Cultural Competency

“Nursing students in the US are under increasing pressure to be equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills to meet an increasingly diverse American population.” (Seckman, 2013) Cultural competence is a professional practice issue in healthcare that is present and continuing to emerge in our society. It can place a patient’s safety at risk, affect the quality of care they receive, and interfere with the nurse’s ability to care for the patient. New nurses or nursing students are especially vulnerable to this lack of cultural competency. Not only are they trying to navigate through a rigorous nursing curriculum but they must also begin to understand the importance of acknowledging and learning different cultures. Cultural competence can …show more content…
Throughout my clinical experiences, I was placed with a variety of patients from mixed backgrounds and cultures differing from my own. At times, it was difficult to help these patients. I found myself excessively cautious and hesitant so as not to offend patients and their families. Speaking Portuguese and Spanish was extremely helpful in making myself and patients feel more at ease. One example that stays with me was when I was able to stay by the side of a Spanish speaking patient while she was delivering her baby because her family had not yet arrived. I will not forget her gratitude and the special bond I was able to share with her. “Responding to clients with appropriate cultural sensitivity is an essential competency for all nurses, and one that takes both education and practice to achieve.” (Seckman, 2013) By instilling the knowledge, attitude and skills necessary to recognize cultural competence in nursing students, a solid foundation can be built for culturally competent nurses.
II. Literature …show more content…
Nursing students must understand that during a nurse-patient interaction, an intersection of three cultural experiences occurs, ‘the culture of the nurse, the culture of the client and the culture of the setting.‘ (Seckman, 2013) To become culturally competent, nurses must develop an understanding of self, an acquisition of cultural health knowledge, and the desire to want to work with diverse populations. (Seckman, 2013) “Introducing nursing students to values and beliefs that are relevant to the client populations they will work with helps them to see the role that culture plays in health care practices and decisions. Students then can better see health issues from a perspective different from their own which may help them to provide more culturally congruent care.” (Seckman, 2013)
Overview of Teaching Strategies for Cultural Competence in Nursing

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Cultural Competencies