Cultural competence, changing personal perceptions and attitudesAccording to the NASW (2008), professionals must look beyond cultural variations, historical oppression and discrimination. They must look outside of ethnicity, race, age, gender, ability and sexual identity while being aware of sensitivity to cultural norms. Above all, the NASW (2008) places the responsibility on the professional for self-awareness of their own prejudices. Additionally, professionals must have the skills to work effectively with individuals other than themselves (NASW, 2008). Beck, Scheel, De Oliveira, and Hopp, (2013) realized that there was a lack of cultural competence in the university curriculum. Beck and his colleagues created a program that taught students how to help clients with difficulty accessing medical care. The research method devised by Beck and his colleagues involved interviewing nineteen female students with an average age of twenty-one. The purpose of the study was to integrate cultural competency into a one-year curriculum. Self-assessments completed by students in cultural awareness surveys every three months. The researchers tracked students' self-ratings of cultural awareness using a Likert scale (Beck, Scheel, De Oliveira, & Hopp, 2013). Beck and College (2013) asked their students to explore their beliefs and value systems. Students formulated personal hypotheses related to cultural diversity by taking photographs that represented their subjective meaning of cultural competence and incorporating their interpretation into an autobiography. Students focused on dimensions of culture that included religion, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status using interactive exercises, such as simulations of poverty while being whole...... center of paper...... -out a First- Year The medical assistant curriculum consistently improves cultural awareness. Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 24(2), 28-31. University, Waukesha, WisconsinCampinha-Bacote, J. (2002). The process of cultural competence in health service delivery: A model of care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 13(3), 181-184. Sage Publications. Kratzke, C., & Bertolo, M. (2013). Improving students' cultural competence using cross-cultural experiential learning. Journal of Cultural Diversity. 20(3), 107-111. National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics. Retrieved April 13, 2014, from http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/code/code.aspPhillips, A., Peterson, S., Bakko, M., & Clark, T. (2011). Promoting cultural competence through the use of growth groups in predominantly White classrooms. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 16(2), 35-54.