Undergraduate nursing students and cross-cultural care: A program evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate baccalaureate nursing students' perspectives on their acquired cultural competency following the integration of a transcultural nursing thread throughout the curriculum. This research is as part of an ongoing program evaluation.

A cross-sectional survey design utilizing The Residents Physicians' Preparedness to Provide Cross-Cultural Care Survey (Weissman et al., 2005). The instrument was adapted and used as the Nursing Education in Cross-Cultural Care Survey. This survey consisted of five sections: training, cross-cultural experiences, resources, specialty areas, and personal and professional characteristics.

The setting for this research was a baccalaureate school of nursing at a small university in rural Hawaii.

A convenience sample of 56 graduating senior nursing students over a 2-year period participated in the study.

Students perceived themselves as somewhat prepared to provide cultural competent care. Limited exposure and utilization of interpreters, lack of role models and mentors, and unpreparedness to counsel different cultures in the area of terminal health were the lowest scoring subsections. Students learned best in the clinical setting compared to classroom setting.

Nursing program evaluation needs to be systematic and ongoing. All programs need to determine whether program goals were met. This survey tool assisted faculty to evaluate the integration of the transcultural thread throughout the nursing curriculum. At the end of the nursing program, students were somewhat prepared to deliver cross-cultural care. Areas were identified for program improvement.