New Faculty Orientation: Discussion of Cultural Competency, Sexual Victimization, and Student Behaviors

In the arena of undergraduate education in health care, orientation programs assist new faculty in transitioning from their role as clinician to educator. However, orientation typically overlooks training in the areas of cultural competency, how to assist students who are victims of sexual assault, and how to handle unprofessional student behaviors. At a large midwestern university, the new faculty orientation program in an interprofessional undergraduate department was expanded to include education in these areas by incorporating case scenarios and discussion sessions. The orientation faculty team included faculty from the areas of medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, public health, and neuropsychiatry. The goal of the enhanced orientation program was to empower new faculty members with the skills and resources they needed to be advocates for students in the areas of cultural competency, sexual victimization, and professional development.