Development of a Learning Module on Cultural Competence for Nursing Faculty in an ASN Program

This evidence based project focused on the development of a learning module for facutly in an associate degree in nursing (ADN) program. There was a gap in student focused cultural competency education of faculty in the identified nursing program. The agency, St. Joseph School of Nursing (SJSON), a small, ADN program, is located in the city of Nashua, New Hampshire. New Hampshire’s race population is 93.9% white (Census.gov, 2015). SJSON’s race demographic of nursing students does not reflect the geographical area; over one-third (35.6%) of currently enrolled students are non-white (St. Joseph School of Nursing, 2017). Faculty have discussed the lack of understanding of different student cultures that are served at the school and the need for competence in order to meet the educational necessities of our students. Ethnic and cultural differences can correlate with racial diversity and faculty have identified these topics as a learning need to better serve their students. Over time, the increase in racial and ethnic diversity has slowly risen. Previously, the orientation of new faculty and continuing education did not include cultural competence education.

The proposed solution to this problem was to develop a cultural competence learning module for faculty to complete as part of their orientation and continuing education. The module was created using presentation software. It included identified areas; strategies to increase cultural competence, information on students’ cultures, and strategies to increase identified students’ success. A cultural competence learning module, with a portion geared specifically toward the SJSON demographic, gave faculty the educational basis required to effectively meet the needs of the population.

Nurse educators must understand how to apply this knowledge to students in order to competently teach learners. Faculty support enables students to feel included and understood; therefore, contributing to student success (White & Fulton, 2015). The goal of the cultural competence learning module was for faculty to achieve increased cultural competence to better understand the learning needs of the students they serve.