Cultural Competency Definition

Is cultural competency required in today’s nursing care? Nursing is a holistic profession which always expected to provide culturally congruent care through the process of developing cultural competence. Nevertheless, cross culture of the society increases progressively, the health disparities also increase gradually and nurses always face challenges while they give care for different cultured patients. By establishing a transcultural nursing, according to Prosen, “theory of nursing concerned with comparing differences and similarities between cultures in relation to values and life particular in order to predict the care need of the individuals and promote culturally congruent care” (Prosen, 2015, p.151) can enhance a positive outcome of health
Even though, transcultural nursing is not a new concept, due to the great cross –culturalism, the nursing educators must to establish a curriculum in education in accordance with advanced changes which will help to provide a qualitative care. There are many studies suggested that education is needed in transcultural nursing to allow nurses to provide culturally competent care. According to National League for Nurses Accreditation Commission (1991), since 1986, cultural competence curriculum in nursing is mandatory for accreditation and approval for board of nursing schools (as cited in long, 2012). Even if, most of the nursing school are included the national standards for the cultural competence with their syllabus, still many problems are facing due to inefficient training, inadequate practical application and skill. Long’s(2012) journal , Cultural Diversity, recommended that the nurses who are cultural competent must begin their education at the student level (Long, 2012).At the same time ,Long pointed out that many studies conducted based on the definition of cultural competence, whereas, limited studies only explored the methods of learning strategy which helps for the culturally balanced care and he tried to describe the method of teaching methods in cultural competence for undergraduate nursing students.Larson,2010 recommended a learning strategy program in cultural competency in order to
So, how does a nurse culturally competent? Most importantly, a nurse should acquire a certain type of cultural competent skills which will establish a patient centered care even in the midst of cultural conflict. As stated by American association of college of nursing (2008), a culturally competent nurse is distinguished by their ability to asses within the cultural variations, cultural skill in communication and knowledge of personal attitudes, believes and values (as cited in Kohlbry,). According to Saha, Beah, and Cooper,2008, they strongly argued that the significant element for patient centered care is cultural competence(as cited in Bacote, and Joseph,2011) .Campinha –Bacote’s(2007), Model of Cultural Competence, ,has introduced cultural competence as a conceptual framework in which the nurse should herself becoming culturally competent instead of being competent and she should obtain some skills which are the combination of consciousness of culture, understanding of culture, ability to assess the cultural data and cultural encounters (as cited in Bacote, and Joseph, 2011). They emphasized that cultural competence is a progressing process in which all the health care professionals should work constantly to obtain the skills and