TITLE:
Perceptions of cultural competency of undergraduate nursing students
AUTHORS:
Diane Von Ah, Natasha Cassara
KEYWORDS:
Cultural Diversity; Cultural Competency; Nursing Education; Cultural Self-Efficacy
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.3 No.2,
May
31,
2013
ABSTRACT: Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to examine the level of cultural competence of
undergraduate nursing students at a large Midwestern University. Background: Developing cultural competence of nurses is critical to meet the needs of our growing diverse society. Methods: A
convenience sample of 150 undergraduate nursing students completed a one-time
questionnaire assessing students’ cultural competence. Results: Nursing students’ rated their overall knowledge and comfort
moderate to poor with only 28% rated themselves as very comfortable and 15% as
very skillful in providing culturally competent care. Students rated their
knowledge and comfort highest in taking a family history, whereas, the lowest
scores were related to pregnancy and childbirth, death and dying, and organ
donation in other cultures. Conclusions: Findings suggest that nursing
students feel inadequately prepared to provide culturally competent care.