Elsevier

Journal of Professional Nursing

Volume 27, Issue 1, January–February 2011, Pages 43-49
Journal of Professional Nursing

Original article
Lost in Translation: Student Perceptions of Cultural Competence in Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Curricula

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2010.09.005Get rights and content

The rapidly changing demographics of the United States require nurses who are equipped with knowledge and skills to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse patient population. Nurse educators seek to meet this challenge through integrating cultural competence into nursing course curricula. Few studies have examined student perceptions of the integration of this material. As part of a larger school-wide assessment, this qualitative descriptive study used focus groups of doctoral and bachelor of science in nursing students to evaluate their perceptions of the integration of cultural competence in the nursing curriculum. We sought to answer two questions: (a) what the students' perceptions were and (b) what recommendations they had for improvement. The results of the focus groups yielded three themes: (a) broadening definitions, (b) integrating cultural competence, and (c) missed opportunities. Student suggestions and recommendations for enhancing cultural competence in the curricula are provided.

Section snippets

University Commitment to Enrich Cultural Competence

To continue its commitment to diversity awareness, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing set as its primary goal in the 2003–2008 strategic plan, the integration of cultural competence throughout the research, practice, and education agenda (Watts, Cuellar, O'Sullivan, 2008). Efforts to meet this objective included the appointment of a Director of Diversity Affairs and the introduction of an intensive faculty development program that included training sessions, regional workshops,

Methods

In this qualitative descriptive study, we conducted two focus groups composed of nursing students at the University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 2006 and 2007. This design allowed us to gain a preliminary understanding of the student's views and perceptions of cultural-specific content in their nursing courses (Sandelowski, 2000). Focus groups provided a format for participants to provide spontaneous reactions, reflect on personal experiences, verbalize opinions, and hear the experiences of

Data Analysis

Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret results (Morgan, 1993). First, transcripts were reviewed by team members for significant statements, and these statements and similar concepts were grouped together to generate themes as data analysis progressed. Second, codes were discussed and placed into categories. Third, to augment rigor, the transcripts were coded separately by each facilitator then reviewed together to reach a consensus. The validity of the themes from the doctoral focus

Discussion

The last half of the 20th century has witnessed an increase in literature and research supporting the incorporation of cultural competence into holistic nursing practice. During this period, nurse leaders have developed several theoretical models, which describe cultural competence, and its various components (Campinha-Bacote, 1994, Giger and Davidhizar, 1995, Leininger, 1978, Purnell and Paulanka, 1998). These models have served as useful guides for introducing cultural competence into the

Recommendations

The doctoral and undergraduate students did not merely offer critique of their nursing curricula, they also offered concrete recommendations they thought would improve the delivery of culture-related content. The students would rather have the cultural content saturate the course, not just limited to one special lecture but a constant presence in the curriculum to mimic real life. They thought it should be woven throughout the course similar to the way the life span is integrated into their

Conclusion

Results from this study add to ongoing efforts to integrate cultural competence into the school of nursing curriculum. Student feedback such as that provided through focus groups serves as a valuable barometer to evaluate current methods for integrating this content. As a result of this and other Master Teacher Task Forces efforts, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has added several new courses to the nursing curricula and a new minor in Multicultural/Global Healthcare. They have

Acknowledgments

J. Margo Brooks Carthon is supported by funding from the National Institute for Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, K-01 from NIH/NINR (K01NR012006, Brooks Carthon, PI), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (RO-1NR-004513, Aiken, PI) and the Center for Nursing Outcomes Research (T-32-NR-007104, Aiken, PI). This work was also supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research (P20 NR008361) awarded to the University of

References (22)

  • DayJ.C.

    Population projections of the United States by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin: 1995 to 2050

  • Cited by (22)

    • Explaining the educational challenges in the path of cultural competence: The experiences of Iranian nursing students

      2022, Journal of Professional Nursing
      Citation Excerpt :

      Additionally, these nurses emphasized the need to learn patients' language to achieve cultural competence among nurses (Larsen et al., 2021). In line with the current study, other studies indicated that to achieve cultural competence, students, instructors, and nurses needed to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills (Lasater & Jenkins, 2013; Sumpter & Carthon, 2011). Darban et al. (2016) also showed that poor information and communication between nurses and clients was a major barrier to mutual understanding (Darban et al., 2016).

    • Exploration of nursing degree students’ content expectations of a dedicated Indigenous health unit

      2016, Collegian
      Citation Excerpt :

      Students felt the opportunity to interact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through clinical placement or cultural immersion experiences would benefit their understanding. Studies have showed that students find it difficult to understand cultural competence and have low confidence in integrating cultural safety in clinical situations (Sumpter & Carthon, 2011). Quality clinical components and cultural immersion experiences have been shown to shift student attitudes and stereotypes (Thackrah & Thompson, 2013).

    • Cultural desire need not improve with cultural knowledge: A cross-sectional study of student nurses

      2016, Nurse Education in Practice
      Citation Excerpt :

      In the United States, similar units have had varied results. One study showed that the teaching of cultural competence was welcomed by students of all year levels (Brennan and Cotter, 2008) while another study showed that students found it difficult to understand the concept of cultural competence, had concerns about integrating cultural competence into clinical practice and research and highlighted missed opportunities in teaching (Sumpter and Carthon, 2011). Inclusion of Aboriginal content in the curriculum can cause unease among students (Thackrah and Thompson, 2013).

    • “Both sides now”—A scale for assessing health care providers’ intercultural communication comfort regarding traditional and non-traditional palliative care

      2016, European Journal of Integrative Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      The ‘non-traditional palliative care topics’ subscale allows assessment of comfort in dealing with these topics. In order to become effective intercultural communicators, students in healthcare professions require education concerning cultural and ethnic differences as an integral component of their training [70,71]. Indeed many studies highlight the increasing importance of culture, spirituality and end-of-life in the education of health professionals [72,73].

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text