Journal Article

Nursing students’ experience of learning cultural competence

Coelho, Teresa, Cordeiro, Raul, Tambo-Lizalde, Elena, Sagarra-Romero, Lucía, Subirón-Valera, Ana B., Huércanos-Esparza, Isabel, Coelho, Margarida, Casa Nova, Antonio, Antón-Solanas, Isabel, Vanceulebroeck, Valérie, Dehaes, Shana, Kalkan, Indrani, Kömürcü, Nuran, Hamam-Alcober, Nadia

2021

Overview

European societies are rapidly becoming multicultural. Cultural diversity presents new challenges and opportunities to communities that receive immigrants and migrants, and highlights the need for culturally safe healthcare. Universities share a responsibility to build a fair and equitable society by integrating cultural content in the nursing curricula. This paper aims to analyze European student nurses´ experience of learning cultural competence and of working with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. A phenomenological approach was selected through a qualitative research method. 7 semi-structured focus groups with 5-7 students took place at the participants' respective universities in Spain, Belgium, Turkey and Portugal. 5 themes and 16 subthemes emerged from thematic analysis. Theme 1, concept of culture/cultural diversity, describes the participants' concept of culture; ethnocentricity emerged as a frequent element in the students' discourse. Theme 2, personal awareness, integrates the students' self-perception of cultural competence and their learning needs. Theme 3, impact of culture, delves on the participants' perceived impact of cultural on both nursing care and patient outcomes. Theme 4, learning cultural competence, integrates the participants' learning experiences as part of their nursing curricula, as part of other academic learning opportunities and as part of extra-academic activities. Theme 5, learning cultural competence during practice placements, addresses some important issues including witnessing unequal care, racism, prejudice and conflict, communication and language barriers, tools and resources and positive attitudes and behaviors witnesses or displayed during clinical practice. The participants' perceived level of cultural competence was variable. All the participants agreed that transcultural nursing content should be integrated in the nursing curricula, and suggested different strategies to improve their knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is important to listen to the students and take their opinion into account when designing cultural teaching and learning activities.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Attitudes / Belgium / Biology and Life Sciences / Clinical medicine / Clinical outcomes / College students / Colleges & universities / Communication / Communication Barriers / Competence / Cultural competence / Cultural Competency - education / Cultural Competency - psychology / Cultural differences / Cultural Diversity / Cultural heritage / Cultural instruction / Culture / Curricula / Delivery of Health Care - ethics / Discrimination / Education / Educational activities / Ethnicity / Female / Field instruction / Health care / Health disparities / Health sciences / Health services / Higher education / Humans / Immigrants / Language attitudes / Learning / Learning activities / Male / Medicine and Health Sciences / Migrants / Migration / Mindfulness / Multiculturalism / Multiculturalism & pluralism / Nurses / Nursing / Nursing care / Nursing education / Nursing students / Patient satisfaction / Patients / People and Places / Perceptions / Portugal / Practice placements / Prejudice / Prejudice - prevention & control / Prejudice - psychology / Qualitative Research / Racism / Research methodology / Self concept / Social Perception - psychology / Social Sciences / Spain / Student attitudes / Students / Students, Nursing - psychology / Study and teaching / Teacher education / Teaching / Theme / Transcultural Nursing - education / Transcultural Nursing - organization & administration / Turkey / Witnesses / Young Adult