Cultural competence in nursing: new meanings

Shortages of nurses challenge the provision of health care in developed countries including those in the European Union (EU), but there has been no upward trend in recruitment of nurses from EU countries with a surplus. A remedy is to facilitate migration of nurses around Europe. However, the importance of the concept of cultural competence has been overlooked within EU health care systems. Migrant nurses from EU countries employed in the United Kingdom indicate that they have experienced problems arising from a variety of issues related to cultural diversity. Countries such as the United Kingdom could benefit from introducing enculturation courses for migrant nurses.