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EMBRACING DIVERSITY
August 3. 2005
H ealth
For every Portland police officer,
there is a story...
Police Chief, Derrick Foxworth
reflects on the value of diversity...
Understanding Cultures is Key
to Compassionate Healthcare
“We want our organization to reflect the citizens and
the diversity of our community. If you're an individual
w ho wants to truly make a difference, and especially
if you're from a different culture, a different
ethnicity, or sexual orientation, we want
you; we need you. Because only by
having a diverse organization are we
truly going to be the best organization
that we can."
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Join us
and write the next chapter.
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Contact Officer Larry Anderson: 503-823-0473 or toll tree 1-888-735-4259.
For additional officer stories, information or to apply on-line, please visit our website
w ww.joinportlandpolice.com
• A,
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4 diverse student body is attracted to Concordia University, a welcoming learning environment in
northeast Portland that now offers a nursing degree.
Concordia ushers
in nursing program
JNIVERSITY
)F OREGON
The Sociology Department at the University of Oregon seeks to establish
a pool of applicants for possible instructional and instructional support
positions for 2005-06 Positions are part-time, temporary, limited
duration appointm ents not to exceed one year without a further
competitive search. Areas for instructional appointment are open, based
on department needs. Instructional support involves supervising peer
advisors, coordinating undergraduate internships, and supervising field
studies. All appointm ents are contingent on funding. S alary is
dependent upon education and experience. Ph.D. preferred and appro
priate tea ch ing experience required for all available positions.
Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis. Pool will remain
active through the year with screening of applications as positions
become available. Send vita, letter of application describing teaching and
administrative experience, research experience, teaching interests, and
three reference letters to: Applicant Pool Positions, Department of
Sociology, 1291 U niversity of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1291.
University of Oregon is an AA/EO/ADA institution com m itted to
cultural diversity.
In today’s health care system, doctors and nurses
are increasingly seeing patients whose cultural and
religious backgrounds are as diversified as the medi
cal problems they’re treating.
Understanding and respecting different cultural
health beliefs and practices is crucial in providing
adequate, compassionate care and health education
to each individual patient. Knowing how to approach
and communicate with various ethnic groups about
health issues is essential.
Concordia University in northeast Portland devel
oped its new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program
around these principles. The BSN curriculum weaves
progressive cultural competency training into two
years of clinical preparation. Students are learning
about cultural awareness and understanding, and
will translate that knowledge into action through
experience in community service programs, clinics,
and hospitals that serve multi-cultural groups.
The teaching methods employed are equally diver
sified, going beyond the lecture and lab to include
hands-on experience. In July, the Artists Repertory
Theatre came to campus and acted out several scenes
from a play called “Wit,” which dramatizes the dehu
manizing experience of a woman with cancer. After
each scene, Concordia’s BSN students were asked to
come up with alternate endings that demonstrate
compassionate communication.
Also in July, Alfonso Lopez-Vasquez, an educator
from Pacific University, presented a lecture to the class
about adversity related to intercultural conflict and its
impact on healthcare. In November, Dora A sanaofthe
African American Healthcare Coalition will come to
speak about the specific healthcare needs of Portland's
African American community.
“The curriculum has been intentionally designed to
focus on the cross-cultural needs of the communities
our nurses will serve,” explains Joyce Zerwekh, Ed.D.,
R.N., director of Concordia’s new BSN program. “We
are also deliberately recruiting gifted minority stu
dents; we are eager to have them come into our nursing
program so that we can all benefit from their unique
perspectives.”
Concordia is also partnering with select agencies that
serve multicultural populations, such as the Marquis
Companies, through which all BSN students will become
certified as nursing assistants at the beginning of the
nursing program.
Each semester, students in Concordia’s BSN pro
gram will deepen their understanding and further bridge
the gaps between cultures. Also fundamental to the
Concordia education is the opportunity to deepen
spiritual roots. The faith-based university offers a
caring community that encourages students and fac
ulty to reach out to one other, while developing a life
of Christian service.
For more information on Concordia University's
Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, visit www .cu-
port land.edu or call 503.280.8501
Diversity Works at
©Îje
Oregon’s Oldest
Multicultural
Publication
The community
newspaper informs
our changing
community
Publisher Charles Washington
(right) and the staff of the
Portland Observer thank the
community for their support.
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