In a new generation of nurse educators, the responsibility for monitoring and managing the side effects of cancer therapies has shifted to the outpatient oncology nurse educator.  The nurse educator, in her quest to find the effective model of nursing care, can easily be misled. The myriads of educational models to choose from have their own benefits and particular approaches to education. The oncology nurse educator, who is working within a diverse population, becomes keenly aware of the importance of integrating their patient's culture to the education process. 

    In order to provide the patient with a personalized approach to patient education, the theoretical framework of nursing by Dr. Madeleine Leininger: "The Theory of Culture Care, Diversity and Universality" was integrated into the outpatient education of the radiation therapy patients in a diversely populated community hospital. The oncology nurse educator identified a lack of culturally sensitive assessment forms, education materials and education guidelines that required a change in the plan of care. The cultural care model provided a perfect framework of reference to guide the oncology nurse in educating the cancer patient.

   The cultural assessment of 22 radiation patients included using Dr. Madeline Leininger's Acculturation Health Care Assessment Enabler for Cultural Patterns in Traditional and Non Traditional Lifeways (Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 1991). This was a useful tool in gaining insight into the patient's health paradigm through life experiences.

   Using the information gathered from the cultural assessment, a broader, more in-depth insight into the patient as a person was unveiled. This examination of patient's culture revealed that cultural values and beliefs are important to a cancer patient's response to their illness. All patients were treated as unique and important individuals and nurses rediscovered a new nursing model.