Cultural Intelligence and Social Distance Among Undergraduate Students in Clinical Professions

Cultural competence, also known as cultural intelligence (CQ), is considered a necessary skill in the clinical professions, yet primarily been studied in management. Extending CQ theory to the clinical professions, the present study examines CQ and social distance among entering undergraduate Jewish and Arab students from various backgrounds (ethnicity, immigration) in clinical and non-clinical study domains. To examine our hypotheses, surveyed 180 first-year students from diverse demographic and academic backgrounds and study domains (social work, nursing, behavioral sciences). The results of the study reveal a novel negative association between CQ and out-group social distance among student groups experiencing intergroup conflict. The fact that students from minority backgrounds and those in clinical professions were more receptive to inter-cultural exchange at the outset of their training suggests that CQ theory could be used in training and evaluation criteria of entering students.