No two patients are exactly alike. Different symptoms, different diagnoses, different treatment plans. Another key difference? Their cultural background. In the U.S.’s increasingly diverse healthcare landscape, nurses regularly care for patients from all over the world, and their values, beliefs, and expectations aren’t always the same.
Just like a treatment plan should be tailored to the individual, nursing care must also be adapted to respect and reflect each patient’s unique cultural identity. That’s where transcultural nursing comes in.
To truly connect with patients and offer the highest quality of care, nurses must develop cultural awareness and strong communication skills. These skills build trust, reduce misunderstandings, and improve outcomes, especially in today’s multicultural communities.
Whether you’re an experienced RN or just beginning your BSN journey, gaining transcultural nursing skills can help you become a more compassionate, effective caregiver.
Transcultural nursing is a specialty that focuses on delivering culturally sensitive and respectful care to people of diverse backgrounds. In practice, this means learning how culture influences communication, health behaviors, and expectations so that nurses can tailor their care to each patient’s unique needs.
In a multicultural society, there are multiple factors to consider in patient care that haven’t always been top of mind for healthcare professionals, such as how body language, eye contact, touch, and proximity affect patients. These elements, often second nature in nursing, can vary greatly across cultures.
What feels respectful in one culture may feel invasive or dismissive in another. That’s why nurses must treat each of these aspects as culturally influenced and potentially sensitive.
While it’s helpful to be able to identify the culture and religion of a patient you’re treating, it’s also important not to make assumptions about them or stereotype them. As the peer-reviewed journal Nursing2020 states, failing to understand or respect a patient’s preferences may come across as indifference—or worse, incompetence.
Instead of relying on generalizations, it’s important to remember that all patients are individuals. A cultural assessment tool, such as a short questionnaire, can be a helpful way to learn about preferences and build trust.
Key practices to keep in mind include:
Formal instruction is another way to become what the Transcultural Nursing Society calls a “culturally competent nurse.” A baccalaureate-level program such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing can help you gain the skills to identify and overcome challenges arising from cultural differences with patients. These skills help you perform your daily nursing responsibilities more effectively while helping you advance your career.
Created with a transcultural-nursing-infused curriculum, The University of Texas Permian Basin’s CCNE-accredited online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program can help you prepare to take on leadership and decision-making roles.
As you move through our program, you’ll learn effective ways to meet the diverse needs of multicultural patients as well as gain a deeper understanding of evidence-based practice and patient-centered care.
The UT Permian Basin online RN to BSN program includes three core courses that directly address the question, “What is transcultural nursing?”:
In this course, you’ll gain a foundation in the nursing practices and specialized medical and nursing terminology you need to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients and families. This includes:
This course includes an analysis of formal and informal community systems/resources and healthcare delivery systems in public health and emphasizes cultural influences’ effect on the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. In the course, you’ll:
In this course, you’ll discover how to:
You’ll also learn the importance of collaboration and interprofessional communication in promoting healthy communities through public health systems. The course also examines community assessment and planning in non-emergent and emergent situations in addition to advocacy for access to the healthcare system.
Earning your BSN online from UT Permian Basin means benefits you can enjoy immediately, not just after graduation. Our program features asynchronous, fully online classes that you can complete at any time of day from any location with internet access.
There are no required campus visits, and you can choose from six program start times to fit your schedule and program completion goals. If you’ll be juggling professional and personal responsibilities while you’re enrolled, you’ll find this flexibility invaluable.
The UT Permian Basin online RN to BSN program is delivered in an accelerated format that enables you to finish some courses in just seven weeks.Courses are taught by the same acclaimed faculty who teach them in-person on the UT Permian Basin campus. When you graduate from the program, you’ll receive a BSN degree that’s identical to the one that campus-based students receive.
To provide the most effective care to patients, every nurse should be educated in transcultural nursing. UT Permian Basin’s online RN to BSN program can help you excel in the modern multicultural environment.
Ready to enhance your nursing skills and serve diverse communities more effectively? Apply to UTPB’s online RN to BSN program today.
Sources:
https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/transcultural-nurse
https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2005/01001/UNDERSTANDING_TRANSCULTURAL_NURSING.2.aspx
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