Perceptions of Graduating Nursing Students Regarding Life Experiences That Promote Culturally Competent Care

Abstract

This article describes a qualitative study that explored the perceptions of graduating students from a northeast baccalaureate nursing program regarding their life experiences with cultural diversity. Thirteen students were interviewed using an interview guide, and interviews were recorded on audiotape. Information obtained included participants' cultural heritage, life experiences before entering a nursing program, educational and clinical experiences in the nursing program, knowledge about cultural competence, and the students' reflections on their ability to provide culturally competent care. Primarily qualitative methods were used to gather and analyze data. This article focuses on one of the major themes that emerged: defining life experiences related to cultural diversity. Data were reanalyzed focusing on this theme, and three life patterns emerged: positive, neutral, and conflicted. These patterns affected the students' interest and desire to provide culturally competent care. Implications for further research and nursing education are discussed.

Evaluation of the cross-cultural health assessment as an interdisciplinary method of cultural competency education

“…This belief of the lack of relevance of cultural competency due to a desire for more didactic objective clinical learning and the perception that objective clinical content is more practical is consistent with previous research [21,26] . Reeves and Fogg [21] noted that factors that promoted cultural competency among nursing students were previous exposure to diverse cultures while growing up, and during Nursing school, and a desire to learn about other cultures. Maine is currently the Whitest state in the nation [67] , resulting in limited exposure of some of the state's residents to people of other cultural and racial backgrounds.…”

“…However, the association between perceived self-competency and CCA scores was not present in the post-test, indicating that by the end of the course, low perceived competency was no longer a factor in CCA scores. The experience of conducting the Cultural Assessment Interview addressed several factors that have been shown to hinder students' perceptions of cultural competency including lack of experience with other cultures and lack of experience with cultural assessment tools [21] .…”

“…Moreover, in spite of these efforts at integrating cultural competency into curricula for at least a decade, nursing students still feel ill-prepared to conduct cultural assessments and feel uncomfortable providing care to clients of diverse backgrounds [20,21] , which speaks to the larger issue of the conceptualization of cultural competency education.…”

A Qualitative Study of Baccalaureate Nursing Students Following an Eight-day International Cultural Experience in Tanzania: Cultural Humility as an Outcome

“…Blacks, Asians, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Hispanics receive poorer quality care than Whites and have limited access to care when compared to Whites within the United States, according to the 2010 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report issued by the USDHHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Research by Reeves and Fogg (2006) found that only 50% of U.S. nursing graduates stated that they were comfortable providing care to individuals who were different from their own ethnic or cultural backgrounds.…”

Opened My Eyes: The Meaning of an Immersion Experience for Currently Practicing Nurses

“…Anna reflected on the impact of her experience: It is the responsibility of nurse educators to prepare nursing students for success as practicing nurses. Reeves and Fogg (2006) explored life experiences of nursing students that promoted culturally competent care in response to faculty differences about the inclusion of cultural content in the nursing curriculum. They conclude that nurse educators are ideally poised to provide guidance into the role of caring for a multicultural society.…”