Comparative analysis of cultural competence of senior and junior nursing students

Abstract

Background: Cultural competence (CC) is essential for nurses because cultural diversity challenges health care providers, especially nurses, to provide culturally competent care to diverse populations. Cultural competence training in nursing education is a timely need in Sri Lanka and worldwide.Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the level of cultural competence between senior and junior student nurses studying in the School of Nursing at Kurunegala and Vavuniya to identify how current nursing education influences CC improvement.Methods: A comparative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Schools of Nursing, Vavuniya and Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants from first and third-year nursing students. Data were collected by a validated self-administered questionnaire and analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Results: The mean score of junior student nurses’ CC was 3.72 (SD±0.38). The mean scores of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skills, cultural encounter, and cultural desire of junior student nurses were 3.80 (±0.37), 3.55 (±0.54), 3.48 (±0.71), 3.54 (±0.56) and 4.26 (±0.46), respectively. The mean score of CC of senior student nurses was 3.92 (SD±0.28), and the mean scores of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounter, and cultural desire were 3.94(±0.35), 4.00 (±0.38), 3.77 (±0.50), 3.63 (±0.44), and 4.29 (±0.49), respectively. Independent sample t-test indicated no significant difference between the senior and junior student nurses when compared to CC (p = 0.697).Conclusion: The CC was at a moderate level for both junior and senior students and there is an essential need to increase it to the highest level possible due to the cultural diversity of the patients that they have to provide healthcare in Sri Lanka.