CULTURE COMPETENCY

Culture Competency

Abstract

As the United States moves toward an increasingly diverse population, nursing education needs to understand the cultures of both students and the community. Cultural competency is an important component of undergraduate nursing education. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the American Nurses Association (ANA), and the National League for Nursing (NLN) include cultural competency as an integral part of the nursing curriculum. In this paper, we try to explore the concept of Culture Competency. This paper comprises with the seven articles, and presents a literature review of the Culture Competency.

Culture Competency

Introduction

The literature demonstrates that most nursing faculty teach cultural competency without any formal training. The current trend of an increasingly diverse society emphasizes the need for nursing educators to address cultural issues effectively. Nurse educators must strive to become culturally proficient and understand the diverse backgrounds of the population they serve. The ability to provide culturally congruent care to a diverse population is a necessary skill for new graduates.

However, the nursing workforce is not reflective of the United States population. Statistics published by the AACN demonstrate that men represent 5.8% and minorities 9% of the nursing workforce. A lack of diversity in the nursing workforce was identified as one of the factors contributing to healthcare disparities among minorities. With the increasing diversity of nursing students, faculty need to become culturally proficient and aware of cultural differences associated with teaching/learning. It is essential that nursing faculties are culturally proficient and rise to the challenge of preparing a culturally competent, diverse workforce. Trans-cultural teaching behaviors of nursing faculty teaching at the associate-degree level will be compared with those of nursing faculty teaching at the baccalaureate level (Barbara, 2008).

Literature Review

Cultural competence is “the process in which the healthcare provider continuously strives to achieve the ability to effectively work within the cultural context of a client”. Each of the five components of Campinha-Bacote's model is described. The second theme is the need for culturally competent nurses to provide appropriate care to an increasingly diverse population and reduce present inequalities in the healthcare system. Changing demographics in the United States, research regarding health disparities for minority populations, and the need for nurses prepared to meet the challenges are presented.

The third theme examines the present nursing education system, the professional background of nursing faculty with respect to cultural competence, and the need to recruit and retain an increasingly diverse student population. The fourth theme presents studies of how cultural competence has been integrated into the nursing curriculum. Innovative teaching strategies that enhance students' cultural competence are examined. Lastly, previous research related to cultural competence in nursing education is presented. Comparisons and contrasts of Sealey's, Kardong-Edgren's, and Yates's studies are presented. All three research studies utilized Campinha-Bacote's theory of cultural competence as the underlying framework for their research regarding the study of cultural competence among nursing faculty (Billings, 2008).

Cultural Competence

Campinha-Bacote's process of cultural competence in the delivery of healthcare services model provides a framework for nurses to examine their ...