A model of practice to address cultural competence in rehabilitation nursing.

A position statement developed by the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN), Appropriate Inclusion of Rehabilitation Nurses Wherever Rehabilitation is Provided, stated that nurses are an essential part of a client's rehabilitation because they provide holistic care and "attend to the full range of human experiences and responses to health and illness" (Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, 1996, p.1). Rehabilitation nurses must become strongly aware of the role that culture plays in this process. This article presents a conceptual model of practice with which to address cultural competence in rehabilitation nursing. The model's constructs of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural encounters, cultural skill, and cultural desire are discussed. Examples from the field of rehabilitation nursing are presented in the discussion of these constructs.

The challenge of cultural diversity for nurse educators.

By the year 2000, one in every three Americans will represent an ethnically diverse cultural group. Nurses are awaking to the critical need to become more knowledgeable and culturally competent to work with individuals from diverse cultures (Leininger, 1994). However, teaching cultural awareness in nursing education can present a major professional challenge for nurse educators. This article discusses cultural competence and presents a conceptual model of culturally competent health care. Based on this model, the article also discusses the implementation of a four-session cultural diversity program in a rural hospital setting.

The quest for cultural competence in nursing care.

Conducting a culturally sensitive cultural assessment is a critical factor in rendering culturally relevant services to our growing ethnically diverse patient population. The author examines issues affecting the process of conducting culturally sensitive cultural assessments. A review of several cultural assessment tools is presented, along with suggestions for conducting effective cultural assessments.

Cultural competence: a critical factor in nursing research.

By the year 2000, one in every third American will represent an ethnic minority. This statistic presents various challenges for healthcare providers. While cultural competence is examined in educational and practical nursing areas, nursing research is only beginning to view cultural competence as essential. This article explores various cultural issues embedded in the research process and provides readers with a conceptual model to enhance cultural competence in nursing research.

Transcultural psychiatric nursing: diagnostic and treatment issues.

1. Psychiatric nurses are exposed to individuals and families experiencing culture-bound illnesses in which symptomatology closely mimics psychiatric problems. 2. Because of the great potential of misdiagnosis among culturally diverse groups as having a mental illness, a cultural assessment must be done. 3. The culturally competent model of care is a conceptual model of nursing care that views cultural awareness, knowledge, skill, and encounters as components of cultural competence. Cultural competence is viewed as a process in which the psychiatric nurse strives to effectively work with individuals and families from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Cultural competence in psychiatric mental health nursing. A conceptual model.

This article presents a conceptual model for enhancing cultural competence in psychiatric nursing. The model, The Culturally Competent Model of Care, views cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, and cultural encounter as critical components of cultural competence. In this dynamic model, cultural competence is viewed as a process, not an end-point in which the psychiatric nurse continuously strives to effectively work within the cultural context of individuals, families, and/or communities from diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds. The Culturally Competent Model of Care encourages psychiatric nurses to see themselves as always in the process of becoming culturally competent, rather than being culturally competent.

Voodoo illness.

Healthcare providers must familiarize themselves with specific culture-bound syndromes and their manifestations in order to provide quality care to culturally diverse clients seeking healthcare services. Voodoo illness is one of several culture-bound syndromes that nurses need to be familiar with, for an inability to understand voodoo illness may result in the client's death (voodoo death).

Community mental health services for the underserved: a culturally specific model.

Underutilization of community mental health services by minorities has been an ongoing concern in the field of mental health. Many agencies are mainstream and ethnocentric in their services to culturally diverse clients, resulting in color-blind treatment approaches. During the era of civil rights, the concept of difference was used to exclude groups of individuals, families, and communities from access to resources. However, ethnicity does matter and make a difference. This article will address the need for culturally relevant services for African-American clients with the dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental illness. The intent is to provide mental health care providers with a culturally specific model that will render culturally relevant and culturally competent services to individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Cultural considerations in child-rearing practices: a transcultural perspective.

The nursing profession has begun to see the necessity of considering an individual's cultural belief system when providing nursing care. Leininger (1978), the founder of transcultural nursing, takes a strong position that "...a nurse should not be viewed as professional until she can effectively work with people in at least a bicultural setting, and the professional nurse should be prepared to respond effectively to people in our pluralistic world as an essential criterion of being professional" (pg. 141). To intervene effectively with the parent-child subsystem, the nurse must take into consideration the parental figure's belief system and cultural values. These cultural values give parents a sense of direction as well as meaning to their life. If nurses fail to respect and incorporate these values into nursing care, their ability to effectively help these parent-child subsystems is impaired and can limit this subsystem's progress toward their own culturally defined health state (Leininger, 1978). The purpose of the article is to provide nurses with a framework that can be used when interacting with families from diverse cultural backgrounds concerning the issue of discipline. This article emphasizes the need to incorporate a culturological assessment when implementing nursing interventions.