Cultural Competence In Nursing Education Essay

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Two highly noted programs are Culturally Competent Nursing Modules (CCNMS) and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS). The article “Why Is Cultural Competence Important in Nursing” states that in these programs the students “watch videos, listen to and read presentations, and take tests (leading to certificates and credit units) that help them improve their understanding of and show more respect for people from different cultures.” Afterwards they take examinations and are evaluated based on their educational and clinical experience. According to Ann Kenny author of “Culturally Competent Nursing Care: A Corner Stone of Caring” the National Standards for (CLAS) were developed by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) in December …show more content…

Joyce J. Fitzpatrick author of “Cultural Competence in Nursing Education Revisited” claims that having a week long cultural competence course is not adequate enough to competently care for a patient of another culture. She thinks that nursing students need a more enriched program on this issue and that one way to get a valuable learning experience is to join the international student exchange and travel to a different region. Likewise, Tracey Longs’ article “Influence of International Service-Learning on Nursing Student Self-Efficacy toward Cultural Competence” also talks about the positive impact travelling aboard had on sixteen nursing students. Longs’ article talks about the positive impact continuing cultural education had on the nurses’ ability to provide confident care the patients deserved. However, this was only for a select few students who could afford the cost of this experience while being able to leave their job and families for an extended period of time. Fitzpatrick mentions that it would be beneficial for all nursing programs to have a cross-cultural class. This would provide all students, even those who do not have the ability to travel, with the same opportunity to learn about different cultures, especially in their geographical area. Both researchers are saying that more cultural education is certainly a need in the nursing programs whether it is by means of travelling or a class