A transcultural core course in the clinical nurse specialist curriculum

For the nursing profession, the delivery of culturally congruent care must become a priority. Clinical nurse specialists are in a key position to promote change; however, formal preparation in transcultural care is urgently needed. Nurse educators are challenged to prepare clinical nurse specialists who are equipped to provide quality care to culturally diverse individuals and to collaborate with a multicultural workforce. The purpose of this article is to describe a transcultural core course in the clinical nurse specialist adult health curriculum. The course explores current issues in pluralism, diversity, and healthcare in relationship to clinical nurse specialist competencies. The article addresses the course components, including objectives, topics, teaching strategies, assignments, bibliography, class Web page, and course evaluation. A unique component is the evaluation of students' self-efficacy perceptions (confidence) concerning culture care of diverse individuals as measured by a psychometrically valid instrument, the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool. The article concludes with future implications for clinical nurse specialist education.