Cultural Competence Paper

Cultural Competency in the Classroom and Beyond Providing culturally competent care within the healthcare profession is imperative to the success and evaluation of positive outcomes of patient-centered care. According to Nair & Adetayo (2019), cultural competence is “the ability to collaborate effectively with individuals from different cultures; and such competence improves healthcare experiences and outcomes.” Studies demonstrate the effectiveness of educating healthcare professionals on their own implicit biases, enhancing their ability to provide culturally competent care to multicultural patient communities. With this understanding of cultural competency, healthcare professionals can better serve diverse patient populations. Cultural Competence …show more content…
Self-assessment results showed many students were culturally aware, but very few were culturally competent, suggesting the structured seminars could improve competency. The study’s sample lacked diverse representation, with participants being predominantly Caucasian (79.6%) while some were Black/African-American (12.5%) (Sargent et al., 2005). Immersion experiences were recommended in the study to enhance cultural understanding, with faculty attaining higher levels of cultural competence through immersion opportunities. This finding supports implementing such opportunities in nursing education to increase individuals’ understanding of various cultural healthcare needs. The Healthcare Provider Perspective on Cultural Competence Addressing cultural competence in the workplace presents a significant challenge, especially considering the varied perspectives and experiences of healthcare providers. Some hospitals provide cross-cultural education and training to address common objectives such as, “[improving] cross-cultural …show more content…
al., 2019). Not only do healthcare professionals see the value in cultural education, but studies have also shown that cultural competency leads to better patient outcomes. According to Castro & Ruiz (2009), “Latina patients reported greater satisfaction with NPs of Latina origin who were certified, had received cultural competence training, could speak Spanish, and had attended master's level programs.” Ongoing cross-cultural education and training in the healthcare setting is critical to ensure healthcare professionals can navigate and address the challenges of serving patients of various cultural backgrounds. Implications for Nursing Practice The importance of cultural competence can be highlighted in two different contexts. The first study uses Campinha-Bacote’s model to focus on the cultural competency of nursing students and faculty in education. The second study considers the viewpoints of healthcare professionals in the workplace and emphasizes the need for frequent, mandatory cross-cultural training to improve patient outcomes.

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