The Effects of a Cultural Immersion on the Cultural Competence of Student Nurses

Given the rapid growth of multicultural populations within communities worldwide, nursing students have been charged to provide more culturally competent nursing care, guided by a sensitive recognition of clients' unique cultural beliefs, habits, and values. Although research confirms the need to include cultural interactive learning systems into nursing curricula, nursing scholars have not developed a consensus on the most effective methods for delivery of cultural education. This qualitative ethnonursing study investigated the effectiveness of selected interactive methods, such as role-play and computer technology, on the cultural competence of selected nursing students. Guided by Leininger's culture care theory, which posits that an optimized cultural education stems from an immersion into multicultural communities, this study evaluated a pilot cultural nursing program that integrated transcultural classroom lectures with immersion into local multicultural communities, and identified the effect of the immersion on the cultural competence of student nurses. The study implemented a modified version of Leininger's ethnonursing methodology, using only in-depth interviews as a means of eliciting responses regarding students' perception of immersion. These interviews were conducted with 15 nursing students who volunteered for participation, and were then transcribed and coded for emerging themes utilizing inductive analysis. Key outcomes included significant gains in the cultural competence of all participants and confirmation of cultural immersion as a distinct method of cultural education. These outcomes promote positive social change by developing better-trained nurses and nurse-training institutions, there by promoting the worth and dignity of a culturally diverse population.