The area of cultural competence in general suffers from a lack of agreed upon definition, and what constitutes a culturally competent health professional is similarly unclear.
Experts speak of cultural awareness, cultural diversity, cultural sensitivity, and other concepts.
Terry Cross has done some of the pioneering work in this area, and many other academics and professionals have built on this work or developed their own definitions and explanations. The HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care has also compiled a list of cultural competence definitions that it makes available to HRSA grantees. In academic settings, cultural competence training ranges from semester-long courses to discrete components that are part of a broader course outline. Many other health professions training programs across the country have specialized coursework in this area or faculty who are conducting research or teaching on cross cultural health issues. Outside academic settings, continuing education courses and courses designed for organizations and staff range from a few hours to a few days.