The influence of cultural immersion on transcultural self-efficacy for nursing students at private faith-based baccalaureate nursing programs

As multicultural populations throughout the world continually increase, complex challenges and health care disparities are being created. Nurses spend more time in patient care management than any other health care professionals. The need for nurses to provide culturally competent care for increasingly diverse patient populations is critical to eliminate health care disparities and to improve outcomes. Practicing nurses and nursing educators have recognized limitations in the provision of holistic care for these diverse populations.;A transformation has occurred in the nursing discipline creating a standard of excellence focused on the provision of culturally congruent care integrating evidence-based practice interventions. Nursing educators are committed to developing innovative learning strategies to educate nursing students to develop cultural competence, although limited research exists in this area.;Undergraduate and graduate nursing cultural immersion experiences are being utilized to facilitate nursing students' cultural competence. Taught by nursing faculty, the cultural immersion experience includes comprehensive learning about a host culture, nursing, and health care. Students develop understanding of their attitudes and beliefs as they gain knowledge about cultural differences. Positive short- and long-term student and faculty outcomes from cultural immersion experience include increased appreciation for diversity, cultural sensitivity, cultural competence, and acquisition of transcultural nursing skills required for culturally competent and congruent care.;This research study examined the influence of cultural immersion experiences on transcultural self-efficacy (TSE) in nursing students attending private, faith-based baccalaureate nursing programs in the Upper Midwest of the United States. Jeffreys' Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET) was used to determine differences in student perceptions of the TSE based on personal characteristics and type of cultural immersion.;The nursing students have transcultural self-efficacy (TSE) and achieved higher scores on each of established Jeffreys' subscales. Older nursing students (41 years and older) achieved higher TSE scores than younger students in the Affective subscale. Although the nursing students' TSE was not significantly influenced by participation in a cultural immersion or a type of cultural immersion (developing or developed area and nursing or non-nursing), the students' liberal arts education was considered a strong foundation for their development of TSE.