An Intervention to Improve Cultural Competence in Graduate Nursing Education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Cultural Competence
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Limited research exists on the impact of comprehensive curricula on graduate nursing students' cultural competence.
• Cultural competence is crucial for effective healthcare delivery in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of a curricular intervention on cultural competence among Doctor of Nursing Practice students.
• To assess changes in cultural competence objectives within nursing courses.
• To measure the impact on students' self-efficacy in transcultural care.

Main Methods:

• A pretest-posttest design was employed to assess the curricular intervention.
• Data were collected from 2012 to 2014 at a midwestern university's Doctor of Nursing Practice program.
• Faculty curriculum surveys and the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool were utilized.

Main Results:

• The percentage of courses with cultural competence objectives increased from 65% to 81%.
• Students demonstrated statistically significant improvements in overall scores on the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool.
• Three subscale scores of the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool also showed significant improvement.

Conclusions:

• A targeted curricular intervention can effectively enhance cultural competence in graduate nursing students.
• Integrating cultural competence objectives into the curriculum positively influences student self-efficacy.
• This study provides evidence for the importance of curriculum-wide approaches to cultural competence training in nursing education.