine. Four areas of importance identified when caring for Korean patients included showing respect, importance of family, food, and care for post-partum mothers. Differences were experienced between an individualistic, low-context society (United States) and a collectivist, high context society (Korea) where the influence of Confucianism is pervasive.
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