Assessment of level of comfort in providing multicultural nursing care by baccalaureate nursing students

The purpose of this study was to measure the level of comfort in providing transcultural nursing care to clients of diverse cultural backgrounds by graduating baccalaureate students. The sample consisted of 71 senior baccalaureate students. The Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Bernal and Froman was modified and used to measure the confidence level of the graduating nurses in providing transcultural care to five major minority groups in Michigan. The Cultural Self Efficacy Scale is a 26-item Likert type scale which is grouped into two categories: knowledge of cultural concepts for specific ethnic groups (African Americans, Latino-Hispanics, Middle Easterners/Arabics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native American), and confidence in transcultural nursing skills. The items are rated on a scale of 1-5. Results of the study indicate a total mean cultural self-efficacy rating of 2.6. This suggests that the graduating students had little self confidence in their ability to give culturally congruent care. This was evident across the five ethnic groups. Test item analysis for specific ethnic groups suggest that students felt the least degree of confidence in their knowledge of class structure and migration patterns. They felt the greatest degree of confidence in their knowledge of family organization and economic style of living. Test item analysis for the skills suggest that students had the highest degree of confidence in their ability to use interpreters that were provided by either the family or the hospital. They had the least amount of confidence in their ability to instruct clients in child care and evaluating the effectiveness of discharge teaching. Results suggest that the sample of graduating baccalaureate students studied do not feel confident about caring for Michigan's five major ethnic groups. The data obtained in this study support previous research that nursing students are not provided with the experiences needed to give transcultural care to ethnically diverse populations.