For healthcare providers, the key to bonding with patients is to have a greater awareness of cultural differences.
The more you know about your patient’s culture, the easier it is for them to feel comfortable—with you and their treatment. You don’t want to lose a patient because you said something that you didn’t even know was offensive or that was simply mistaken for meaning something else.
In Pulling Wisdom: Filling the Gaps of Cross-Cultural Communication for Healthcare Providers, Dr. Cathy Hung shares tips for seeing beyond cultural stereotypes, raising your cultural competency, and bridging the communication gaps between you and your patients to improve your practice success. She also introduces concepts and tools such as The Amalgamation Scale, which can predict and assess potential obstacles based on the cultural and language barriers between provider and patient.
Table of Contents:
FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR The Cultural Journey that Started at a Circus Circus Buffet PART I: FILLING THE GAPS Muted Aliens The Dichotomy of Treatment Trust Bias and Competency of the Interpreters The HIPAA Dilemma PART II: DEVELOPING CULTURAL COMPETENCY Breaking Through the Cultural Niche The Amalgamation Scale Application of the Amalgamation Scale—The Value System PART III: PULLING WISDOM Don’t Yank, Pull Wisdom Team Development Equals Success Conversion The “Too” Syndrome—If You Are a Female, Minority Doctor CONCLUSION REFERENCES
About the Author :
CATHY HUNG, A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Cathy Hung is a doctor of dental surgery who is board-certified in oral and maxillofacial surgery. She is part of the American Dental Association’s Institute for Diversity in Leadership Program, Class 2019- 2020; an advocate of women’s leadership in dentistry and surgery; and founder of the Morning Glory Women Dentists Network of New Jersey.
Dr. Hung owns and operates Prospect Oral Surgery Center in Monroe Township, New Jersey. She is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English, and often conducts bilingual consultations in her practice.
Review :
A thought-provoking story prompting the reader’s inward cultural competency journey told through the eyes of a first-generation immigrant from Taiwan, Pulling Wisdom is a must-read for all dental/medical healthcare providers who practice in this increasingly diverse country called America.
Dr. Hung brilliantly describes the critical core of learning and practicing cultural competency as dental/medical care professionals, which is earning trust and creating reassuring relationships with patients. Cultural competency and sensitivity extend far beyond the dental/medical provider and include all team members in a practice caring for a culturally diverse patient population. Dr. Hung provides methods to educate and create awareness of differing cultures while assisting staff in discovering cultural commonalities to bring cultures closer together.
This book will become an outstanding and trusted reference for working with and caring for diverse cultures as dental/medical care providers navigate the ever-changing population in this country. Dr. Hung brings cultural competency for healthcare providers to life in a realistic and simplified way that exceeds any previous educational attempts. — Jane A. Long, EdD, Manager of Learning, Staff Development, and Talent, American Dental Association
In Pulling Wisdom, Dr. Cathy Hung shares great insights of her journey coming to the US, learning to assimilate into American culture, and dealing with the challenges of being a minority woman and a woman in a male-dominant specialty, all while surviving and thriving. She knows she brings values and that she is a great contributor to the lives of people around her, to her community, and to her profession. Dr. Hung also outlines strategies and techniques to deal with patients from different cultural backgrounds in a way that will open the heart, calm the anxiety, and invite patients to share experiences with her.
This book is a gem that should be read and shared by all professionals, especially healthcare professionals, because we are truly involved in our patients’ lives, not just in the treatment we perform but also in being a part of the overall, holistic care of our patients. The book also opens dialogues within our professional community to be more caring, accepting, and serving. Congratulations, Dr. Hung, on a job well done of a must-read book, undoubtedly the first of many to follow! — Dr. Emily Letran, International speaker and high-performance coach, Founder and host, Action to Win seminar, Serial entrepreneur and TEDx speaker
When Cathy informed me that she was working on a book about cultural communication in the healthcare setting, I knew right away that it was going to be an instant hit. Often, even with the greatest of intentions, we end up offending patients from different cultures, as we don’t understand how they perceive our gestures, jokes, and mannerisms. We all can up our cultural acumen, and the topics discussed in this book are a wake-up call! Much needed for progressive dentists. — Kianor Shah, DMD, MBA, DICOI, DIDIA, International speaker and implantologist, Founder of Global Summit Institute
Thought leader on cultural intelligence and global leadership I’ve had both amazing and appalling experiences with doctors, dentists, and healthcare professionals over the course of a lifetime of global travel and know how critical it is to connect with people across cultures. This book is a golden guide to diversity and inclusion awareness and cultural competency. It’s a must-read for all healthcare professionals, their supporting staff and suppliers, medical educators, and students. —Deborah Torres Patel, ForbesSpeakers
Dr. Hung’s book is a must-read for medical practitioners everywhere. She masterfully weaves together her personal experiences as an immigrant, her medical expertise, and practical frameworks to offer an extremely practical book to promote better healthcare for everyone. I work with hospitals around the world and I can’t wait to recommend this book. — David Livermore, PhD
